Submitted by:
Paul Sullivan
Maryland Fire Chiefs Association

The IAFC Fire-Rescue International Conference (FRI) will be held on August 24-26, 2022 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. Attendees of the program will explore current and evolving concepts in fire/EMS service management, leadership, and administration. The Maryland Fire Chiefs Association (MFCA) Training Committee, with funds from the SAFER Grant, is sponsoring a number of scholarship opportunities for Maryland Fire Service Personnel to attend the conference. The scholarship will reimburse recipients up to $2200 for the conference registration, travel to and from San Antonio, TX and hotel expenses (GSA rate of $124/night). There is no provision for per diem (food).

Whether you’re looking to enhance your knowledge or learn about current trends in fire and emergency services leadership, the expansive FRI program has it all. Only the IAFC provides specific leadership programs for company officers, chief officers, new fire chiefs and veteran chiefs. FRI education is divided into tracks to help you quickly and easily find the sessions that interest you and meet your specific needs. From emerging topics to operations, the FRI program covers the wide spectrum of topics that affect today’s leaders.

FRI features sessions that are broken into ten different tracks that include: Administration & Human Relations; All-Hazards Management; Community Risk Reduction; Emergency Medical Services; Emerging Trends & Topics; Leadership; Operations; Safety, Health & Wellness; Technology; and Wicked Problems. Upon returning from the conference, the attendees will be able to share the information that they gathered and learned with their respective departments. Sharing this information will allow their department the opportunity to enhance the day-to-day operations along with maximizing personnel safety.

Scholarship recipients will be required to submit all of their receipts at the conclusion of the conference for reimbursement up to the eligible amount. In addition, as part of the reimbursement process, attendees will be required to provide the MFCA Training Committee with a one page synopsis of what they learned in the course and how they will share such information with their department and/or jurisdiction.

Individuals applying for the scholarship must be a current volunteer member in good standing of a Maryland volunteer fire, rescue and/or EMS company. The MFCA Training Committee would like to encourage everyone to apply for this scholarship opportunity. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship to attend the IAFC Fire-Rescue International Conference (FRI), please complete the attached Scholarship Application and email it to scholarships@mdchief.org. All completed and signed scholarship applications must be received by the MFCA Training Committee by no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, July 8, 2022.

Please refer any questions involving this scholarship opportunity to Chief Paul E. Sullivan, Jr. at psullivan@mrvfr.org.

Scholarship Announcement: https://chiefcdn.chiefpoint.com/content/External/mdchief//articlefiles/ArticleFile_ArticleMessageCenter_45313_02183.pdf/

Scholarship Application:
https://chiefcdn.chiefpoint.com/content/External/mdchief//articlefiles/ArticleFile_ArticleMessageCenter_45313_04363.pdf/