Dallas County Fire Chiefs Association Bylaws 2015
DALLAS COUNTY FIRE CHIEF' S ASSOCIATION By Laws Article I Name This organization shall be known as the Dallas County Fire Chief' s hereinafter referred to as the Association. Association Article II Purpose The purpose of the Association is to enhance the protection of life and property threatened by fire, natural and man- made disaster, and other emergencies by promoting cooperation and coordination of fire, emergency medical, and other specialized emergency response capabilities throughout Dallas County. To this end, the Association shall: A. Serve as an organization in Dallas County for the exchange and planning of ideas, information, knowledge and experience in areas affecting the safety of life and the protection of property. B. Plan and coordinate training programs, and promote public education in fire prevention and safety. C. Support and coordinate the delivery of pre -hospital emergency medical services by the countywide fire services. D. Cooperate with other organizations to promote programs that further the goals and objectives of the fire service in the interest of Dallas County. E. Support State and Federal Government/ Commissions in the interest that is best for Dallas County' s Fire and EMS protection. 2
Article III Meetings The regular meetings of the Association shall be held every odd month at such time and place as designated by the President. The regular meetings of the Board of Directors of the Association shall be held every even month at a time and place selected by the President. Except as Laws, special meetings of this association may be called at any time by the President, by a majority of the members of the Board of Directors, or upon written request of a majority of the members in good standing. Notice of not less than two (2) days shall be required for holding such meetings, stating the time, place, and nature of business to be transacted. There shall be no business transacted at said meeting other than that shown in the notice. specified in Article XII of these By Section 3 Annually at the January meeting newly elected Officers shall be installed for the coming year. Section 4 The presence of twenty 10 active members of the association shall constitute a quorum for regular and special meetings. Section 5 The presence of three ( 3) members of the Board of Directors of the association shall constitute a quorum for the Directors' meetings. 3
Article IV Election of Officers During the month of November of each year, the Board of Directors shall nominate officers of the association for the next year. The Board of Directors shall nominate at least one ( 1) eligible member for each elective office in the association, including the President, Vice -President, Secretary, and Treasurer. All members in good standing are eligible for nomination for President, Vice - President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Nominations shall be in writing, signed by the chairperson of the Board of Directors. This report shall be made public to the membership at the election meeting in November. At said regular meeting, the President shall read the nominees as presented by the Board of Directors and then shall also call for nominations from the floor. Section 3 When there is more than one nominee for an office, the Secretary shall prepare a sufficient number of ballot papers on which shall appear the names of the different nominees. The Board of Directors shall assist the Secretary in certifying the election. Section 4 The candidate for each office receiving the highest number of votes for the particular office for which he/ she is nominated shall be declared elected. Section 5 The officers shall assume office at the time of their installation during the January regular meeting. 4
Section 6 If, for any reason the office of the President shall become vacant, the Vice - President shall succeed him/ her in office. Should a vacancy occur in the office of the Vice -President, the Secretary shall succeed him/her. In the event of a vacancy in any other office, including that of Secretary, the Board of Directors shall appoint an active member in good standing to fill the unexpired term. Article V Duties of Officers The President shall be The Chief Executive Officer of the Association. He/ she shall preside at all meetings of the association. He/ she shall exercise general supervision of the affairs of the association during his/ her tenure of office, subject to the advice and approval of the Board of Directors. He/ she shall sign, as President, all contracts and other instruments of writing. He/ she shall appoint all committees of the association and shall act as an ex -officio member of each of these committees. He/ she shall see that these committees function and shall cooperate with the committee chairperson toward that end. He/ she shall see that regular elections are held in accordance with these By -Laws and shall require full compliance by all officers to the By -Laws of the association. The Vice -President shall be a member of the Board of Directors, in the absence or inability of the President to act, perform all the duties of that office and while the President is presiding, shall assist that officer in every way possible. Should a vacancy occur in the office of President, he/ she shall at once assume all duties, powers and responsibilities of the President and shall serve until the January meeting. Section 3 The Secretary shall be a member of the Board of Directors and shall assist the President and Vice -President in conducting the business of the association and in the absence or inability of both of these officers, he/ she shall assume the duties, powers and 5
responsibilities of the President. Should a vacancy occur in the office of Vice -President, he/ she shall at once assume all duties, powers and responsibilities of the Vice -President and serve until the January meeting. If a vacancy should occur in the office of Secretary or any other office, the Board of Directors shall appoint some other active member in good standing to fill the unexpired term. The Secretary shall keep the general records, including the minutes of the association meetings, Board meetings, officers list, and list of members showing their classification of membership, affiliation, addresses and telephone numbers. He/ she shall receive and conduct all communications pertaining to the association subject to the general directions and supervision of the President. He/ she shall review all membership applications for compliance with the by-laws and refer all questionable membership issues to the Board of Directors. Section 4 The Treasurer shall be a member of the Board of Directors and shall collect from members and others all monies due the association and deposit the same in a bank or banks recommended and approved by the Board of Directors and shall pay out all monies only on authority of the Board of Directors. All checks and vouchers must be signed by the Treasurer and counter -signed by the President. He/ she shall prepare and submit monthly financial reports to the association. He/ she shall issue statements to each member for his/ her dues or other financial obligations due the association. He/ she shall be bonded for the faithful discharge of his/ her duties, in such sum and sureties as may be required by the Board of Directors and the premiums on said bond shall be paid by the association. Section 5 The Immediate Past President shall be a member of the Board of Directors and shall assist the President and officers as Association. necessary in conducting the business of the Section 6 The Board of Directors shall consist of the President, the immediate past President, the Vice -President, the Secretary and the Treasurer. 6
Section 7 The Board of Directors shall exercise the general management of the association affairs, subject only to the directions of the association. It shall authorize all expenditures and disbursements of funds of the association. All expenditures that exceed the sum of five hundred dollars ($ 500. 00) must first be submitted to the Board of Directors to be placed on the agenda to be voted on by the Association. The board shall address all membership issues requiring special action, and shall hold regular bi-monthly meetings and it shall hold special meetings when called by the president or by a majority of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall designate a bank or banks for the deposit of the funds of the association, and shall approve the expenditures of funds for an annual accounting during the first quarter. A majority vote of the Board of Directors shall govern, except where otherwise provided. The Board shall have the power to overrule or modify the action of any officer of the association and shall perform such other duties as required by the By -Laws of the association or are ordinarily performed by the Board of Directors of an association. Article VI Membership The membership shall consist of: A) Active B) Honorary C) Life D) Life Achievement E) Associate A) Active Members: Chief fire officers of all firefighting jurisdictions within Dallas County, Texas, and/ or participate in the Dallas County Mutual Aid System. Chief fire officers of firefighting jurisdictions shall have the signature or their Fire Chief approving their application for membership. Active members in good standing shall have the right to vote in the affairs of the association. B) Honorary Members: May be conferred upon persons who have rendered conspicuous service to the association, provided that such persons are recommended by 7
the Board of Directors and receive a majority vote of those present at a regular meeting of the association. Such membership shall be exempt from payment of dues and shall have no vote in the affairs of the association. C) Life Membership: May be conferred upon active members, provided that such membership shall be recommended by the Board of Directors and receive a majority vote of those present at a regular meeting of the association. Such membership shall be exempt from payment of dues and holding of elected offices within the association, but shall have all other privileges associated with membership. D) Life Achievement Membership: May upon retirement from the fire service who have served as be conferred upon active members an elected officer of the association, has been a member of the Board of Directors or has made significant contributions to the association, provided that such membership shall be recommended by the Board of Directors and receive a majority vote of those present at a regular meeting. Such membership shall be exempt from payment of dues and holding of elected office, but shall have all other privileges associated with membership. E) Associate Members: Individuals and individuals representing firms, corporations and organizations interested in the protection of life and property for business reasons, provided that such membership is recommended by the Board of Directors and receive a majority vote of those present at a regular meeting of the association. Such membership shall not vote in the affairs of the association, and shall not hold elected office. Applications for memberships other than Active memberships shall be approved by a majority vote of the members present at the next meeting after the application and annual dues, if applicable, or fees are submitted to the Board of Directors. The said application must be submitted to the Board of Directors for their recommendation at their regular meeting prior to the regular association meeting. 8
Article VII Dues and Fees Departmental annual dues shall be one hundred fifty dollars ($ 150. 00) NOTE: The Heads of Departments/Directors will be exempt from additional dues. Each additional active member' s annual dues from the department shall be seventy-five dollars ($75.00). Section 3 Associate member' s annual dues will be a minimum of one hundred dollars ($ 100). Section 4 Life and Life Achievement members shall be exempt from payment of dues. Section 5 Section 6 Honorary members shall be exempt from payment of dues or fees. Section 7 The annual dues shall become due on the first day of January each year. A member shall be regarded in good standing if he/ she is not more than sixty ( 60) days in arrears in the payment of dues, fees or other indebtedness to the association. 9
Article VIII Termination of Membership If in the event an Active member is suspended from the rolls, as set forth in the By - Laws, this action shall not cancel any indebtedness to the association. Any member who resigns, is suspended, or expelled from the association shall immediately, upon request of the Secretary, surrender any card, certificate or badge, which would identify him/her as a member of the association. Section 3 Any member suspended from the membership roll of the association may make application for reinstatement provided his/ her application for reinstatement is accompanied by a remittance of the total of all dues and assessments which were delinquent at the time they were suspended. Section 4 Any member may be suspended or expelled from the association for good and just cause by a two thirds ( 2/ 3) vote of the members present at a regular or special meeting following a recommendation of the Board of Directors. Article IX Committees There shall be the following standing other committees deemed necessary by the Board of Directors: committees of the association, as well as Legislative Training and Education Fire Prevention Emergency Medical Services ( EMS) Mutual Aid 10
All committees shall have a minimum of five ( 5) and a maximum of nine ( 9) members. The President, upon the recommendation of the Board of Directors, shall make all committee member appointments. Committee member terms shall be for one ( 1) year. Committee members may succeed themselves if reappointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Board of Directors. In the case of a vacancy in any committee, the President shall have the authority to fill the vacancy. Any appointee who is unable to serve shall indicate the same promptly to the President who shall then make a new appointment. All committee generated recommendations including requests to expend association funds shall be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors for review and recommendation prior to submission to the members for a vote. Section 3 The Board of Directors shall create ad hoc committees when necessary to address special concerns of the association. Section 4 It shall be the duty of the Legislative committee to make a study of laws affecting the fire service and keep the association informed of said laws. It shall also be the duty of the Legislative Committee to endeavor to have laws enacted that the association deems advisable for the betterment and advancement of the fire service and the protection of life and property. Section 5 It shall be the duty of the Training and Education Committee to gather and disseminate all pertinent training information deemed beneficial for the advancement of the fire service and the protection of life and property. It shall also be the duty of the Training and Education Committee to discuss and promote issues that are of common interest to all member departments in the area of fire training. 11
Section 6 It shall be the duty of the Emergency Medical Services Committee to promote cooperation between the various EMS providers, medical directors and hospitals within Dallas County or participating in the Dallas County Mutual Aid system. It shall also be the duty of the Emergency Medical Services Committee to discuss and promote issues that are of common interest to all member departments in the area of emergency medical services. Section 7 It shall be the duty of the Fire Prevention Committee to promote fire safety within Dallas County and the jurisdictions participating in the Dallas County Mutual Aid system, through public education and code enforcement using fire departments, schools, media and all other resources available. It shall also be the duty of the Fire Prevention Committee to discuss and promote issues that are of common interest to all member departments in the area of Fire Prevention. Section 8 It shall be the duty of Mutual Aid Committee to assure that the Dallas County mutual aid agreement is maintained to fulfill the emergency coverage needs of all fire service jurisdictions within Dallas County and the jurisdictions participating in the Dallas County Mutual Aid system. It shall also be the duties of the Mutual Aid Committee to discuss and promote issues that are of common interest to all member departments in the area of mutual aid. Article X Political Candidate Endorsement The association shall at no time endorse or recommend any candidate for any political office, nor shall politics or political candidates be discussed at any meetings. 12
Article XI Parliamentary Rules The rules contained in " Robert Rules of Order" shall govern this association where applicable and in which they are not in conflict or inconsistent with the By -Laws of the association. The order of the proceedings of the meetings shall be as follows: Invocation and Pledge Calling meeting to order Introduction of guests Approval of minutes of previous meeting Report of Secretary bills and communications Report of Treasurer Report of committees Old or unfinished business New business The good of the association Adjournment Article XII By -Law Amendments The By -Laws may be amended, added to, taken away from, modified or altered by affirmative vote of a majority of the voting members present at a regular meeting. No amendment shall be put to a vote unless written notice has been mailed either electronically or by postal service to each voting member at least two ( 2) weeks prior to the meeting at which the amendment is to be voted on with the proposed amendment stated in said notice. All proposed amendments shall be directed to the Board of Directors for review as to form and content, which will forward its recommendation to the members for a vote within eight ( 8) weeks at a special or regular meeting. 13
These By -Laws approved by majority vote of the Dallas County Fire Chiefs Association on the I q day of the m orot\, 20 IC Signature of Association President 0kV CJ 14