Committee: Conference

Contact: Andrew Heger, Chair – [email protected]

2024 Mission:
The mission of the Conference Committee is to provide leadership and direction to the Executive Director, who is responsible for managing the annual conference in October of each year. This committee exists to make sure the needs of the membership, as it pertains to the conference, are met. This committee interfaces with the Education Committee, the Marketing Committee and vendor representatives to ensure that a quality conference is offered at an affordable cost. Every effort is made to ensure exceptional educational offerings for all attendees.

2024 Report: 
Since the conclusion of the 2023 conference, the MSFCA Conference Committee has been hard at work preparing for the 2024 conference. The committee met in January to review the past conference and set forth the planning efforts for the 2024 conference. Much of the committee’s work over the past several months has focused on incorporating feedback from attendee and vendor surveys into the overall conference format. Our goal is to continuously improve the conference offerings for attendees and vendors alike.

The overall format of this year’s conference will remain relatively unchanged. There will be a welcome reception in the lobby of the DECC on Wednesday evening. The actual conference will kick off Thursday morning with an opening ceremony and symposium speaker. Our generous vendors will sponsor lunch on Thursday in the vendor area. There will be plenty of vendors available to visit through Thursday afternoon and into the evening. Please take ample time to spend with our vendor partners, learning about their products and offerings. Thursday evening will conclude with a reception in the vendor area. 

Friday will be filled with an array of educational opportunities, with both morning and afternoon class offerings meant to further your knowledge and skills. Over the lunch hour, the annual business meeting of the association will be held. Friday evening will conclude with the annual memorial service and awards program. This is an opportunity for us to reflect and honor those MSFCA members who are no longer with us and recognize the accomplishments of some of our current members. The conference will conclude on Saturday morning with another symposium speaker. One thing that has been noted in the past is the dwindling attendance at the Saturday morning sessions. I would highly encourage each of you to attend these valuable opportunities to better yourself and your organization.

The conference committee also has an eye toward the future. The current contract with the DECC expires after the 2026 conference. The conference committee and executive director have been working closely with the board of directors to continue building on the excellent momentum of our conference. We look forward to exciting opportunities for future conference offerings to further enhance your conference experience.

We look forward to seeing you in October. If any needs arise during the conference that can make your experience more enjoyable, do not hesitate to reach out to any members of the conference committee or our executive director’s team. Enjoy your time in Duluth!

2024 Conference Committee Members:

• Chair: Andrew Heger, Fire Chief, Chanhassen

• Sarah Cody, Firefighter, Chaska

• Rodger Coppa, Fire Chief, Plymouth

• Dennis Edwards, Asst. Chief, Duluth

• Jessica Hoffman, Battalion Chief, Eagan

• Bob Jacobs, Assistant Chief, Zimmerman/Livonia

• Education Committee Liaison: Dale Specken, Fire Chief, Hopkins

• Vendor Liaison: Mark Sitarz, Fire Chief (Ret.), St. Anthony

Conference Committee File Library