Concord -  Fire chiefs from around the state have returned to Concord this week for the North Carolina Association of Fire Chiefs Mid-Winter Conference, hosted by the Concord Fire Department and the Cabarrus County Firemen’s Association. This is the second consecutive year that the NCAFC has met in Concord for its Mid-Winter Conference. Event organizers estimate approximately 300 attendees and  the CVB says the economic impact to the county will be around $180,000.

“The City of Concord and Cabarrus County were great hosts for 2011 and the welcome we received was overwhelming.  Our members were impressed by the hospitality, the facility and the wonderful people of the area.  The support we received from the Concord Fire and Life Safety Department and the Cabarrus County Firemen’s Association has been outstanding and we have made a long term commitment to hold our conference here through 2014” said Kenneth Mullen, executive director of the N.C. Association of Fire Chiefs.

State fire chiefs and chief officers will participate in board meetings, workshops, continuing education and the Fire Chief of the Year Awards Ceremony during the conference. NCAFC Conference events will be held at the Embassy Suites-Concord Golf Resort and Spa and the Concord Convention Center.

“We are thrilled to welcome fire chiefs from around the state back to Concord this year and look forward to hosting them in years to come,” said Donna Carpenter, president and chief executive officer of the Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Tourism is an economic engine for the county and conventions like the NCAFC Mid-Winter Conference are critical in sustaining local businesses.”

For more information on the NCAFC Mid-Winter Conference, please visit the NCAFC Web site at www.ncafc.com/Mid-WinterConference.html