The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has received a grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation (MSF) for the 14th year, to fund the Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI).
FSEDI is a program developed by the IAFC to provide new and aspiring chiefs with the tools they need to have a successful and productive tenure.
Applications for 2025 are due no later than 5 PM ET on November 3, 2025.
Fire Chief Trisha Wolford, Anne Arundel County (MD) Fire Department and IAFC President and Board Chair shared: “As FSEDI enters its fourteenth year, it remains one of the most impactful leadership development experiences in the fire service—transforming chiefs not only professionally, but personally.
“Thanks to the ongoing support of the Motorola Solutions Foundation, FSEDI is more than a program, it’s a community, a family and a lasting legacy of leadership.
“I am a proud graduate of Cohort 5 and I can say without hesitation that the chiefs I met through this program have become some of my closest confidants and dearest friends.
“If you ask any FSEDI graduate, they’ll tell you the same—the bonds built here last a lifetime.”
The Motorola Solutions Foundation, which has donated more than $100 million over the past 10 years, focuses its giving on three key areas: first responder programming, technology and engineering education and programs that blend the two.
The Foundation has a long-standing commitment to supporting programs that benefit under-resourced populations and aims to partner with organizations that align to its values of accountability, innovation, impact and inclusion.
Wesley Barden Touhy, Executive Director of the Motorola Solutions Foundation shared: “We are inspired by the impactful work of the IAFC within their community.
“The Motorola Solutions Foundation is proud to champion their efforts as they continue to grow and make a positive difference.”
The members of the previous thirteen sessions have been very successful in achieving promotions, fire chief positions, and appointments to regional, state and national fire service committees and task groups.
Approximately one‐third of the previous class of chief officers have achieved fire chief positions or promotion to higher executive levels.
At the recent Fire-Rescue International Conference in Orlando Fl. Chief Trisha Wolford, a member of FSEDI 2017 was sworn in as President of the IAFC.
Chief John Butler, also FSEDI alumni, was recently sworn in as the President of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Section of the IAFC.
The year-long program is open to new and aspiring chiefs who have demonstrated a commitment to career advancement and enhancing the fire/EMS service through their leadership.
During the year, the cohort members meet three times for sessions conducted in Maryland at a conference center near Baltimore-Washington Airport.
Experts from the fire and emergency service and the private sector will cover topics such as ethics, leadership in the new era, emerging concepts in organizational design and delivery, effective use of science and data, budgeting and spend management, as well as labor-management relations, diversity and inclusion and many more contemporary topics.
One member of a recent FSEDI cohort said: “There is hardly a day that goes by where I don’t draw from either the experience or cohorts to help my decision‐making process.
“This program is impacting the fire service for future generations.”
Members of the 2026 FSEDI cohort will have assignments to complete between sessions in addition to maintaining communications and networking via an online community.
They will participate in mentoring and coaching opportunities. Members of the cohort will also be introduced to the members of the first thirteen cohorts as part of expanding their professional networks.
The program is limited to 20-24 members. The program looks to have a diverse group representing all US and Canadian regions, from various sizes and types of fire/EMS departments.
Chief officers accepted into the program are eligible for a scholarship that covers the cost of housing, meals and activities for the on‐site sessions if their departments don’t have the funding.
Successful applicants also will be expected to attend Fire‐Rescue International 2026 in Kansas City, KS. All expenses related to attending FRI and travel expenses to the conference center are not covered by the scholarship.
The International Association of Fire Chiefs has received a grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation (MSF) for the 14th year, to fund the Fire Service Executive Development Institute.
