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Bylaws

ARTICLE 1
The fire department shall meet regularly on the first Tuesday of each month.  Fire training is held on the third Tuesday of the month and EMS Training the fourth Tuesday of the month.  Additional meetings and training may occur at the discretion of the Fire Chief and/or Training Officers.
ARTICLE 2
Order of business for meetings:
 

  1.  Attendance
  2. Report of sick of distressed members
  3. Report of Committees
  4. Treasurer's Report
  5. Applications for membership and actions taken
  6. Unfinished business
  7. New Business
  8. Department discussion
  9. Adjournment


ARTICLE 3
 In order that the fire department may function efficiently and safely, all rules and regulations set here will be followed by members. 
 

  1. The chain-of-command will be the following:  Fire Chief, Assistant Chief Fire, Assistant Chief Medical, and any Captains.
  2. The Fire Chief will appoint a Captain for each apparatus.  It will be the responsibility of the Captains to make regular inspections of their truck and to insure that any maintenance needed to keep the apparatus in good, safe, working condition is performed.  An inspection form is to be filled out monthly and all maintenance recorded.  These forms will be kept in each truck’s folder.


ARTICLE 4
Membership requirements.
 

  1. Age:  All persons applying for Active duty membership in the RFLVFD must have attained their 18th birthday prior to the date of application submittal.  All Driver/Operators must be 21 years of age.  All persons above the age of 65 will be required to have an annual physical.
  2. Physical Fitness:  All persons applying for membership to the RFLVFD will be required to complete a standard form depicting their basic physical health and to sign an affidavit attesting to their basic fitness.  The department retains the option to require verification of physical competency by a recognized medical authority.
  3. Mental Stability:  All persons applying for membership to the RFLVFD will be required to certify in writing as to their mental stability at the time of application with full disclosure of any conditions, past or present, that may impair their abilities to perform under stressful situations.
  4. All new applicants will be required to undergo a background check by the Colorado Bureau of Investigations and a review by the Fire Chief of their driving record from the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles.
  5. Motivation:  All persons applying for membership to the RFLVFD will be required to sign a statement of intent to comply with the requirements of this document and present a written statement of his/her motivations for joining the Department.
  6. The costs for required documentation will be covered by the Fire District at the Chief’s discretion.


ARTICLE 5
Acceptance:
A.   Any person desiring to become a member of the RFLVFD will make their request known to any member of the department.  After completion of an application for membership and agreeing to abide by all the provisions of this constitution, by-laws, and policies, the applicant will be voted upon by the active membership of the department.  A three quarters majority of quorum is required for applicant to be accepted for membership.  (A quorum is one half of the active membership of the department.)
B.    Active Membership will be attained after a probationary time of 90 days if the following criteria are met:

  1. Satisfactory completion of New Member Orientation and all criteria as defined in the RFLVFD Membership Classification Policy (see Article 7).
  2. Applicant has demonstrated his/her reliability and motivation by attending meetings and trainings.
  3. After all probationary criteria are met, there will be a second majority vote by the Department’s active membership to move the applicant to active status.


C.  Leave of Absence:  Any active member can request a leave of absence from the Department by       notifying the Fire Chief in writing of their intent and the purpose.  Upon return from a medical  leave of absence, a physician’s letter of consent will be required stating specific physical restrictions, if any, for the member’s re-instatement as an Active Member.  Medical or personal leave of absence for more than six months will require return of all Department property, including turnout and wildland gear, pager, radio and keys.  Any leave of absence of greater than one year will require re-application for membership upon return.  Time on any leave of absence other than Fire Department related workman’s comp injuries will not qualify as active membership in calculating pension benefits.
ARTICLE 6
Continuing requirements:
 

  1. Meetings:  All active and probationary members of the department will be required to attend at least 75% of all scheduled meetings.  Any active member missing more than 25% of meetings, unless excused, or having three consecutive unexcused absences, will be considered for possible elimination from active membership or from membership altogether.  Logistical Support Team members will be required to attend a minimum of 50% of the fire department business meetings.   A ¾ majority vote of quorum is required to withdraw membership from any individual.  All absences must be reported to the Fire Chief prior to the meeting.
  2. Training:  All Active members of the Department will be required to attend at least 36 hours of formal fire training each year.  Logistical support team members will be required to attend a minimum of 8 hrs of training with the active membership per year.   The training year is from January 1 to December 31.  Each member is responsible for signing each training roster and for verifying the hours received.  Any discrepancies can be discussed with the Assistant Chief Fire/Training Officer.  Any member not obtaining this goal will be considered for possible demotion to Probationary membership or removal from membership altogether.  A ¾ majority vote of quorum is required to withdraw membership from any individual.  All absences must be reported to the Training Officer (Assistant Chief Fire) prior to the training.
  3. Active Emergency Medical Responders of RFLVFD will maintain current certification at their level of care and have a current EMT-B, EMT-I, EMT-P or RN Physician Advisor Agreement on file.  All absences from EMT training must be reported to the Assistant Chief Medical prior to the training.


ARTICLE 7
MEMBERSHIP CLASSIFICATION:
The classifications of membership in the RFLVFD are:

  1. Probationary Member
  2. Probationary Active Member
  3. Full Duty Active Member
  4. Limited Duty Active Member
  5. Logistical Support Team Member
  6. Auxiliary Member
  7. Fire Cadet


DEFINITIONS:
Probationary Member :  This is a new member that has no prior experience.  This member will remain a Probationary Member until the following criteria are met:
They attend instruction on and pass a written Minimum Requirement Knowledge Assessment concerning:

  1. Basic orientation to the RFLVFD.
  2. Communications
  3. Apparatus and equipment orientation
  4. SOPs
  5. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)


The Probationary Member will be issued all fire gear after satisfying the above criteria.
After being with the Department for 90 days, a Probationary Member will then be moved to the appropriate Active status by a majority vote of the existing membership.
A.   Probationary Active Member:  This is a new member with prior fire experience within the last two years.  Documentation must be provided of past fire training and experience.  This member will remain a Probationary Active Member until the following criteria are met:
They can demonstrate a knowledge of and pass a written Minimum Requirement Knowledge Assessment concerning:

  1. Proper communication procedures.
  2. Basic apparatus and equipment operation.
  3. Basic utilization of both wildland and structural PPE
  4. Departmental SOPs.
  5. RFLVFD ICS and Chain of Command.

This member may be issued all fire gear after the above criteria are met.
After being with the department for 90 days, a Probationary Active Member can then be moved to the appropriate active status by a majority vote of the existing membership.
B.   Full Duty Active Member:  This is a member that has been approved by a majority vote of the Active membership of the RFLVFD after his/her 90 day probationary period, and has met all training and attendance requirements.  Full Active members have voting privileges and are eligible for assignment or elections to officer positions after one year on the department. 
C.   Limited Duty Active Member:  Participation of this class of Active Member on any fire scene or training exercise will be limited to support operations only.  Support operations include but are not limited to: tender operations, staging area management, check point operations, traffic control, safety officer, communications officer, Landing Zone operations, station hydrant operation, and base station radio operation.  Under no circumstances will this class of member be allowed to perform active duties in front line or “hot zone” fire attack, or EMS calls.  Probationary, training and meeting attendance requirements are the same as for Full Duty Active Members.
D.   Logistical Support Team Member:  This class of membership will be limited to specific station-based logistical support operations such as: station, grounds and apparatus maintenance, station hydrant operation, base station radio operation, supply, data entry and administrative duties, and station shelter operations.  Mandatory attendance requirements are 8 hours/yr of training, and 50% of department business meetings.  A Logistics Officer will be appointed to oversee the activities of this division.           
E.   Auxiliary Member : This class of membership will participate in administrative support and fundraising operations.  There are no training or attendance requirements for this class.
F.   Fire Cadet:  Junior members between the age of 12 years and 18 years.  Under no circumstances will this class of member be allowed to participate in active duty operations.  Training and meeting attendance requirements are established specific to this class only.
ARTICLE 8
Code of Conduct:
It is important to insure that each member of the Department fosters a sense of pride, trust and confidence in the community we serve.
ON DUTY:  (includes meeting, events and all responses)

  1. There is “zero tolerance” for drug, alcohol and substance abuse.
  2. Professionalism will be exercised at all times while on scene.
  3. Discretion will be exercised and patient confidentiality will be honored.
  4. Patients and all citizens will be treated with respect, courtesy, and dignity.
  5. Gear and equipment will be worn and/or utilized correctly.
  6. There will be no smoking in fire apparatus and during medical calls.


OFF DUTY:

  1. Remember that fire personnel are “ambassadors” that represent the values and integrity of the Red Feather Lakes Volunteer Fire Department.  Personal conduct must reflect this.
  2. Never seek to use your position as a department member for preferential treatment or personal gain.
  3. Do not wear department clothing or insignia while consuming alcohol.
  4. Control abusive language in public.
  5. Obey the law.

Any violation of this code of conduct will be investigated by the Fire Chief and may result in disciplinary action or dismissal from the Department.