Menu

Welcome

Mission Statement

The objectives of this Division shall be to further enhance the education of all Fire Service Administrative Support by conducting workshops and seminars; to increase the proficiency of Fire Administrative Support by establishing a network sharing of information systems through various channels of communication; and to faciliate a statewide standardization wherever possible in all phases and aspects of the Fire Administrative Support field for the benefit of the Fire Service.

Recent Fire Administrative Support News

Posted: Oct 20, 2020
Comments: 0

Greetings all~

At the yearly business meeting of the WFAS, usually a part of the annual conference, 2020 elections were held. Two Regional Representative terms were up this year along with that of the Secretary and Chair. Cathy Blakeway, Tumwater Fire, will continue to serve as a Regional Rep and Tasiya Deering, Moses Lake Fire, was reelected to the position of Secretary. Kristen Cole chose not to run again for the Regional Rep position she has held but has opted to remain on the board as the Hospitality/Activity committee chair. Slita Bradley, Benton County Fire District 4, was chosen to fill that Regional Rep position. Caity Karapostoles, Clallam County Fire District 3, was elected to serve for the next two years as Chairman when Mykel Montgomery stepped down. Mykel will stay on the board as Past Chair, allowing her to help deliver the 2021 WFAS Conference in Chelan postponed from October 2020. A huge shout out to everyone for stepping up to run for positions on the board and to volunteer on the various committees, along with everyone who continues to serve as board/committee members. It takes all of us to create and maintain the valuable network that is the WFAS! And along those lines, the Vice Chair position is open if you or someone you know is interested, please let me know as soon as possible. In keeping with our policies and procedures, the vacancy will be filled by a majority vote of the Executive Board at our next meeting. The person chosen will serve until the next election at the 2021 WFAS Conference,

In lieu of this year’s conference and workshops, a number of webinars are being planned for our group. Check the website and the group’s Facebook page for more information as it comes available.

Please feel free to contact me or any of the other board/committee members, if there is anything we can help you with. I welcome comments, concerns and suggestions!

Take care and stay safe.

As always,

Caity K

WFAS Chair

Read more
Posted: Apr 21, 2020
Comments: 0

Wednesday April 22nd

Read more
Posted: Jun 27, 2018
Comments: 0

 

 A recording of the hour long webinar How to Apply for a Local Records Grant is now available at Washington State Archives’ website at:

 https://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/RecordsManagement/Local-Records-Grant-Program.aspx

 

The Online Grant Application form will be available on July 2, 2018.

If anyone has questions or would like assistance in planning and preparing their application, please email recordsmanagement@sos.wa.gov.

Read more
Posted: Apr 25, 2018
Comments: 0

On behalf of your Washington Fire Administrative Support (WFAS) Board and Committee Members, we would like to acknowledge your hard work, dedication and commitment to the fire service and the work that you do. We all play an integral part in the departments we work for and the communities we serve, but perhaps don’t always get the acknowledgement that goes along with it. I hope everyone feels valued for their efforts and feels the support of your network of peers within the WFAS Section. Enjoy your day and I am so excited to see 96 of you in Walla Walla at our annual conference next week!

 

Ashley Becker, WFAS Section Chair

Read more
Posted: Apr 2, 2018
Comments: 0
In accordance with the Washington Fire Chiefs' Bylaws, and the WFC Fire Administrative Support current Protocols, the recommended updated version of the protocols has been posted 30 days before conference

If you would like to see a version noting all of the changes, that document is shown as well. Feel free to share any concerns or comments regarding this updated document with us at: wfc@washingtonfirechiefs.org 

The updated protocols will be voted on by members at the WFAS conference in Walla Walla, Washington on Monday, May 7th.

Read more
Posted: Feb 21, 2018
Comments: 0
Nominations need to be submitted to the WFC office by Friday, April 20, 2018 to kathleen@washingtonfirechiefs.org.

  • Nominee can be nominated by any WFC member, belonging to any WFC Section – please include: nominees name, position title, years of service;
  • The nominee must be a current member of the WFAS;
  • Nomination should list the nominee’s administrative accomplishments and contributions during the previous year as well as their leadership abilities, demonstration of professional performance and personal character.  A short story should be submitted to enhance the nominee’s accomplishments.
Read more
Posted: Aug 8, 2017
Comments: 0

We currently have an opening on the WFAS Executive Board for an Eastern Representative, partial term, to serve through May 2018 (until the conference in which an election will take place for a two-year term).

 

Please submit a Statement of Interest to abecker@centralpiercefire.org, no later than Tuesday, August 15, for consideration at our upcoming Board Meeting in Walla Walla.

 

Feel free to reference the WFAS Board Campaign on the website for more information on Board involvement or reach out to a Board Member.

 

Read more
Posted: Apr 26, 2017
Comments: 0

On behalf of the WFAS Board, we would like to thank you for your endless dedication to the fire service and your commitment to learn and grow.

Read more
Posted: Apr 6, 2017
Comments: 0
In accordance with the Washington Fire Chiefs' Bylaws, and the WFC Fire Administrative Support current Protocols, the recommended updated version of the protocols has been posted 30 days before conference

If you would like to see a version noting all of the changes, please contact us. Feel free to share any concerns or comments regarding this updated document with us at: wfc@washingtonfirechiefs.org 

The updated protocols will be voted on by members at the WFAS conference in Olympia, Washington.

Read more
Posted: Jan 31, 2017
Comments: 0
Nominations need to be submitted to the WFC office by Friday, April 28th of this year, 2017.

  • Nominee can be nominated by any WFC member, belonging to any WFC Section – please include: nominees name, position title, years of service;
  • The nominee must be a current member of the WFAS;
  • Nomination should list the nominee’s administrative accomplishments and contributions during the previous year as well as their leadership abilities, demonstration of professional performance and personal character.  A short story should be submitted to enhance the nominee’s accomplishments.

Read more
RSS
12

Theme picker

FIRE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SECTION UPCOMING EVENTS

Upcoming Events

Theme picker

FIRE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT BOARD & COMMITTEES

Cantankerous Wisdom: 1900, Burned Bottoms, Staffing & Cummins

By Bill Adams

According to its website, all 382 pages of the newly crafted 2024 National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 1900: Standard for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Vehicles, Automotive Fire Apparatus, Wildland Fire Apparatus, and Automotive Ambulances, 2024 Edition is available for $147.00 USD.

Burned Bottoms

What burns my bottom more than a fire in three-foot-high scrub brush is what I call “disingenuous” headlines when the media describes accidents involving fire apparatus. Unfortunately, there are some incidents that do involve fire apparatus operator error. And, it is tragic when death and injury is involved. However, it appears headlines are mostly written to infer all accidents and crashes are the fault of the fire truck. That’s not right – it’s downright misleading.

There’s a news media saying If it bleeds, it reads. The following is paraphrased from online research about the saying: “It is a mantra US marketing and media live by knowing that feeding people dull facts is not an effective tactic for capturing viewers’ attention.” It sucks. 

Here’s one headline: “Fire Truck Crashes During Emergency Call; Driver Cited with Failure to Yield.” Well, that’s appears to be a slap in the face to the fire department. The local citizenry may forever have disdain for the department if they failed to read the third paragraph where it said the driver of the vehicle that crashed into the fire truck was the one cited.

Here’s another: “The city’s newest million-dollar fire truck totaled in expressway crash.” Buried in the story was the fact the fire truck was appropriately parked when blocking traffic at another accident scene.” As long as I’m on a scorched bottom rampage, it amazes me why so many LDH equipped apparatus have multiple gated 2½-inch auxiliary suction inlets especially when they have two gated LDH inlets.  Granted they “might” be necessary if there’s a remote chance non-LDH equipped apparatus may be supplying the apparatus with multiple 2½-inch or 3-inch supply lines. But if everyone around you uses LDH, buy an LDH by a 2½-inch female adaptor for each of your gated LDH inlets – if you don’t already carry them! The adaptor is a lot cheaper than the entire 2½-inch gated inlet.

Cummins

Jim Lyons of J. Lyons Fire Consultants in Connecticut sent a link to a Linkedin – or Linkup or something like that – story about Cummins motors. Considering Cummins is a major player in the fire truck world, I thought I’d pass it on: 

“Another change for the North American Fire Service, when we least need it. For those of you who might not yet know, there are some major changes on the horizon from the largest engine manufacturer, Cummins. The current fire apparatus model lineup will change significantly. The popular legacy engines, the medium duty L-9 engine with 860 -1250 lb. Ft torque and the even more popular heavy-duty X-12 engine with 1250 – 1700 lb. Ft torque are going away! On 2/13/23 Cummins announced both engines would be replaced by the next engine in the fuel-agnostic series, the X-10. It will comply with 2027 US EPA regulations and is to be released in 2026, a full year early. Based on the information available, the expected medium-duty ratings of the X10 range from 320 to 380 hp with torque ratings of 1000 to 1250 lb-ft at 2100 rpm. For heavy-duty applications, the expected ratings are from 350 to 450 hp, with torque from 1350 to 1650 lb-ft at 1800 rpm. The new engine can be married to the Allison EVS series transmission, the model depending on the torque rating. A question many are asking is what is the date they need to make a purchase before the current engines are no longer available. The answer is not really known. With some apparatus manufactures quoting up to a 4-year delivery timeframe, a few are telling customers they need to include the new engine now. Each apparatus/chassis manufacturer might be slightly different, so best that you check with your manufacturer sooner than later. The cost from the L-9 to the X-10 is rumored to be significant. Ultimately each manufacturer will price the new package and install to their specific chassis model.”

Minimum Staffing – the Forgotten Few            

Raisins who were – or still attempt to be – active volunteers often spin tall tales boasting about the number of people who showed up for alarms back in the good ole days. They complain that only a few showing up these days. Retired career white hairs often reminisce (brag) about the number of firefighters riding the tailboard. Today they complain about reduced staffing per rig. 

One group that’s seldom mentioned is the career folks in combination departments. They could be called the forgotten few – possibly overworked, maybe underpaid and often not appreciated. Very seldom do you see anything in writing about them. You should. They’ve got the right to complain and wish for the “good ole days” too.

Combination departments are those with minimum career staffing that are supplemented by call men that are paid per response or by volunteers. Some only have career firefighter drivers. Some may have just a couple on selected apparatus. Others might only have one rig staffed. Volunteers or call men must supplement a minimum on-duty staff.

Combination departments are not immune to the nationwide decline in volunteers. In some instances, especially on “smells and bells” calls, there may only be a minimum volunteer response – or none at all. Entities with minimum career staffing that are unable to attract volunteers and fail to hire adequate career firefighters are doing an injustice to their taxpayers and the few firefighters on duty – those forgotten few. They got the right to complain.

Print
Posted: Mar 10, 2023,
Categories: Fire Mechanics,
Comments: 0,

Theme picker