2026 Annual Conference: Opening Symposium

Thursday, October 15th, 8:45 - 10:00 am

Bitter to Brass: Better Conversations with Real Purpose
Gene Landers, Fire Chief, Orange Township Fire Department (IN)

Session Description

Recruitment and retention are not failing because people “don’t want to serve anymore.” They are failing because we stopped having honest conversations with purpose—about expectations, culture, leadership, and humanity.

This course cuts through excuses, generational blame, and surface-level fixes. Participants will examine why departments lose good people, why others never walk through the door, and what actually changes when organizations choose clarity, inclusion, accountability, and communication over silence and tradition alone.

Departments will explore how internal behavior shapes external reputation, why recruitment begins long before a social media post is ever made, and how retention is built through trust, opportunity, ownership, and meaningful leadership.

This is not a class about making flyers or improving Facebook engagement. This is a class about people.

Chief Gene Landers began his journey in the fire service in 1991 as a child growing up inside the firehouse, where both his mother and father served as Fire Chiefs. Raised in a family deeply rooted in public service, he developed an early understanding of leadership, sacrifice, and commitment to community that would later shape his own career and leadership philosophy.

Today, Chief Landers serves as Fire Chief of the Orange Township Fire Department in Indiana, where he has become recognized for progressive leadership, direct communication, and a strong focus on firefighter culture, recruitment, retention, and operational readiness. Under his leadership, Orange Township Fire Department evolved from a 100% volunteer department into a combination department in 2024 — a change driven through honest conversation, collaboration, and a willingness to address the realities facing the modern fire service.

Chief Landers is known for blending real-world experience with practical leadership strategies focused on accountability, decision-making, and community connection. He frequently speaks on leadership, organizational culture, staffing challenges, and the importance of building stronger departments and stronger communities through honest conversation, purpose, and action.