CAMBRIDGE, Md. — One of the largest fire testing and research facilities in the region will soon call Cambridge home. Fire & Risk Alliance, or FRA, is moving forward with a new research campus expected to bring hundreds of jobs to Dorchester County over the next several years.
FRA, a Montgomery County-based engineering, research and testing company focused on fire and life safety, has purchased more than 30 acres at the Dorchester Regional Technology Park. The company is putting the finishing touches on a 30,000-square-foot emission-controlled research campus in its first phase, which will support fire testing, research and training.
The project marks a major milestone for the tech park, which has worked for years to attract businesses to the area.
"They have purchased six lots in the tech park, and they're the first business to come," said Susan Banks, Director of the County’s Economic Development Center. "We have tried for a long time to bring people in. So we're very, very excited that they're investing in our community."
FRA is projecting 30 new full-time positions by the end of 2027, with the workforce growing to more than 100 people within three years and potentially as many as 300 employees as the company continues to expand.
Those roles will range from fire protection engineers, researchers and technical staff to facilities maintenance, marketing and outreach positions.
Company leaders say the Eastern Shore was a strategic choice, both for its available land and its ties to the company's roots.
"Most of us are Maryland locals, so we, you know, raised here, grew up here, business was here," Noah Ryder, the company's chief operating officer said. "And we were looking for a place that we could get a good-size plot to help build this research campus…And while most of us are out in Montgomery County currently, we've gone to the Eastern Shore for years. And, we've got folks that come from there originally. They're working for the company, so it just seemed like a good fit…The community support has been fantastic."
According to FRA, at the center of the campus is the Large Fire Research Lab, a facility roughly the size of a football field. The lab will allow researchers to conduct full-scale tests replicating real-world fire conditions in a controlled environment, from testing a piece of furniture to an entire battery storage system the size of a shipping container.
That research will directly support safer product design, product certifications and updated building and fire codes.
A significant portion of the facility will also serve as a training center for first responders, fire safety code officials and fire departments at the local, regional and national level.
Cambridge Mayor Lajan Cephas-Bey said the facility could also become a tourism draw for the city. FRA plans to host its first symposium in Cambridge in September, with about 250 guests expected from around the world.
"That will make a huge impact, not on [just] our hotels but also downtown," Cephas-Bey said. “And we're hoping some of these visitors will decide to make Cambridge their home.”
The mayor added that she hopes the facility's controlled burn testing could eventually benefit local emergency crews.
"They'll be doing controlled burns just so they can test fire suppressant technology," Cephas-Bey said. "And that was really exciting to know that they could have chosen anywhere, but they chose Dorchester County within the city limits of Cambridge. And what I'm really excited about is that it's a great possibility, maybe our local fire departments, our volunteer fire departments, maybe they'll get the opportunity to have some of that technology.”
FRA's investment in the community extends beyond the physical facility. Through its nonprofit, the FRA Global Foundation, the company is establishing a scholarship and mentoring program in fire protection engineering at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
An existing apprenticeship program for high school students in Montgomery County and a scholarship program at the University of Maryland, College Park are also planned to expand into Dorchester County.
Local leaders say they're hopeful the project will spur additional investment in the tech park.
"We're really excited about FRA and the jobs that it's going to create, starting with the 30 here in the fall." Banks said. "We expect this economic output and jobs just to continue growing and growing, especially as more and more businesses come in to have their products tested by them."
Company leaders say they hope construction of the first phase will be complete by the end of this year. The public will get a first look at the facility in September, when FRA hosts a demonstration event that will include a live fire test. This will be part of the September symposium.
