Dr. James Milke honored with NFPA Distinguished Service Award

June 19, 2023 — The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced that Dr. James Milke has been awarded the 2023 Distinguished Service Award. This prestigious honor is given by the NFPA Board of Directors to individuals who have made significant contributions in the promotion of fire safety and NFPA's mission.

Dr. Milke received his award at the Stars at Night awards gala held on June 18th, in Las Vegas, as part of the annual NFPA Conference and Expo. A life member of NFPA, Dr. Milke's relationship with the organization is extensive. He has been a past member of the NFPA Standards Council and the NFPA Fire Tests Committee and is a current member and past chair of the NFPA Committee on Smoke Management Systems.

As a Professor and Chair of the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland (UMD), Dr. Milke has dedicated over 40 years to academia, fostering the next generation of fire safety professionals. He will retire from UMD later this year. His professional achievements extend beyond the academic sphere.

He has served as the Fire Protection Engineer for Fairfax County, Virginia, a Research Fire Prevention Engineer at NIST, and he was a key member of FEMA’s Building Performance Study Team that investigated the World Trade Center catastrophe on September 11, 2001.

The Distinguished Service Award is a testament to Dr. Milke’s lifelong dedication to fire safety, and his work will continue to inspire NFPA and the fire safety community at large. For this release and other announcements about NFPA initiatives, research and resources, please visit the NFPA press room.