NVFC Opens Call for Presentations for 2026 Training Summit
Every year, fire and emergency services professionals from all across the nation come together for the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Training Summit to take part in networking opportunities, keynote addresses and classroom instruction. For the 2027 Training Summit, which will be place in Albuquerque, NM on June 25–26, the NVFC is currently inviting proposals from qualified instructors and speakers.
Three training tracks are available for the 90-minute breakout sessions at the Training Summit: emergency service leadership, volunteer recruitment and retention, and first responder health, safety and training. Effective training, fireground/response, physical health, behavioral health, fire and life safety education, working across generations, diversity, equity, and inclusion, mentorship, department culture, family engagement, work/life/volunteer balance, recruitment, communication, technology/AI, management, long-term planning, data in the fire service and finding funding and resources are a few examples of pertinent presentation topics.
The diverse experiences and viewpoints of first responders across the country are valued by the NVFC. See the Call for Presentations Guide for more information about the call for presentations, including advice on how to write a strong proposal.
The deadline for proposals is Oct. 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Every presentation idea will be assessed by a peer team. Quality, relevance, focus, practical applicability and the experience and credentials of the presenter will all be taken into consideration while making selections. By Dec. 12, 2026, the chosen presenters will be informed.
The NVFC pays for presenters' travel costs and gives them a stipend. Although teaching teams are allowed to apply, only one instructor per course is eligible for a salary or travel reimbursement. Please be aware that all courses must be educational in character, even though organizations and businesses are invited to apply to offer their subject area expertise.
Submit your presentation proposal by Oct. 30 here.
To learn more about the 2026 Summit, including presentation topics and speakers, visit here.
About the Author
Ryan BakerRyan Baker
Associate Editor
Ryan Baker is a writer and associate editor with prior experiences in online and print production. Ryan is an associate editor for Firehouse with a master's degree in sciences of communication from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He recently completed a year of teaching Intro to Public Speaking at UW-Whitewater, as part of his graduate program. Ryan acquired his bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023 from UW-Whitewater, and operates currently out of Minneapolis, MN. Baker, also writes freelances for the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) in his free time, while also umpiring baseball for various ages across the Twin Cities Metro Area.