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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
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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

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Posted: Apr 21, 2020
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Wednesday April 22nd

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Posted: Jun 27, 2018
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 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.

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Posted: Apr 25, 2018
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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

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Posted: Apr 2, 2018
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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.

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Posted: Feb 21, 2018
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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.
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Posted: Aug 8, 2017
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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.

 

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Posted: Apr 26, 2017
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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.

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Posted: Apr 6, 2017
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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.

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Posted: Jan 31, 2017
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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.

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FIRE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SECTION UPCOMING EVENTS

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FIRE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT BOARD & COMMITTEES

$2M in Federal Funding to Go Toward Fire Engine, Training Prop for Modesto Junior College’s Fire Academy

Vivienne Aguilar
The Modesto Bee
(TNS)

Mar. 12—Modesto Junior College’s School of Public Safety is trying to get back to the days when it had everything it needed to train firefighters and emergency medical services students on modern equipment, said Ron Cripe, MJC’s director of the Regional Fire Training Center. Federal funding is helping it do so.

The center recently was awarded $2 million, said Cripe, and a fully equipped fire engine alone can cost over $1 million.

The Yosemite Community College District applied for federal funding to get new equipment for MJC’s training center, which is used for continuing education by fire departments across the Central Valley and Mother Lode areas.

The $2 million, from the Federal Consolidated Appropriations Act, has been “earmarked” for MJC’s Fire Academy, said Yosemite Community College District Chancellor Henry C.V. Yong. Fire Academy courses are taught at the Regional Fire Training Center, which is on the MJC College of Public Safety campus. This is the first time the district has looked into funding this way; normally, it applies for grants.

Pedro Mendez, MJC’s dean of career technical education, said Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Josh Harder helped secure the federal money. Harder “was a part-time instructor at MJC before he ran for Congress. Not too many people remember that,” Yong told The Bee. And as a congressman, he has visited the fire training facility.

The money “will support state-of-the-art training for students enrolled in MJC’s Fire Academy and Fire Science degree and certificate programs, as well as for working firefighters who depend on MJC for continuing education in the latest fire-suppression techniques,” according to a press release.

The training facility is shopping around for two main pieces of equipment for students, Cripe said. First, it’s reached out to vendors hoping to find a fire engine.

“Most engines (when they’re very stripped down) are going to be somewhere between $200,000 to $700,000. It depends on all of the uniqueness that they have to have,” Cripe said. “I need something that’s going to pump (water), take equipment from point A to point B out on the grounds and be able to function with everything that we need to, reliably.”

Second, it’s hoping to find a training prop for fire and EMS students to practice potentially life-threatening scenarios without being in danger. “The primary prop is going to be the design of a building that will incorporate all of the rescue type techniques: search, rescue, breach, etc. We need to teach (things like) how to break through a wall to get from one room to another,” Cripe said.

“They definitely need new (training) props,” said Max Raymond, a 19-year-old MJC student who operates the Code 3 Emergency Instagram account. Raymond is enrolled in the Emergency Medical Responder 350 course within the School of Public Safety. In his free time, he listens to local emergency scanner channels and photographs firefighters in action for the 12,000-plus followers on the social media platform.

The training facility currently has a five-story, concrete prop with rooms that are able to be fully engulfed in flames, beds and stoves that can withstand fire and last up to a decade of use, plus more, to give students the space to practice the techniques they learn in the classroom.

“We probably have about 75% get employed in the fire service in some way. Now that may be working for an ambulance company, and going through that process, and then maybe later, jumping into a fire agency,” Cripe said.

The facility is used by Stanislaus’ Community Emergency Response Team and over a dozen fire departments including Modesto, Manteca, Ripon, Burbank and sometimes as far as Sonora, Cripe said.

Agencies within Stanislaus County have an agreement with the facility when it comes to training, so these groups do not have to pay. Any agencies outside of the county pay a fee.

Because the training facility is useful for agencies and other colleges outside the county, Yong said, YCCD is pursuing support from those areas members of Congress for future funding.

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(c)2023 The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.)

Visit The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.) at www.modbee.com

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Posted: Mar 14, 2023,
Categories: Fire Mechanics,
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