SAFRE

SAFRE (South Atlantic FIRE RESCUE Expo) is one of the largest and most popular regional fire-rescue service conferences, conventions and expos in the southeastern United States. It was envisioned by the North Carolina State Firefighters' Association (NCSFA) as an extension and expansion of the association's required annual Conference and Business Meeting, first launched in 2009. Held annually at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, the event combines a multi-day education program with a trade expo serving the fire, rescue and emergency services community. The program typically includes classroom education sessions, an expo hall featuring fire and rescue equipment, apparatus and services, and sponsor exhibitions. Recent editions have featured expo hall hours of approximately 9am-5pm on the opening Friday and 9am-2pm on the closing Saturday, with education sessions running across the four event days. The 2029 edition is scheduled for August 8-11, 2029, in Raleigh, NC, following earlier editions on August 11-14, 2027 and August 9-12, 2028. The event is a key gathering for North Carolina's fire service community under the banner #NCFireStrong and #NCFireUnited.