Membership
Join the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association and connect with fire service leaders and professionals across Illinois. IFCA offers active, retired, and associate membership, as well as organizational membership for fire departments and districts.
Important: Active individual membership requires your fire department or district to have paid its annual organizational dues.
Individual Membership Options
Membership structure updated October 2025. Amounts listed are annual dues.
| Membership category | Annual dues |
|---|---|
| Individual Membership Requires paid department/district dues |
$50 |
| Government/District Personnel Requires paid department/district dues |
$50 |
| Retired Emergency Service Personnel | $40 |
| Life Member Past Presidents |
$0 |
| Associate Membership Business/other |
$150 |
Fire Department & District Membership
Organizational dues are based on staffing size, measured in full-time equivalent (FTE) employees or contracted employees. Under IFCA's membership structure, one FTE is defined as an average of 50 hours of work per week, including chief officers, shift officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel.
Three memberships included
Each organizational membership includes active membership for a fire chief and two designees, provided they meet the eligibility requirements in Article Four, Section One of IFCA's Bylaws.
| Department / district staffing | Annual dues |
|---|---|
| Not regularly staffed; fewer than 1 FTE and 25 or fewer paid-on-call or volunteer firefighters | $125 |
| Not regularly staffed; fewer than 1 FTE and 26 or more paid-on-call or volunteer firefighters | $200 |
| 1–4 FTE employees | $250 |
| 5–20 FTE employees | $325 |
| 21–100 FTE employees | $450 |
| 101–500 FTE employees | $600 |
| More than 500 FTE employees | $1,000 |
Adding more members? Each additional member from the same department or district is $50 per year. Individual membership remains contingent on the department or district having paid its annual dues.
How Department Membership Is Assigned
A department or district's three included memberships are assigned as follows:
- Fire Chief: One per organization
- First Designee: One per organization
- Second Designee: One per organization
Additional members may be paid for by the organization or by the individual. Governmental members may also be paid for by the organization or individual. Retired and associate memberships are separate membership types.
Ready to Join IFCA?
Use the membership application to get started. If you are applying as an active individual member, confirm that your department or district's organizational dues have been paid.
Membership agreement: By applying for membership in the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, applicants agree to abide by the laws of the Association as established by its appointed and/or elected officers, committee members, or their appointees or successors.
