Saturday, June 7, 2025 | |||
| Time | Session | Speaker | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 | Peer Support Group Training | Scott Young | This session is only for members of the FCABC Peer Support Group |
| 9:00 | New Chiefs Orientation | Bruce Green, Scott Driver, Erick Peterson | This all day session covers important topics such as: Authority, Administration, Personnel, Operations, Training, Equipment, Safety, Personal Development and much, much more! Led by 3 experienced chief officers, this interactive workshop is a must attend for any new chief fire officer, and a great refresher for existing chiefs too! |
Sunday, June 8, 2025 | |||
| 8:00 | Executive Board Meeting | President Derby | Open to members of the Executive Board Only |
| 10:00 | BC Fire Expo | BC Fire Expo opens at 10 am and closes at 5 pm Registration is at the Main Entrance Click here to see the floor plans | |
Monday, June 9, 2025 | |||
| 8:00 | Departments without Mutual Aid | This meeting is for departments that do not have mutual aid agreements, such as islands or isolated communities Any member is welcome to attend. Session moderated by Fire Chief Doug Chinnery | |
| 8:00 | Trade Members Annual General Meeting | Trade members only | |
| 8:00 | Regional Managers Meeting | This meeting is for members that are Regional District Managers or those that oversee multiple fire departments to discuss common issues and concerns. Any member is welcome to attend. Session moderated by Regional Manager Melanie Perrin | |
| 9:00 | BC Fire Expo | BC Fire Expo opens at 9:00 am and closes at 3:00 pm | |
| 9:00 | Career Sector IAFF Meeting | This is a closed meeting for any chief that manages an IAFF (Union) contract. The talks are focused on collective agreements, proposals and union grievances. Session moderated by Fire Chief Erick Peterson | |
| 11:00 | FCABC Diversity & Inclusiveness Leadership Committee | This meeting discusses issues in the fire service that center around diversity and inclusivity . Any member is welcome to attend. We will have two guest speakers facilitating a presentation and round-table discussion on supporting neighbouring indigenous fire departments. The facilitators are Keith Boswell and Craig Richardson of FNESS. Fire Chief J. Caldbeck Thetis Island Vol. Fire Dept. Chair, FCABC EDI Leadership Committee | |
| 18:00 | FCABC Opening Ceremony | The Opening Ceremony is at the Penticton Lakeside Conference Centre in Salon D. Full dress uniform or business attire – this is a semi-formal event. | |
| 19:00 | FCABC Annual Banquet | The Annual Banquet is at the Penticton Lakeside Conference Centre in the East Ballroom. Full dress uniform or business attire – this is a semi-formal event. | |
Tuesday, June 10, 2025 | |||
| 8:00 | Working Breakfast with the President | President Dan Derby | Join President Dan Derby for a full hot breakfast and learn all about the recent activities that the FCABC is involved with. |
| 9:15 | FCABC AGM Session 1 | President Dan Derby | Credentials Report – Chair Adoption of 93rd Annual General Meeting Minutes Board and Committee Annual Reports – review and adoption Executive Committee Nominations – Chair Previous Resolutions outcome report – Chair FCABC Finance Session 2024 yearend financial statements reviewed Appointment of 2025 accounting Firm Executive Committee election(s) Introduction of 2025 Resolutions New business from the floor (time permitting) |
| 10:15 | Network Break | Network breaks have been extended to 45 minutes to give you the opportunity to network with other delegates, join a table for a discussion on a specific topic or just take some mental/physical health time. This break is sponsored by Northwest Safework Solutions Inc | |
| 11:00 | Breakout Session A – Leading with a Coach Approach: Transforming Fire Station Culture | Arjuna George | In this session, fire chiefs will explore how adopting a coach approach to leadership can profoundly impact their teams and overall station culture. 3 learning take-aways: 1. Coaching Fundamentals for Leaders 2. Enhancing Communication and Conflict Resolution 3. Empowering Your Team |
| 11:00 | Breakout Session B – Fire Service Planning Approaches and Alternatives: Fire Master Plans, Community Risk Assessments and Fire Service Reviews | Behr Integrated, Firewise, Tim Pley, Emergency Management Group | There is no shortage of planning tools available to fire departments. Choosing the right tools for your department depends on your needs, your community’s conditions, and your current and expected growth. Selecting the right tool helps define priorities and key actions that need to be taken. This also allows fire departments to ensure efficient and effective fire protection and to be a stronger overall emergency service provider. This panel session will work to unpack these concepts for chief officers and will include these essential elements: |
| 11:00 | Breakout Session C – Defining Calls from a Mental Health Perspective | Kirstin Dolby | Often firefighters “break” after a call they would define as routine or minor, resulting in a lot of confusion and shame. This session will help you better understand how impact events big and small can affect our members and how to support them. 3 learning take-aways: 1. Understand how perspective and personal experiences play a role in perceptions related to calls 2. Define different types of impact events 3. Learn how to normalize and validate the experiences of members to reduce shame and build resilience |
| 12:00 | Lunch | ||
| 13:00 | Opening Keynote – Building a Mission-Driven Culture | Brian Fennessy | The Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program, which Chief Fennessy helped develop, defines a mission-driven culture as a system of decentralized decision making, guided by a leader’s intent and combined with the authority and expectation to act. |
| 14:30 | Network Break | ||
| 15:15 | FCABC Zone Meetings | Zone Directors | Zone 1 – Salon A Zone 2 – Salon B Zone 3 – Salon C Zone 4 – Merlot Zone 5 – Salon D |
| 18:00 | Theme Night | We moved it to Tuesday this year! We are still in the planning stage, but have booked a live band and are looking at bringing in some game activities for before/ /during dinner. The Live and Silent Auctions will take place as usual, so please bring an item from your hometown that you want to showcase! | |
Wednesday, June 11, 2025 | |||
| 8:00 | Working Breakfast with the OFC | Fire Commissioner Brian Godlonton | Join Fire Commissioner Brian Godlonton for a full hot breakfast as he updates the membership on the recent sctivities of the Office of the Fire Commissioner. |
| 9:15 | FCABC Career Sector Meeting | Primarily for members that are career fire chiefs (including paid chiefs of composite departments), this session discusses issues that involve career and composite departments. | |
| 9:15 | Breakout Session D – Compensation in the Paid on Call Sector – Update | Tim Pley, Rae-Ann Emery | This session will review recent trends in POC sector compensation (including unionization), and the drivers of those trends. Anticipated near-future changes will be presented, and suggestions provided for how best to prepare for those changes. There will be an opportunity for session attendees to ask questions and learn from others present in the room. 3 learning take-aways: 1. What has changed in terms of POC compensation, and why? 2. What further changes can be anticipated? 3. What can Fire Chiefs do to be prepared? |
| 9:15 | Breakout Session E – Sink Stress by Accessing Your Brain’s Ancient Ability to Navigate | Jess Ward | Most of us are never taught how to prepare for stress, even in the fire service. When the unexpected strikes, we rely on arbitrary coping strategies to recover from adversity. Do your current tactics get you to where you want to go? Learn how mental mapping–the way humans form a working concept of reality–affects our decision making and ability to drive outcomes. Then we’ll explore a perceptual tool you can use as a reliable compass to pinpoint your own wellness, significantly shorten the stress cycle when it hits next, and supercharge your ability to captain your crew. 3 learning take-aways: 1. Identify the three (3) core aspects of a mental map. 2. Develop a foolproof strategy to engineer change in each core area. 3. Integrate mental mapping into existing agency wellness initiatives. |
| 10:15 | Network Break | ||
| 11:00 | FCABC Volunteer Sector Meeting | Primarily for members that are volunteer fire chiefs (including chiefs of composite departments), this session discusses issues that involve volunteer and composite departments. | |
| 11:00 | Breakout Session G – Quick Reaction Force | Brian Fennessy & Mark Smith | Unlike anything else in the world, the QRF (Quick Reaction Force) is comprised of four helicopters, in both helitanker and intelligence / recon platforms. Together, the force can fight fires at night as well as gather intelligence to support ground forces and the IMT. Southern California Edison has supported Orange County Fire Authority and LA County in the development of this force and the OCFA Chief and LA County Assistant Chief will be here to discuss the capabilities, benefits, and opportunities to further its use. |
| 11:00 | Breakout Session H – Sink Stress by Accessing Your Brain’s Ancient Ability to Navigate | Jess Ward | Most of us are never taught how to prepare for stress, even in the fire service. When the unexpected strikes, we rely on arbitrary coping strategies to recover from adversity. Do your current tactics get you to where you want to go? Learn how mental mapping–the way humans form a working concept of reality–affects our decision making and ability to drive outcomes. Then we’ll explore a perceptual tool you can use as a reliable compass to pinpoint your own wellness, significantly shorten the stress cycle when it hits next, and supercharge your ability to captain your crew. 3 learning take-aways: 1. Identify the three (3) core aspects of a mental map. 2. Develop a foolproof strategy to engineer change in each core area. 3. Integrate mental mapping into existing agency wellness initiatives. Learn how mental mapping–the way humans form a working concept of reality–affects our decision making and ability to drive outcomes. Then we’ll explore a perceptual tool you can use as a reliable compass to pinpoint your own wellness, significantly shorten the stress cycle when it hits next, and supercharge your ability to captain your crew. 3 learning take-aways: 1. Identify the three (3) core aspects of a mental map. 2. Develop a foolproof strategy to engineer change in each core area. 3. Integrate mental mapping into existing agency wellness initiatives. |
| 12:00 | Lunch | ||
| 13:00 | FCABC AGM Session 2 | President Derby | Reports from Zone and Section meetings Debate and voting of 2025 Resolutions – Chair Installation of 2024/25 Executive Board New Business from the floor (time permitting) |
| 14:30 | Network Break | ||
| 15:00 | Make the Impossible Possible: Leadership Lessons from an Improbable Olympic Journey | Jeremiah Brown | In this one-of-a-kind, high-energy experience, Jeremiah redefines what it means to lead and be led in the relentless pursuit of excellence. Drawing from his Olympic experience, he reveals the true keys to persevering through setbacks: unwavering belief, a growth mindset, self-accountability, and supporting one another through adversity. You need to find a way to overcome bad days, boost morale, and come together as one team. Your environment is changing, overwhelm abounds, and the pressure is on. In this keynote, Jeremiah’s storytelling approach will explore behaviors and tactics used by Olympic coaches to exemplify how you can overcome challenges and perform at your best, while building trust and motivating your teams in the workplace. 3 learning take-aways: 1. Olympic feedback coaching techniques you can use with your own team. 2. How to execute with discipline during periods of great change. 3. Understand the power of authenticity over rank. 4. Insights into high-performance communication under pressure. |
Thursday, June 12, 2025 | |||
| 8:00 | Working Breakfast with BC Wildfire | David Greer, Kaitlin Baskerville, Brian Hutchinson | Join Executive Director David Greer and Superintendent Brian Hutchinson for a full hot breakfast as they update the members on the recent activities of the BC Wildfire Service. |
| 9:15 | Breakout Session K – Integration of Cultural and Prescribed fire programs into Fire Services: Principles of Planning, Coordination and Implementation of Prescribed burning and Wildland Live fire Training. | Fons Raedschelders, Superintendent- Cultural & Prescribed Fire, BC Wildfire Service | As wildfire interactions with communities become more frequent
and urban development pushes deeper into the interface, cooperation and
coordination of Wildland and Structural fire services has become a critical
component to success during wildfire events. The development of Fire smart
programs, risk reduction projects and integrated suppression models have shown
us that we need to do more to proactively integrate our ICS systems and develop
our resources to respond during these events. Controlled burning in the form of
Cultural and Prescribed fire as well as Wildland Live fire training is proving
to be an invaluable tool to facilitate cross training, increase awareness and
education of wildfire response principles and tactics and develop or deepen
relationships between agencies, communities, and programs. This panel session
will work to outline processes, principles, and opportunities for Fire
Departments to start Integrating prescribed burning into their programs with an
overview of: -Legal requirements -Training -Relationships with BCWS -Burn Planning -Funding opportunities for Wildland Live Fire Training |
| 9:15 | Breakout Session J – The Critical Role of Emotional Intelligence in Fire Service Leadership | Les Karpluk | In today’s fire service, leaders must foster trust, resilience, andrelationships. This presentation explores emotional intelligence(EI) as a key leadership skill, showing how empathy, andrelationship-building enhances team performance. 3 learning take-aways: 1. Attendees will gain several insights on improving their (1)leadership communication 2. Nurturing relationships, and 3. Creating a culture where firefighters feel valued and empowered |
| 9:15 | Breakout Session L – Mentoring to Cultivate Diversity: Building Inclusive Leadership | Jenn Dawkins | Mentorship fosters diversity and inclusion by breaking barriers,amplifying underrepresented voices, and cultivating leadership.It supports diverse talent and creates a culture of equity andbelonging. 3 learning take-aways: 1. Learn how mentorship fosters diverse leadership. 2. Discover strategies for inclusive mentor-mentee relationships. 3. Gain tools to build equity and belonging in teams |
| 10:15 | Network Break | ||
| 10:30 | The lithium-ion conundrum | Laura King | Misuse and misunderstanding of lithium-ion batteries is causing fires, injuries, fatalities, and property loss. This session provides resources, tools, training opportunities and looks at what’s coming –larger vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell batteries. 3 learning take-aways: 1. Understanding of the status of lithium-ion and hydrogen fuel-cell battery risks and safety in British Columbia< 2. Knowledge of in-progress research and collaboration on li-on 3. Resources and training available to British Columbia fire departments |
| 12:00 | Conference Closing | Announcement of 2026 Conference & BC Fire Expo – Chair Joe Geary Close of AGM & Conference | |
