Maria Figueroa is NFPA’s regional director of the fire prevention field office and is based in Miami Lakes, Florida. Prior to her retirement in 2008, she accumulated more than 25 years of fire service experience, most recently as a firefighter/paramedic in Doral, Florida with the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department. During her tenure with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, she also served as a fire rescue captain, co-chair of the Miami-Dade Fire Prevention and Safety Appeals Board, and an officer in charge of the Code Compliance Bureau from 1996-1998. Figueroa has also worked as a consultant specializing in services related to disaster management and business continuity.