The Chief Fire Officers Association Conference is an annual national showcase for Ireland’s fire service sector. The conference hosts a extensive panel of speakers from throughout the emergency service sector, academia, central and local government, as well as the fire technology industry.

This year event will be held by the Kerry Fire and Rescue Service at the Malton Hotel, Killarney, on 4-5 May.

The two day event will cover topics such as decision-making by fire services incident commanders, stress management and operational discretion for fire service leaders, as well as a number of tech talks.

Speakers include Sean Hogan and Brian Sweeney of the NDFEM, Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton from London Fire Brigade, and TCD’s Prof Hugh McCauley.

Conference Secretary and Kerry’s CFO, Michael Hession said: “The 2016 conference will be a memorable occasion for the fire services in this unique year. Speakers of the highest calibre, both Irish and International, will bring a very rich heritage of service and leading academic views on the interesting topics we will address.”

He also said that this year’s conference will focus on the rich Irish heritage in fire services in the United States and abroad. “We are very pleased to welcome fire chiefs from the state of Massachusetts who with their families represent the wonderful contribution of the Irish over generations.”

The event’s social programme includes sight-seeing tours and golf outings.