NFCC ACER Conference 2026

NFCC ACER Conference 
Tuesday 24th February 2026

We are delighted to confirm that the ACER Conference will take place on Tuesday 24th February 2026 at the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Training and Safety Centre, Bury. 

The event will begin with registration, breakfast and networking at 9.00am with the conference sessions starting at 10am. The conference will end by 5.30pm.   

The full agenda will be released soon, with themes around Wildfires, Devolution, Competencies, and the Workforce of the Future. The main panel will include researchers from the US, names to be confirmed shortly.

The conference is aimed at academic researchers, fire and rescue practitioners, and anyone with an interest in the sector. The conference seeks to bring together academics and those working in the FRS sector to share learning and knowledge, make new connections, and ultimately to improve public and firefighter safety. If you know of people in your organisation who would benefit from attendance, please pass the information on. 

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact acer@nfcc.org.uk.

Call for Papers 

The Call for Papers is now live – for full submission details, please see here: ACER conference 2026 Call for Papers

To submit a proposal for the conference please use the following online form: Call for Papers submission form 

The deadline for submissions is Friday 19 December 2025. 

About ACER 

The Academic Collaboration, Evaluation and Research (ACER) Group is an independent forum, convened by NFCC, to help coordinate and maximise the benefits of academic research with relevance for fire and rescue services (FRS), to contribute to improved public and firefighter safety. It is chaired by Professor Rowena Hill from Nottingham Trent University and Stewart Nicholson, Deputy Chief Fire Officer at Tyne and Wear FRS, is the vice chair. For more information, you can visit the ACER webpage: Academic Collaboration, Evaluation and Research (ACER) Group – NFCC 

Important Booking Information:  

Booking Details: Please note that tickets will only be available for the conference itself, we will not be offering accommodation.  Delegates will be responsible for sourcing their own accommodation.

Please do not book tickets that state ‘Bookable by NFCC Staff only’ – these tickets are for speakers and can only be booked by the NFCC events team. If you book this option you may be charged an additional admin fee to correct the booking. 

Bookings can be made via credit card or invoice with a PO number. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact acer@nfcc.org.uk. 

Cancellation 

Delegates – within 7 working days of the event no refunds can be provided.