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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
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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

Upcoming Events

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FIRE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT BOARD & COMMITTEES

Legends and Icons at FDIC

Editor’s Opinion

A new writer makes his debut with us in this issue.

Ed Boring is a retired deputy chief from the Hilton Head (SC) Fire Department, among other things. In this issue, he writes about a legend in the fire service, the late Alan “Bruno” Brunacini, the former Phoenix (AZ) fire chief.

Bruno was a seminal figure in the customer service philosophy of the fire industry. He believed that taxpayers and those who call for fire services are customers, and firefighters and first responders have the obligation to care for those clients as one might treat a customer who walks into a storefront or any other business. Firefighters have the obligation to be professional and polite and give the clients exactly what they need as efficiently as possible. It’s a great mantra for any business and, as it turns out, it is a good fit for the fire service too.

I had the pleasure of meeting Bruno a few times at fire trade shows. He was always in his signature Hawaiian shirt and always with a group of people who were hanging on his every word as Jesus to his disciples. He was that kind of guy. For more than 50 years, he shared his skills as a firefighter and his knowledge as a fire officer and was generous with his time and mentoring.

Bobby Halton speaks at FDIC
Bobby Halton speaks at FDIC.

Bruno died in October 2016 but left a legacy that far exceeds his earthly years. Boring’s revisiting of Bruno’s lecture on the metaphor of delivering pizza in a cement truck caused me to think about all the other great fire service leaders past and present. And, obviously, I couldn’t help but think about my late boss, Bobby Halton. I miss him. Both men were legends, and the fire service isn’t the same without them.

Nevertheless, there are still a lot of living legends in the fire service, and most all of them are at the annual Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) next month in Indianapolis. They share their words and knowledge year after year to standing-room-only crowds. I won’t mention any legends by name for fear of forgetting some, but you know who they are and it’s evident when you see firefighters spilling into hallways outside packed FDIC classrooms straining to hear the words of the true leaders in the fire service.

FDIC is where the best instructors impart their knowledge on the most elite firefighters in the nation and, indeed, around the world. I’ve been fortunate to have been able to attend nearly every year for about 20 years, and it’s always a treat to see old friends and make new ones. I have said it before and I’m going to say it again: It’s mecca for anyone in the fire service. Every firefighter really ought to attend at least once in a career. It’s worth every second.

I absolutely don’t want to be morbid about this, but you owe it to yourself to get to FDIC before it’s too late. None of us have expiration dates, but we never know when any of us will shuffle off the mortal coil or any other euphemism one may choose to use to signify death. That’s why it’s important to not pass up opportunities when they arise. We’ll never again have the opportunity to hear one of Bobby’s impassioned battle speeches to the masses live during the FDIC opening ceremonies, and that’s a huge loss to the fire service.

In the music world, there are a lot of great musicians and acts I would have loved to have seen, and I regret not taking the time to do so before they were gone. I would have loved to have seen B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan and countless “late greats.” Life for me would have been that much more enriched had I made the effort to go to a concert before it was too late.

When it comes to FDIC, don’t wait. Come this year. There’s still plenty of time to make plans for next month’s conference. Don’t have regrets. It’s likely your favorite fire service gurus, the ones who write regularly for Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment and Fire Engineering, will be there teaching or hanging out at a restaurant or watering hole downtown. FDIC truly takes over the city year after year, and it’s a must-see event.

Make your plans. It’s not too late. Who knows, you might catch the next great act or the next Bruno, a young up-and-coming star in the fire service. FDIC is where legends and icons teach and make connections with firefighters the world over.

And now for a mea culpa. An astute reader caught a goof I made in January’s editorial. I mischaracterized what a fiscal year was compared to a calendar year. The reader correctly pointed out that a fiscal year can be any 365 days desired. For example, the federal government’s fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.

As the reader pointed out, it’s a basic accounting 101 rule. I confess, I am not an accountant, but I have done a number of fire department budgets over the years, and I am familiar with a fiscal year that runs July 1 to June 30. That’s my experience, and it’s not universally recognized as the fiscal year.

I’ll stick to writing next time, not accounting, and say thank you to our dear reader for correcting my error.

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Posted: Mar 17, 2023,
Categories: Fire Mechanics,
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