Topics
With 19 focused topics, Strive for Excellence delivers targeted training for every level of leadership – on the fire ground and in the union hall.
Accreditation
Setting the standard for excellence in every department.
Learn how accreditation strengthens operations, enhances safety, and builds labor–management trust through real-world insight from IAFF experts and industry leaders.
Behavioral Health
Real conversations. Real science. Real recovery.
Address the unseen toll of the job with sessions that equip fire fighters and leaders to respond to stress, trauma, and recovery with evidence, empathy, and action.
Canadian
Advancing the voice of Canada’s fire fighters.
Strengthen your understanding of Canadian labor law, presumptive coverage, and advocacy tools to better represent and protect your members.
Collective Bargaining
Your playbook for the table.
Champion your members at the table with the tools and tactics that win lasting gains for the fire service.
Communications
Telling our story – and shaping the conversation.
Elevate your communication skills to inform, inspire, and advocate for your members.
Federal
Union Power in the Federal Sector
Explore strategies and tools to lead effectively, navigate policy changes, and advance progress across the federal fire service.
Financial Corporation
Financial strength for every stage of the journey.
Build financial wellness at every career stage, helping members make smart choices on saving, investing, and retirement.
Fire & EMS Operations
From dispatch to data – strengthening every link in the response chain.
Advance operational readiness with sessions that blend fireground science, EMS innovation, and data-driven strategy – giving IAFF leaders the tools to protect their crews and their communities.
Government Affairs
Organize. Advocate. Win.
Build the skills to drive political engagement, expand organizing power, and strengthen fire fighter influence at every level of government.
Grants
Funding the future of your fire department.
Learn how to navigate SAFER and AFG programs – from funding priorities to application strategies – to secure critical staffing, training, and equipment support.
Hands-On Training
IAFF training built for the way you work.
Experience five days of immersive, scenario-based training led by IAFF instructors – where skill, safety, and leadership meet the fire ground.
Health & Safety
Where research meets response.
Apply the latest science and lessons learned to stay safer, smarter, and stronger on every call.
Human Relations
Building respect and unity across the fire service.
Strengthen teamwork, address workplace culture, and create environments that serve any community.
Leadership
Building stronger leaders for a stronger union.
Learn the skills every IAFF member needs – from running meetings and managing contracts to building trust, navigating change, and leading with accountability.
Legal Issues
Your rights, your responsibilities, your union.
Navigate the laws that shape union leadership – from fair representation and arbitration to member privacy, overtime rights, and emerging issues in technology and mental health.
Negotiations
Master the art of collective bargaining.
Develop practical negotiation skills through interactive sessions on budgeting, costing, and strategy – giving IAFF leaders the tools to deliver results at the table and beyond.
Science & Research
Turning research into real-world protection.
Examine groundbreaking studies on cancer, PFAS, neurodegenerative disease, and exposure science – and see how IAFF-backed research is shaping policy, prevention, and the future of fire fighter health.
Technology
Where innovation meets the fire service.
Explore how data, digital tools, and emerging technology are transforming operations, safety, and union leadership across the IAFF.
Union Administration
Accountability in action.
Build the operational know-how to oversee finances, filings, and records while navigating grievances and ensuring accountability to your members.