Committee: Education

Contact: Dale Specken, Chair - [email protected]

2022 Mission: The mission of the Education Committee is to enhance the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association’s (MSFCA) membership by providing high quality and current educational workshops at the annual conference and by promoting additional educational opportunities.

2022 Report: We are excited to be in Duluth for the MSFCA Conference. 2021 was a return of the conference and it was great to see everyone again! Duluth is a great place for the conference as the DECC provides many quality classrooms spaces to provide quality training for all our members. One of the goals of the Education Committee is to bring quality instructor and education topics to all members of the association. The Education Committee is made up of members throughout the State of Minnesota and meets just three times annually, the rest of the work required to successfully present an educational opportunity for Fire Chiefs is completed electronically throughout the year by our various sub-committees. The Education Committee is determined to bring in quality instruction for all members within our organization.

Education Committee Goals:

Understand that every Chief is important to the MSFCA; therefore, we must listen to and consider the needs
of the state when establishing the various educational opportunities
Determine what the timely topics currently are and then locate the most highly regarded experts to present them to the membership
Recognize that it is vital to keep the conference affordable for all Chief Officers and therefore work with-in the allotted budget
Bring quality training and speakers to all MSFCA members and conference attendees

The Education Committee is—by design—very flexible and welcoming. Every year, some committee members retire or leave the committee for greener pastures; however, due to the structure in place, we are able to blend new members into the system very easily. Let this fact be an offer for you to join our committee.

2022 Education Committee Members

Chair: Dale Specken, Hopkins Fire Dept. [email protected]

Vice Chair: Judy Thill, Fire Chief, Inver Grove Heights Fire Dept.

Zack Bonnema, Asst. Chief, Chaska Fire Dept.

David Brosnahan, Fire Chief, Roseville Fire Dept.

Daniel Buchholz, State Fire Marshal’s Office

Scott Carriveau, Asst. Chief, Maple Lake Fire Dept.

Kim Cox, Captain, Eden Prairie Fire Dept.

Mike Dobesh, Fire Chief, Richfield Fire Dept.

Tim Holmes, Fire Chief, Brainerd Fire Dept.

Chip Lohmiller, Fire Chief, Crosslake Fire Dept.

Rob Pearson, Asst. Chief (Ret.), Maple Grove Fire Dept.