Fire Science Show
Fire Science Show
Wojciech Wegrzynski
259 - Communicating fire science with politicians with Birgitte Messerschmidt
1 hour 2 minutes Posted Jul 8, 2026 at 6:00 am.
Why Fire Science Communication Matters
Sponsor Message From OFR Consultants
How A Fire Nerd Meets Power
Build An Elevator Speech That Lands
Selling Safety Without Sounding Alarmist
Media Sensation And Electric Vehicle Fires
Avoid Being Used In Political Fights
Map Stakeholders And Craft Your Story
Coalitions Allies And Compromises
Ethical Communication After Tragedy
Build Trust Before The Next Crisis
Explaining Risk To Emotional Audiences
Final Takeaways And Closing
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Show notes
Fire safety is a tough “product” to sell because the best outcome looks like nothing happened. That’s exactly why we sat down with Birgitte Messerschmidt (NFPA) to talk about communicating fire science to politicians, regulators, grant bodies, and other people in positions of power who can approve policies, permits, and funding, often with only a few minutes to spare. We share what changes when your audience is nontechnical, busy, and sometimes driven by incentives that do not neatly match en...