The Great Lakes Hot Fire Conference 2026 is an intensive, hands-on firefighter training event taking place June 10–13, 2026 at the Pontiac Fire Training Center in Pontiac, Michigan. Designed for both career and volunteer firefighters, this four-day conference is built around live fire evolutions, tactical skills development, and the kind of experiential learning that only comes from real fire environments.
The Great Lakes region has a long tradition of practical, no-nonsense fire training — and the Hot Fire Conference embodies that tradition. Unlike lecture-heavy conferences, this event puts firefighters in gear and into action. Participants can expect to work through structural firefighting scenarios, vehicle extrication evolutions, industrial and commercial fire scenarios, flashover recognition and survival training, and rapid intervention team (RIT) operations under the guidance of some of the region's most experienced instructors.
The conference attracts firefighters from across Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and beyond — creating an outstanding networking opportunity with peers from a wide variety of department types and sizes. There's something uniquely bonding about training side-by-side with brothers and sisters from other departments, sharing techniques and lessons learned from different operational environments.
Beyond the fire ground, the conference includes evening social events, equipment exhibitions from regional vendors, and informal Q&A sessions with lead instructors. It's a full immersion in fire service culture and craft.
Pontiac, Michigan offers accessible lodging options near the training center, and the Detroit Metro area is easily reachable by air. Whether you're a company officer looking to sharpen your crew's skills or a line firefighter hungry for quality hands-on training, the Great Lakes Hot Fire Conference 2026 delivers the real-deal fire training experience.
