The following announcement was posted on Wednesday, May 6, 2020:

The North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association Executive Board has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 South Atlantic FIRE RESCUE Expo, along with the Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service, the Annual Banquet, the Golf Tournament and all associated conference activities, scheduled for August 12-15 in Raleigh, NC.

Plans are in the works to host a modified Annual Meeting and once those plans have been solidified, we will make the announcement to our membership.

2020 marks the fourth time in NCSFA’s history that the event has been canceled. The three previous times were in the 1940’s, twice for WWII and once for a polio outbreak.

“We recognize the magnitude of this decision and do not make it lightly. The current environment and phases that the government has laid out for the reopening of our state make it strategically impossible to safely gather at the time our conference would take place. Our conference brings together over 5,000 firefighters and first responders, who we want to remain healthy and able to perform their essential duties in their communities. The safety of our membership, attendees, exhibitors and volunteers at our conference is our primary concern. The only responsible decision we could make is to keep their safety in mind and cancel the conference for this year.” – Tim Bradley, NCSFA Executive Director

We value the support of our exhibitors and want to keep the strong partnerships we have built over the years with you. We will be refunding all payments made for SAFRE 2020 spaces and sponsorships to you in the next couple weeks. If you have questions regarding your payment status please contact kris@ncsfa.com.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding during this unprecedented time. While we cannot be together this year, we are already planning for SAFRE 2021 and look forward to being together again soon.

Take care and be safe,

The Executive Board and Staff of the NC State Firefighters’ Association