2023 AFCA Conference Schedule

8:00am – 5:00pm

Registration

Check in at registration and obtain your event badge and be sure to download the conference App.

Foyer – Hall C, Edmonton Expo Centre

9:00am – 9:30am

Opening Keynote

Service Technology ” From Pump Cans to Drones”

The fire service across the globe is seeing a rapid influx of technology integrated with the workforce. Our equipment is operating on microchips our personnel can be tracked and data is overflowing from platforms trying to make sense of it all, we literally went from Pump Cans to Drones in a matter of a few decades.

This presentation will provide attendees a recap of the past and look at the future of technology and how it can benefit fire departments and personnel. The attendees will see new ideas and Concepts to allow them to consider the future.

Ballroom, Edmonton Expo Centre

9:35am – 10:20am

Workshop #1

Innovation to Improve Response

The City of Medicine Hat approached the problem of how to improve response service to residents in a non-traditional way.  Instead of going the typical approach of adding more fire stations, more staff, and more equipment, the decision was made to approach response based on hazards and strategically relocating existing fire stations to provide desired response coverage.  This presentation will cover the innovation and technology used in that analysis and decision making process.”

Ballroom, Edmonton Expo Centre

Introduction by Deputy Chief Sponsor:

Kevin Burgemeister, Senior Vice President, Operations, ATCO Electric

10:20am – 11:05am

Workshop #2

NG911 – What’s All the Hype About?

Next Generation 911 has been hyped as the digital transformation of 911 services that will allow 911 to adopt the emerging capabilities of modern communications systems. This session will cut through the hype and cover what NG911 is and what it isn’t. Will explore some of the benefits of the new National Emergency Services IP network {ESInet}, as well as the risks that come with it. Some regulatory timelines are imminent and PSAPs who fail to meet them will be non-compliant with Alberta 911 standards, and soon be unable to receive 911 calls. Are you ready?

Ballroom, Edmonton Expo Centre

11:30Am – 1:30pm

Rural Membership Round Table

11:00AM – 2:00pm

Urban Membership Round Table

An open discussion forum covering topics and challenges facing urban fire services.

Room 101, Edmonton Expo Centre

4:30pm – 6:00pm

Opening Ceremonies & Memorial Service

Join the AFCA along with Government representatives for the Opening Ceremonies and Memorial Service.

Ballroom, Edmonton Expo Centre

6:00pm – 9:00pm

Trade Show & Welcome Reception

Hall C, Edmonton Expo Centre

7:30am – 11:00am

Registration

 Check in and download the conference app to earn points on the Leaderboard.

Foyer – Ballroom, Edmonton Expo Centre

7:30am – 9:30am

Breakfast and AGM CALL TO ORDER 

Ballroom, Edmonton Expo Centre

8:30AM

AGM CALL TO ORDER – AFCA Director and Committee Chair Updates

Ballroom, Edmonton Expo Centre

8:30am – 11:00am

AFCA Business Session

Ballroom, Edmonton Expo Centre

10:30am – 10:45am

Coffee Break

Foyer, Edmonton Expo Centre

11:00am – 12:00pm

Concurrent Conference Stream # 1

Compensation and Loss Time Accident Claims for Volunteer and Paid on Call Firefighters 

• Discuss the differences between full time employment claims vs. volunteer claims
• What can a department/member expect for coverage?
• WCB rebate incentives for organizations that employ volunteers
• Benefits for Volunteers

Room 107, Edmonton Expo Centre

11:00am – 12:00pm

Concurrent Conference Stream #2

Radio Communication – New in the Fire Service (AFRRCS)

For over 6 years, AFRRCS continues to provide best-in-class voice service for Alberta’s first responders. The constantly evolving system introduces new features that supplement the P25 radio experience. The Virtual User feature which aims to enhance consistency of transmissions to pagers, and the BeOn PTT over LTE feature are two upcoming offerings to AFRRCS, and we are excited to share more details at this year’s AFCA conference.

Ballroom Edmonton Expo Centre

11:00am – 12:00pm

Concurrent Conference Stream#3

The 21st Century Fire Service

How are we currently using data and what are the possibilities of moving forward with information? Dan Haight will being his experiences in helping organizations build robust and resilient organizations into new realms with a different understanding of data.

Room 107A, Edmonton Expo Centre

12:00PM – 1:00PM

Lunch and Keynote Presentation

Join the AFCA in the Ballroom for lunch and the Keynote with Alex Benay.

The Future is Here

Look back at the last 50 years of technological innovation, and what the next 50 years look like as well as how this will impact the fire service for years to come. From robots, , to Ai and even human cyborgs, the future will be a very different place.

Ballroom, Edmonton Expo Centre

1:15pm – 2:30pm

Concurrent Conference Stream #1

Drone Technology

Many still feel that drone technology and the use of drones in emergency response is ‘just around the corner’, but we have turned that corner! The two themes of this workshop include (1) examples and tips for integrating drones into emergency response and (2) using data collected from drones in modeling and mapping.

The first half of the workshop focuses on discussing drone technology improvements, examples of how drones can improve operations, drone selection, and available tools. We will explore urban and rural uses including search and rescue, wildland fire perimeter/hotspot mapping, preplanning, roof reports, and situational awareness.

The second half of the workshop focuses on the use of the data collected from drones; we discuss fuel mapping, current research, automated structural triage, hazard assessment, and real time mapping.

Room 107 Edmonton Expo Centre

1:15pm – 2:30pm

Concurrent Conference Stream #2

NG911 – Is Your PSAP Ready?

Join for an interactive workshop on NG911 readiness. We will discuss tactical considerations including operational impacts, cybersecurity, business continuity & disaster recovery, and Technical considerations including the Readiness of your CAD and logging systems to accommodate real-time text (RRT) and new file types. The scope of NG911 transitions are likely much bigger than you think. Participants will be provided with a high-level checklist to assess the readiness of their PASPs.

Room 107A, Edmonton Expo Centre

1:15pm – 2:30pm

Concurrent Conference Stream#3

Operational Innovation – Where are we headed?

In today’s world of limited budgets and scrutiny of business operations, fire departments are increasingly being asked to produce data and analytics to answer questions, justify purchases, and build business cases. There are expensive business intelligence tools on the market that are financially out of reach for many departments. Many leaders are faced with limited time to compile statistics and reports in order to demonstrate performance.

This Workshop is intended to provide attendees with an introduction into how Parkland County has used Microsoft Office 365 tools such as Excel and PowerBI to quickly develop interactive dashboards and reports to better understand their operations. Attendees will walk through the steps and creating a basic dashboard showing activity, Heat Maps, and interact with data in real time in order to answer questions that might normally take hours to complete.

Ballroom, Edmonton Expo Centre

2:30pm – 2:45pm

Coffee Break 

Ballroom Foyer, Edmonton Expo Centre

2:45pm – 4:00pm

Concurrent Stream #1

NFPA 1010 Update

Presentation on the NFPA Standards Consolidation Project and specifically changes to NFPA 1010 Firefighter Personnel Qualifications; which includes firefighter, driver operator, airport firefighter and marine firefighting for land-based firefighters. The presentation will cover the changes to the upcoming Edition as well as the standards development process and how to get involved with it

Ballroom, Edmonton Expo Centre

2:45pm – 4:00pm

Concurrent Stream #2

Workers Compensation Urban Focus

“WCB-AB trends from a Disability Management perspective in an integrated fire-EMS Service”

Session summary:

• Overview of relevant current trends and areas of focus with respect to WCB claims in an integrated service
• Overview of structure and scope of Disability Management team in Strathcona County; focus on collaborative relationship between Disability Management (a group within Human Resources), SCES Management, SCES union members and relevant third parties (e.g., WCB-AB, LTD insurance carrier, external subject matter experts, etc).

Room 107, Edmonton Expo Centre

2:45pm – 4:00pm

Concurrent Stream #3

Introduction to the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) Executive Chief Officer program (ECFO) and Aspire program

Session summary:

• Representing the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs to inform Chief Officers about the Executive Chief Fire Officers (ECFO) designation and the Aspire (Company Officers) designation.

  Explanation of the designations and the process for obtaining this Competency based awared.

Room 107A, Edmonton Expo Centre

6:00pm – 6:30pm

AFCA Annual Banquet Reception

Join your AFCA members for refreshments and networking before the annual banquet.

Ballroom Foyer and Ballroom, Sandman Hotel 

6:30pm – 10:00pm

AFCA Annual Banquet & Entertainment with the Dueling Pianos

The Grand Dueling Piano Show presents you with a world-class performance you won’t forget.   It’s all about fun when they hit the stage 

Ballroom, Sandman Hotel