Spring/Summer 2014 Fire Trailer News President Ron Reagan Henry County Fire Department 770.288.6637 First Vice President Bill Knight Crisp County Fire Rescue 404.372.5687 Second Vice President John Dancsecs Jr. City of Milton Fire Rescue 678.276.9361 Secretary Mickey Howard State Farm Insurance 770.891.3899 Treasurer: Laurel Mason Analytical Forensic Associates 770.982.0210 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Ron Reagan Allow me to first begin by thanking you for the opportunity to serve as president this year. I sincerely appreciate the confidence you place in me. Our Spring Seminar was held in McDonough again this past March and was a great success. There were approximately 119 in attendance. In addition to classroom lectures, a number of electrical and mechanical engineers Southeastern Annual Training Seminar Scheduled for August 5 8, 2014, the annual training seminar will be held at the Sea Palms Resort on St. Simons Island. Adam St. John, a Fire Research Engineer with ATF Fire Research Laboratory will present Ventilation Flowpaths & Fire Growth: A review of recent Fire Firefighter Line of Duty Deaths Utilizing Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). Dan Hebert with Forensic Investigations Group (ATF Retired) will present a case study of provided hands on demonstrations that were very beneficial and educational. We are well underway in making preparations for The Southeastern Annual Training Conference to be held August 5 8, 2014. The conference will again be held at The Sea Palms Resort on St. Simons Island. Additional information is included in the newsletter. Please make your reservations the Carto Quadruple Homicide / Arson Investigation as well as Interrogation for the Fire Investigator. We will also have a presentation by Michele Stuart of JAG Investigations. Ms. Stuart instructs at Quantico and will present "Internet Profiling & Intelligence Gathering. Finally, Art Musselman with the Georgia Public Training Safety Center will present Environmental Hazards & the Fire Investigator. Registration is now open at www.gfia-iaai.org. early so as to take advantage of the lower rates. I encourage each of you to get involved. If there is an area that interests you, please let an officer, director, or committee chair know. I look forward to seeing you in August. The Sea Palms Resort & Conference Center is located at 5445 Frederica Rd., St. Simons Island, GA 31522. Their telephone number is 912.638.3351 and their website is www.seapalms.com. Please register early. Payment may be made at time of online registration or at check in. Early registration enables more efficient planning for the Training & Education Committee.
Fire Trailer News Page 2 of 6 ANUNCEMENTS: BOARD MEETINGS The next meeting of the Board will be held Wednesday, August 6, 2014 at Noon at the Sea Palms Resort, St. Simons Island. PLEASE TE: Incoming President Bill Knight has scheduled a Board Meeting for Thursday, August 7, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. at the Sea Palms Resort. ANNUAL MEETING The Annual Meeting of the Association will be held Thursday, August 7, 2014 immediately following the conclusion of class. The meeting will be held in the classroom at Sea Palms Resort. ELECTION The Election will be held Wednesday, August 6, 2014 beginning at 10:00 a.m. through lunch. Mail-in ballots must be received by the Nominating Committee no later than August 1, 2014. Please refer to the included ballot for voting instructions. The Jim Swindell Scholarship and the K. G. Davis Scholarship are again offered to winners of essay contest. Scholarships Available The Georgia Arson Control Board is again sponsoring the Jim Swindell Scholarship and the Georgia Fire Investigators Association is sponsoring the K. G. Davis Scholarship for individuals who reside in Georgia and work in a publicsafety related field. Applicants must mail, fax, or email a one-page essay entitled, Why I want to attend the Southeastern Annual Training Conference. Essays must be received no later than midnight July 5, 2014. Essays may be mailed to the attention of Susan Cunningham at P.O. Box 1279, Snellville, Georgia 30078; faxed to Susan at 770.978.8782 or emailed to her at susan@cunninghamfire.com. Please note former scholarship winners are not eligible to participate. Special Thanks The Association wishes to express our sincere appreciation to all of the speakers at our Spring Seminar. Taking time away from their livelihood, these individuals selflessly dedicated a day of their time to provide instruction. Perry Hopkins, Dave Leone, George Yeremian, John Nemeth, Tony Echols, Ryan Hathaway, Frank Hagan, Tim Dunn, Doug Locker and Chris Shriver provided hands on demonstrations that were extremely well received. Presentations were also given by Bill Knight, Art Musselman, Charles Williams, Keith Bell, Doug Byron and Kenny Wright. Thanks again to all of you. We appreciate your efforts!
Page 3 of 6 Fire Trailer News ATTENTION DISTRICTS of the GFIA District Presidents serve on the Board of Directors of the Association pursuant to the terms outlined in the Bylaws. Presently, not all districts are aligned. In fact, some appear to be dissolved. If you are the current president of your district, please contact Bill Knight by phone at 404.372.5687 or email at bill@cunninghamfire.com and provide your contact information. If you are a member of a district that is presently unrepresented, please contact Bill and provide that information as well. It is the intent of the Board of Directors to review the current alignment of districts for possible consolidation. The Board certainly does not wish to dissolve an active district. Thank you for your assistance in this endeavor. ELECTION for 2014 2015 Year: Nominations for the office of 2 nd Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer have been open to the membership and received by the nominating committee. Each nominee received a written nomination and a second. In accordance with the GFIA By-Laws, these nominations were due to and received by the Committee 60 days prior to the annual meeting. Those persons nominated for positions as officer in the 2014-2015 calendar year are provided on the included ballot. Per the By-laws, no write in votes will be allowed. Voting will take place Wednesday, August 6, 2014 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and Noon at the Southeastern Annual Training Conference in St. Simons, GA. If you are unable to attend the seminar, you may vote by mail-in ballot. Only the included ballot will be accepted as an official Mail-In Ballot. Mail-in ballots must be received by the nominating committee no less than five days prior to the election which is Friday, August 1, 2014. Ballots received after that date will not be tabulated. Mail-in Ballot Rules: Print the ballot on the following page. Once you have made your selections, fold the ballot and place it in an envelope. Seal the envelope. There should be no identifying information on the ballot or the envelope containing the ballot. The ballot envelope should then be placed within a second outer envelope. This envelope should be sealed with the ballot envelope inside. The voting GFIA Member s name MUST be in the return address location of the outer envelope. Address the outer envelope and mail it to: Kenny Wright, GFIA Nominating Committee, POB 282, Fayetteville, GA 30214.
Fire Trailer News Page 4 of 6 GFIA 2014 2015 Absentee Ballot For 2 nd Vice President: Thom Burruss Perry Hopkins For Secretary: Mickey Howard For Treasurer: Laurel Mason Joe Kelley Shall the Constitution & By-Laws be amended as follows: 1. Article III Section 5. Nominating Committee. The nominating committee shall be appointed by the incoming president. The names of those so appointed shall be published in the last quarterly issue of the Fire Trailer News or announced by special letter to the membership, electronic mail or web page posting at least thirty (30) days prior to publication of the first quarterly issue of the Fire Trailer News. The committee shall consist of five (5) members who are representatives of the insurance industry, civil authorities, the legal community and private investigator profession. 2. Article III Section 9. Installation of Officers. Officers duties and responsibilities begin on the day following the election held during the annual meeting of the Association. The installation of officers shall take place at the annual banquet held in conjunction with the annual seminar. 3. Article V Section 1. Annual Meetings. The annual meeting of the Association will be held during the last six months of the calendar year. The time and location shall be announced at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting. 4. Article III Section 6. Election and Advancement to Office. The senior vice president and the second vice president shall advance to the next office until reaching the office of president unless removed for cause by the Board. The second vice president, secretary and treasurer shall be elected at the annual meeting by the vote of the active and associate members voting in person or by mail-in ballot using only the ballot provided in the third quarterly Fire Trailer News for use in that election. Such mail-in ballots must be received by the Election Chairperson not less than five calendar days prior to the announced election date to be counted. In the case of a tie vote for any office, the tie shall be resolved by the single toss of a coin while in the presence of the Election Chairperson and the nominees or their duly appointed representative. Any nominee may contest election to the office to which he or she was nominated. A nominee may do so by written statement of protest stating all factual bases for the protest filed with the Election Chairperson within 15 days following the election. No protest shall delay installation of officers. The Election Chairperson shall immediately notify the President of receipt of any protest. The Board and Election Committee shall meet with the individual protesting the election and provide an opportunity to be heard. The issue will be finally resolved by majority vote of the active Board members. If the nominee protesting the election is also a Board member, he or she shall be suspended from the Board for the period that the protest is pending. The Election Chairperson shall secure all ballots cast for a period of 120 days. All such ballots shall be destroyed 120 days following the election. Provided, however, in the case of an election protest, all ballots shall be preserved by the Election Chairperson until such time as directed by the Board to destroy the ballots.
Page 5 of 6 Fire Trailer News Minutes Board Meeting; March 26, 2014 Present: Ron Reagan, Bill Knight, John Dancsecs, Mickey Howard, Kevin Wallace, Keith Bell, Charlie Mangan, Doug Byron, Kevin Cunningham, Joe Kelley, Kenny Wright, Teresa McAfee The meeting was called to order at 12:05 p.m. by President Ron Reagan. Standing Committee Reports: Secretary s Report: Motion by Kevin Cunningham, second by Kevin Wallace, to waive reading of the minutes and accept them as published. Motion carried. Treasurer s Report: Teresa McAfee presented report on behalf of Treasurer Laurel Mason. Finances of the Association are in good stead. There are no outstanding bills. Funds are available to cover expenses associated with the annual conference if necessary. Motion by Keith Bell to accept the report; seconded by Kevin Wallace. Motion carried. Finance Committee: First Vice-President Bill Knight reviewed the records and noted no items of concern. Motion by John Dancsecs to accept the report; seconded by Kevin Wallace. Motion carried. Ethics & Grievance Committee: No report Membership Committee: Teresa McAfee presented report on behalf of Membership Chair Sara Bonner. New applicants presented for approval. Motion by Kevin Wallace to accept the report and approve applications; seconded by Keith Bell. Motion carried. Training & Education: T&E Chair Kevin Cunningham provided a status of the Spring Seminar. There were registered and confirmed attendees. The seminar was well underway and progressing as planned. The agenda for the 2014 Annual Seminar has been finalized and confirmed. This will be the last year at the Sea Palms Resort. We have entered into a contract with the Savannah Riverfront Marriott for 2015 and 2016. The Georgia Public Safety Training Center is in need of the 2014 edition of NFPA 921. Motion by Keith Bell; seconded by Kevin Wallace to purchase 45 copies for the GPSTC. Motion by Keith Bell; seconded by Kevin Wallace to accept the T&E report. Motion carried. Certification Committee: No report Districts Report: Only the SW District was represented. Bill Knight reported they have 18 members. The district meets the first Tuesday of even numbered months. Old Business: New Business: None Discussion regarding GPSTC burn cells and items needed. Motion by Kevin Wallace; seconded by Charlie Mangum to donate $1,000 to the training center for use in purchasing supplies. Presentation by Sam Harris with the City of Albany Fire Department. There is a window of opportunity for the Association, the SW Chapter, and the City of Albany FD to partner together to conduct real time fire scene training. Sam has confirmed the availability of ten homes that may be used as live burn sites with the opportunity for follow up investigative training. Tabled for further discussion. Having no other business before the Board, motion by Kevin Wallace; seconded by Bill Knight to adjourn. Motion carried.
Georgia Fire Investigators Association Chapter 8 of the IAAI P.O. Box 382 Snellville, GA 30078 MEMBERSHIP CHAIR: Sara Bonner 770.982.0210 TRAINING & EDUCATION CHAIR Kevin Cunningham 404.580.0783 The Fire Trailer News is the official organ of the Georgia Fire Investigators Association Minutes Semi-Annual Meeting: March 27, 2014 Present: Ron Reagan, Bill Knight, John Dancsecs, Mickey Howard, Kevin Wallace, Keith Bell, Charlie Mangan, Doug Byron and general membership (25) The meeting was called to order at 4:35 p.m. by President Ron Reagan. Standing Committee Reports: Secretary s Report: Motion by Bill Knight, second by John Dancsecs, to waive reading of the minutes and accept them as published. Motion carried. Treasurer s Report: Kevin Wallace presented report on behalf of Treasurer Laurel Mason. The Association is in good financial stead. Finance Committee: First Vice-President Bill Knight reviewed the financial records and noted no items of concern. Ethics & Grievance Committee: No Report Certification Committee: No Report Membership Committee: Teresa McAfee presented report on behalf of Membership Chair Sara Bonner. Twelve new applicants were presented to the Board, all were approved for membership. Training & Education: Kevin Wallace presented on behalf of Chair Kevin Cunningham. The agenda for the 2014 Annual Seminar has been finalized and confirmed. The conference will return to Savannah in 2015 and 2016. The Georgia Public Safety Training Center is in need of the 2014 edition of NFPA 921 and the Board approved the purchase of 45 copies for the GPSTC. We re on the Web! See us at: www.gfia-iaai.org Nominating Committee: Kenny Wright reported nominations for 2 nd Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer are now open and will be accepted until June 1, 2014. Nominations must be in writing and seconded. Motion by Teresa McAfee to accept the committee reports as presented; seconded by Kevin Wallace. Motion carried. Districts Report: Bill Knight reported the Southwest District has 18 members. The district meets the first Tuesday of even numbered months. On the last Wednesday of September, the training class will be accredited by FFSTC. The district will again hold a raffle at the annual conference. Jess Zerbe reported the Metro district continues to meet the third Wednesday of every month from 11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. at Manuel s Tavern in Atlanta. Continuing Education Credits are available. Motion made by Teresa McAfee to accept the reports as presented; seconded by Kevin Wallace. Motion carried. Unfinished Business: None New Business: Sam Harris with the City of Albany Fire Dept. proposed a training partnership between the AFD, SW District of the GFIA, and the GFIA for live burn training. The discussion was tabled for the next meeting of the Board. Having no other business, motion by Bill Knight to adjourn; seconded by Joe Kelley. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 4:46 p.m.