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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

New Technology Is Clearing the Way for Improved Safety When Responding to Emergencies

Controlling the Scene

Advancing first responder safety is at the forefront of all suppliers within the fire apparatus and emergency equipment industry. It’s a critical mission in both warning and illumination. Every new feature, widget, and innovation that comes out is designed to further enhance the safety of both the motoring public and first responders.

As emergency scenes are made safer with the latest technology and improved product features, suppliers are beginning to take a bigger picture approach to scene safety. It no longer includes just what’s happening on scene; we are now looking at the moments involved in getting first responders to the scene. We’re asking questions like, “How do first responders interact with each other when en route to an emergency?” and “How do first responders interact with the apparatus and other drivers on the road when responding to a call?” We’re asking questions that go beyond traditional visual and audible alerting to uncover new ways to make emergency responses even safer for first responders and everyone else on the road too.

On the technology side, most of us are familiar with “the cloud.” Historically, its primary use for the emergency market was to provide access to information and help fleet managers understand and better manage their apparatus. Telematics, a fancy word used to describe fleet management software that offers a comprehensive view of vehicles and aids in operational efficiency, has been in use since the 1960s. Its adoption into our industry began in the early 2000s and is a commonly found feature in apparatus today and will soon reach the tipping point of becoming a standard part of builds.

As this happens and the connectivity of our market increases, suppliers are using this readily available technology to improve safety in new and innovative ways. Currently, the latest advancements in cloud-connected safety mean it’s now possible for fleets around the country to digitally alert motorists to their presence, incorporate responder-to-responder alerting, as well as control and direct traffic signal priority at intersections, otherwise known as emergency vehicle preemption (EVP).

While every new safety feature is important, that last one on the list, EVP, is a huge deal because we all know that approaching an intersection is one of the most precarious moments first responders face when responding to a call. They are navigating not only the motoring public but other apparatus rushing to the scene as well. Emergency vehicles approaching the same intersection from multiple directions creates an extremely challenging situation. With the latest technology enabled, the driver of each responding vehicle receives a notification that another emergency vehicle is approaching the intersection at the same time, alerting first responders to take extra precautions when clearing the intersection.

Today, through products like Whelen Engineering’s Vehicle Safety Gateway (VSG) and the company’s partnership with Global Traffic Technologies (GTT), intersections can now interact with apparatus by using enhanced precision and GPS data through the Whelen Cloud Platform®, which directly links the apparatus to an intersection. The earlier issue of range limitation no longer applies, as the cloud can communicate directly to the signal from any distance. This new, centralized technology is not dependent on a line of sight to the intersection either, so it’s equally effective around corners.

 

 New technologies like the Whelen Cloud Platform® directly link an apparatus to intersections. (Images courtesy of Whelen.)

 

 

 Emergency vehicle preemption technology allows a fire apparatus to clear intersections without range limits or sightline requirements.

 

The granularity and fine-tuning of a fleet’s interaction with an intersection becomes much more robust as it is controlled by hardware that interacts with the cloud. First responders and fleet managers no longer need to rely on dated hardware mounted on the apparatus or intersections that require routine maintenance to ensure receivers are tuned accordingly. This new technology and partnership allow first responders to get to emergency scenes more safely than ever before while providing peace of mind that wasn’t possible even a few years ago.

To explain it further, let’s look at a common scenario and talk about how traditional hardware reacts vs. the new, cloud-control software.

Scenario 1: “Emitter” Technology

An apparatus approaches an intersection that is located within a turn. The apparatus is outside of the range of infrared preemption, so the signal does not receive the preemption request until the vehicle has turned the corner and is now headed directly toward the signal. This leaves little time for the preemption to be granted and for the signal to clear, so the first responder must slow down or stop to proceed through the intersection safely. This results in delayed response times and the apparatus does not get to the emergency as quickly as possible.

Scenario 2: “Cloud” Technology

An apparatus approaches an intersection that is located within a turn. Immediately on switching the apparatus into response mode, and even before approaching the intersection, the signal starts to calculate the apparatus’ estimated time of arrival (ETA) using GPS data based on direction and speed. Once an ETA is determined, and once the vehicle has met the ETA or distance parameter that is set by the department, a green light is automatically requested, and the apparatus clears the intersection safely and quickly. With no range limit or sightline requirements, the technology’s ability to preempt around corners and utilize second-by-second GPS data offers a significant improvement in navigating intersections safely and efficiently.

Digital Alerting, offered through HAAS Alert’s Safety Cloud®, is another way technology is improving emergency scene safety by notifying the motoring public and fellow responders that an apparatus is nearby. With first responders, the driver of each responding vehicle receives a notification that another emergency vehicle is approaching the intersection at the same time, alerting them to take extra precautions when clearing the intersection. When an apparatus is in motion and connected to the cloud service, alerts can also be pushed to the motoring public around it through phone navigation applications like Waze and Apple maps. Notifications like “Emergency Vehicle Approaching” and “Emergency Vehicle Ahead, Please Slow Down and Move Over” are examples of what a driver may see. HAAS Alert says its technology can reduce the risk of collisions by 90%. Some vehicle manufacturers, including Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, and Ram, are designing their own infotainment systems to receive these alerts. This means drivers will receive notifications even when not using a navigation app.

If you’re thinking about enhancing the safety of your fleet or want to learn more about how the newest technology is making it safer to get to emergency scenes as well as increasing safety on scene, reach out to your trusted supplier or manufacturer to talk about the new advancements. Technology is changing rapidly, and we’re doing all we can to make it as safe as possible for first responders and everyone on the road.


CHRISTOPHER WATKINS is a Clermont, Florida-based field solutions engineer for Whelen Engineering, Inc. Prior to his current position, Watkins was an authorized managing sales representative territory representative for Whelen for several years. He has 26 years of experience in the automotive electronics and fabrication industry.

 

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Posted: Mar 22, 2023,
Categories: Fire Mechanics,
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