From the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) and our Republic of Ireland branch comes the CFOA Annual Conference Galway 2025
Join an insightful conference taking place over two days on 7 May and 8 May, providing 7 hours of CPD across the many industry-spanning lectures. The conference aims to develop further collaboration between all of the Fire Services to allow further improvements in leadership and culture within the Fire Service in the Republic of Ireland. See you there!
Day 1 Programme
- 09:10-09:15: Introduction
- 09:15-09:30: Welcome to the Delegates: Cllr. Peter Keane, Mayor of Galway City and Cllr. Martina Kinane, Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council
- 09:30-09:45: Opening Address: Mr James Browne TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage
- 09:45-10:00: Address of Chief Executives: Mr. Liam Conneally, Chief Executive of Galway County Council and Mr. Leonard Cleary, Chief Executive of Galway City Council
- 10:00-10:15: Address of Chairperson of Chief Fire Officer' s’ Association: Dennis Keely, Chief Fire Officer, Dublin Fire Brigade
- 10:15-11:00: Cultural Intelligence - A Crucial Skill for Navigating the Pace of Change: Presentation by Ritika Wadhwa, Founder and CEO of Prabhaav Global
- 11:00-11:15: Tech Talk 1 – Gartan Availability Application
- 11:15-12:30: Fire Technology Exhibition & Coffee – Exhibitors Hall
- 12:30-14:00: Lunch & Exhibition
- 14:00-14:50: Being Effective: Presentation by Mr. Ray Goggins, Author, Keynote Speaker and Director at Core Skill Training
- 14:50-15:05: Tech Talk 2 – Hunter Apparel - ISO23616 – advanced decontamination practices
- 15:05-1600: Fire Technology Exhibition & Coffee – Exhibition Hall
- 16:00-16:40: The Grenfell Tower Enquiry Phase 2 Report – The UK Fire Service Perspective: Presentation by Mr. Mark Hardingham former Chair of the UK National Fire Chief’s Council (NFCC)
- 16:40-17:00: Round Up & Panel Discussion
- 17:00: End of first day
Day 2 Programme
- 09:10-09:45: Fire Services and the Environment: Presentation by Liam Carroll, SEO Climate Change and Former A/CFO Carlow Fire and Rescue Service
- 09:45-10:10: Fire Services in Ireland – A National Directorate Perspective: Presentation by Keith Leonard – Director, NDFEM, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Ireland
- 10:15-11:00: Fire Technology Exhibition & Coffee – Exhibition Hall
- 11:00-11:35: Lithium-Ion Batteries – The Risks and Challenges: Presentation by Conor Leonard, Head of Batteries and Projects, WEEE Ireland
- 11:40-12:15: What’s topical in the UK Fire Services: Presentation by Phil Garrigan, Chair of the UK National Fire Chief’s Council (NFCC)
- 12:15-12:30: Tech Talk 3 – NIFRS – Cookstown Training Centre
- 12:30-14:00: Lunch & Exhibition
- 14:00-14:35: Post-Grenfell Learnings and Change - Creating a Safe and Equitable Built Environment: Presentation by Dr Barbara Lane, Fire Safety specialist at ARUP and expert witness for the Grenfell Tower Enquiry
- 14:40-14:55: Tech Talk 4 -7 (The specific topic and presenter for Tech Talk 4 are TBC)
- 14:55-15:30: Exhibition & Coffee
- 15:30-16:00: Advancing Emergency Communications across Europe: Presented by Peter Lonergan, Policy Officer, European Emergency Number Association
- 16:05-16:30: Panel Discussion on Positive Workplace Culture (all available presenters)
- 16:30: End of Conference