Fire Chiefs Leadership Seminar
December 10-11, 2025
The Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel
888 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA
Designed for fire service leaders including, but not limited to, fire chiefs, chief officers, battalion chiefs, and union leadership, this seminar provides sessions on topics such as leadership, succession planning, labor relations, emergency response, changes in fire insurance, and more. The opportunity for fire chiefs to learn from and network with each other provides invaluable support. We will see you in Palm Springs for our 2025 Fire Chiefs Leadership Seminar!
For registration questions, please contact Registrar, Megan Dunn.
For sponsorship questions, please contact Associate Manager, Exposition Sales and Event Sponsors, Amy Wade.
For additional questions, please contact Associate Manager, Erin Wylder.
Call for Proposals
Cal Cities is seeking thorough, thoughtful, and complete proposals that tell how your session can help fire chiefs improve their knowledge on a wide range of topics relevant to their roles within their city. Submissions from individuals, groups, business, or organizations on any topic are welcome. The call for proposals for the 2025 Fire Chiefs Leadership Seminar is open through Monday, June 30, 2025.
Who Can Submit
How It Works
Target Audience
- Is there at least one peer of the audience on the panel?
- Is the topic new and/or critical for city fire chiefs and staff?
- Does the session apply to both seasoned and new fire chiefs?
- Will it draw a wide audience?
- Will this issue stimulate action and further important discussion?
- Does the description clearly state what fire chiefs and staff will learn from attending the session?
- Does the panel reflect the diversity of California cities (north/south, large/small, urban/rural)?
Tips for Successful Proposals
- Think big
- Vary the viewpoint
- Pare down the panel
- Speaker skills matter
- Plan for a crowd
- Try something new
- Interact with the audience
- Explain the "why" of your proposal
- Quality counts
Types of Proposals
- Keynote Speaker
Keynote speakers are high-profile and designed to bring everyone together for a general session / and may set the tone of the event. This format permits approximately 60 minutes of an engaging presentation by a single speaker. Depending on time restrictions, the presentation may be followed by approximately 15 minutes of questions and answers with the audience or a moderator. - Panel Discussion
Panels consist of a moderator and a maximum of three speakers who participate in a 45-minute engaging presentation and discussion followed by approximately 15 minutes of questions and answers. - Facilitated Group Discussion
A 60-minute interactive conversation on a topic led by a single facilitator. You may include a maximum 15-minute presentation on which the issue / concern is framed and, then, guide a discussion among the attendees with prepared questions. At the conclusion of the discussion, the facilitator must spend time summarizing key findings, suggestions, and points. - Alternative Format
While several established session formats are available, you’re encouraged to propose a creative alternative if your idea doesn't fit one of the listed types. Include suggested length of time, room setup, and key details—accommodations depend on interest and logistics. Some examples are: - Demonstration: A 60-minute session showing how to use a tool or concept (not hands-on).
- Professional Development Workshop: 45-minute, In-depth, longer-form learning with activities and real-world cases.
- Roundtable: 30-minute presentation + 30-minute discussion focused on shared learning.
Submission Requirements and Review
Successful Proposal Considerations
- Relevance - What are the practical applications of your ideas? Have you included reasoning and documentation to support your conclusions, recommendations and outcomes? Conference attendees prefer presentations focused on outcomes or results. Make the definition and background portions of your presentation brief. Highlight problems encountered, options available, choices made, documented pre- and post-change effects and lessons learned.
- Content expands attendees' knowledge - Will your presentation expand knowledge beyond entry-level basics? Most conference participants are elected officials, appointed officials, and seasoned professionals. In general, direct your presentation to an intermediate or advanced audience.
- Originality - Does your presentation advance existing ideas or present new ideas? Has this material been presented elsewhere? You might apply proven techniques to new problems or identify and apply new approaches, techniques or philosophies. Assess the degree to which an application is a new tool. Avoid highlighting a named product or service…focus instead on the general attributes, benefits and drawbacks of a given application, process or tool.
- Examples - Do you have an appropriate number of examples? Documenting comparative results convinces participants that your ideas have been tested in the real world.
- Timeliness - Will your presentation still be up-to-date and cutting-edge in six to nine months when the conference occurs? Will your topic have implications in the future? How relevant is your topic in the context of pending legislation, regulations and technology?
- Inclusion of good, solid insights - What attendees want to learn is the reality versus the hype, the positive and negative attributes, problems encountered but not often discussed, realistic expectations for the operational use and adaptability to a changing environment. They are searching for guidelines and models to simplify or manage their own application or installation.
- Logical conclusions - Are your conclusions supported by data? Attendees place a high value on supporting data in assessing the value and applicability of presentations. Include adequate and convincing details.
- Identification of outside resources - Have you included sources of information, benchmark data or other examples?
- Avoidance of product/vendor commercial - No commercials and/or proprietary information for particular products, services or vendors are permitted.
- Completeness of proposal - The quality, completeness and accuracy of the proposal will be considered during session selection process.
- Preferred Speaker Qualifications - Panelists should reflect the diversity of California with a north/south, large/small, urban/rural representation when possible.
- Five or more years of public presentation experience.
- Two or more years of experience related to working in or presenting on the topic or idea.
- More than two successful speaking engagements to large audiences at a regional or state level in the past two years.
- Must not pose a conflict of interest with subject/business area or must disclose such information in each speaker bio submitted.
- No commercialism.
- Overall - In the end, you must make your case for the importance of this topic and its relevance to participants.
To ensure a variety of perspectives, Cal Cities may limit the number of times an individual, group, business, or organization can speak at a single conference. In addition, we recommend each panel have more than one city/county, firm, company or organization represented (exceptions may apply).
Registration and Speaker Policy
Seminar Information
Click here to view the program.
*Schedule subject to change
- Common Mistakes in Navigating the Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights Act and Best Practices for Avoiding Them Handout
- Common Mistakes in Navigating the Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights Act and Best Practices for Avoiding Them
- Diversity at All Levels - How to Recruit, Retain, and Develop a Diverse Workforce
- Diversity at All Levels - Marques Thesis on Women Firefighters
- Don't Shoot the Messenger - Delivering Difficult Wildfire Prevention Messages to Your Community
- From Planning to Execution - Lessons from California Evacuations
- Funding Strategies for Fire Facilities
- Navigating the Fire Insurance Maze
- Peak Performance and Mental Health
- Reimagining Emergency Medical Service through Mobile Integrated Healthcare - A 5-Year Program Review
- The World of Fire Emergency Medical Service Transportation
Click here to view the 2023 Fire Chiefs Leadership Seminar program.
2023 Session Materials
- Fire Hazard Mapping
- Legislation Updates
- Righting the Ship and Thriving in Leadership
- Sleep Hygiene and Why Its Important
- Statewide EMS Updates and PP-GEMT
- The Catalyst
- What Fire Chiefs Need to Know About Finance Today
- Workers Comp Perspectives
Previous Seminar Session Materials
- 2022 Fire Chiefs Leadership Seminar Program
- 2022 Fire Chiefs Reception Flyer
- Speaker Bios
- Cal Cities Legislative Update - Noack
- Difficult Conversations Way to Bypass Conflict
- Inclusion, Equity, & Diversity Effective Tools for Succession Management
- Using a Coaching Mindset to Increase Fire Team Performance - Coyle
- Creating Resilient and Brain-Healthy Fire Departments
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity In the Fire Service: Navigating And Implementing Strategies For Chiefs
- Recruiting, Hiring, and Promoting the Right People for Your Agency
- The Set-Up Of Successful Leadership 2.0
- Understanding the Legislative Process - Dolfie