Keith Stakes is a member of the UL's Fire Safety Research Institute. As a fire protection engineer, he studies the effectiveness of fire service tactics as well as advances in firefighter safety and fireground operations. Stakes holds a bachelor's degree and a masters degree in fire protection engineering from the University of Maryland. He serves with the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad in Bethesda, MD, where he currently holds the rank of fire/rescue battalion chief. Stakes serves on the NFPA Technical Committee for Fire Service Training.