Welcome to the Great Lakes  Division
of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Web Site!

Welcome to the Great Lakes Division - International Association of Fire Chiefs (GLD-IAFC) Web Site.  This site has been designed by the GLD-IAFC to serve as a communications tool to both the fire service and other emergency organizations.  We hope that you will you find the information on this site useful and encourage you to share any feedback you may have.

The Great Lakes Division

Our Division represents the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. The board of directors is comprised of a State Representative from each of the six states who are elected to three year terms. The "Executive Officers" are elected by the membership at large and includes the president and vice president who serve two year terms. There has been a long-standing "handshake agreement" that the vice president is elected from each state on a rotational basis to ensure that one state does not dominate the board on a long term basis. There is also an understanding among the members that normal progression is the vice president is elected to the position of president upon completion his term.

Our International Director - the person who represents our Division on the International Board - is elected to a three year term as is our Secretary/Treasurer. Both of these positions are elected from the membership at large

Mission Statement

We are a division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and therefore we operate under the following IAFC Mission Statement: Provide leadership to career and volunteer chiefs, chief fire officers and managers of emergency service organizations throughout the Great Lakes region, through vision, information, education, services and representation to enhance their professionalism and capabilities.  

The Fire Service Bookstore is a non-profit entity of Western Fire Chiefs’ Association that has returned almost $1 million dollars and counting to the fire service since 2005. Purchasing your books and training materials through the Fire Service Bookstore supports firefighters nationwide and SAVES YOU MONEY on your books and shipping costs. For current publications and pricing, please visit fireservicebooks.com

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The Daily Dispatch

The Great Lake Division utilizes the The Daily Dispatch to keep its members informed about current news and events.  The -Daily Dispatch newsletter is emailed to subscribed recipients each week day.  It is a scan-friendly email with links to external resources. read more