2026 Maine Fire Chiefs’ Association Professional Development Conference
March 25-27, 2026
Sunday River Resort, Newry
Registration in now closed for the 2026 Conference.
The Maine Fire Chiefs’ Association returns to Sunday River for our 2026 Professional Development Conference. The Maine Fire Service Institute and Maine Fire Protection Services Commission co-sponsor the Professional Development Conference.
This conference has a long history of bringing together the region’s fire and rescue personnel, emergency managers, law enforcement officers as well as municipal officials and providing a great venue for learning and the sharing of ideas as well as best practices.
Participants are encouraged to visit the expansive vendor area to view and discuss with the vendors new products/ services that are available to Fire/EMS responders. Networking opportunities, makes the MFCA’s Professional Development Conference at Sunday River the premiere Fire/EMS Conference in the region. We look forward to seeing you at the Conference!
Conference Schedule Overview
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
- 8:00 am Registration Opens – Southwest Lobby
- 10:00 am-2:30 pm Leadership Development Course: Recruitment Starts Here! This is a Volunteer Firefighter Recruitment Workshop hosted by NEAFC and funded by the SAFER Grant. A boxed lunch is included. Separate registration from the MFCA conference is required to attend. See flyer for details!
- NOTE that registration for the Wednesday workshop is separate from conference registration and can be found here >
- 3:15-5:00 pm Annual Meeting & Award Presentations
- 5:00-6:00 pm Appreciation Hour with the Vendors
- 6:00-8:30 pm Dinner – On your own at CAMP Restaurant
- 9:30-11:00 pm IPS Annual CAMP Restaurant Event
Thursday, March 26, 2026
- 8:00-9:00 am Registration & Continental Breakfast in the Exhibitor Area
- 9:00 am Welcome Remarks
- 9:30-10:30 am Keynote Presentation: Chaos in Command: A Fire Chiefs’ Guide to Legal & Tactical Survival, Chief Paul Doughty, Town of St. Albans (see packet for details)
- 10:30-10:45 am Break & Visit with Exhibitors
- 10:45 am- 2:00 pm Keynote Presentation continued (see packet for details)
- 12:00-1:00 pm Luncheon at CAMP Restaurant & Visit with Exhibitors
- 1:00-2:00 pm Joint Board Meeting (Grafton Room)
- 1:00-2:15 pm Keynote Presentation continued (see packet for details)
- 2:15-2:45 pm Dessert Break & Visit with Exhibitors
- 2:45-4:00 pm Keynote Presentation continued (see packet for details)
- 4:00 pm Adjourn
- 6:00 pm New England Barbecue & Live Auction at The Jordan Hotel
Friday, March 27, 2026
- 9:00-10:45 am Building Comprehensive Wellness and Resilience Programs in the Fire Service, Jason Mills, LCPC-c, EMT-P and Jodi Cummings, LCSW, The Resilient Responder and The Wellness Center of Maine
- 10:45-11:00 am Door Prize & Evaluations Prize Drawings
- 11:00 am Adjourn
Registration Forms & Information
Recruitment & Retention Workshop – registration is open
Attendee Packet with Registration Forms – registration is now closed for 2026
Exhibitor Information – our exhibitor spaces are fully booked for 2026!
Hotel Accommodations Information
Grand Summit Hotel, Sunday River
See Attendee or Exhibitor Information packets for additional information.
The Grand Summit Hotel at Sunday River Resort has special overnight rates for the conference (this block is now full). Limited rooms are still available at the Jordan Hotel.
Reserve Via Phone Call: Please call 800-207-2365 and use Group Code 86F8YL
Reservation and deposit must be received by February 22, 2026. Group rate and availability cannot be guaranteed beyond this date.
Thanks to our 2026 Conference Sponsors
Major Sponsor
Fire Tech & Safety
Platinum Sponsors
Androscoggin Bank
Autotronics LLC
Allegiance Fire & Rescue
Comstar LLC
United Diagnostics
Gold Sponsors
Greenwood Emergency Vehicles LLC
SERVPRO of Maine
Silver Sponsors
Benchmark Construction
Dingee Machine Company
Port City Architecture
Camp Event/Networking Suite Sponsor
Appreciation Social Hour Sponsor
Fire Tech & Safety
New England BBQ Dinner & Auction Sponsor
Autotronics LLC
New England BBQ Bus Sponsors
Admiral Fire & Safety
Northeast Emergency Apparatus
Program Booklet Sponsors
National Fire Sprinkler Association
Northeast Rescue Systems