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

Apparatus Ideas | Medford (NY) Spartan Smeal 105-Foot Ladder

Apparatus Ideas

The Medford (NY) Volunteer Fire Department, located in Suffolk County, is like most fire departments on Long Island.

Its response district is made up of numerous strip shopping centers, a few big box stores, lots of schools, light industrial complexes, condos, apartments, and single-family dwellings. It covers 10.8 square miles with a population of approximately 25,000.

To cover the needs of the community, the department responds out of three strategically located stations.

“The department decided to go with a second ladder truck, a quint, to catch up with other departments in the area,” says First Assistant Chief Kevin Hoffman. “ We felt that ordering a quint gave us the best of both worlds. This ladder responds out of a centrally located headquarters station and can operate as an engine if needed since it will respond first due on all structural fires and miscellaneous alarms, especially during daytime hours.” Hoffman adds his department, like most others, is experiencing reduced staffing, and he’s hoping the new quint will help relieve that dilemma.

Medford started planning for the new apparatus before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the specifications were drafted in January 2021 with bids following, according to Hoffman.

“Spartan met all of our specs and we decided to go with them again for this build,” he says. “We had dealt with Spartan and its local dealer, Hendrickson Fire Rescue Equipment, with several past apparatus purchases, so we were familiar with their operations.” He adds it was the sixth Spartan/Smeal purchase the department has made.

In July 2021, Hoffman and the district mechanic traveled to Spartan’s plant in Michigan for the cab and chassis inspection and traveled to the Smeal plant in Snyder, NE, for a midway inspection in December 2021 followed by a final inspection in April 2022, Hoffman says. “We were really impressed with both plants and the overall outcome of the vehicle,” Hoffman says.

 

1 The Spartan/Smeal 105-foot quint with a 2,000-gpm pump and 500-gallon tank. (Photos by author.)

 

 

2 The officer’s side compartments with saws, extrication tools, and fans.

 

 

3 The driver’s side compartment with forcible entry tools, fans, RIT equipment, and engine company fittings.

 

 

4 The simple pump panel with crosslays.

 

Hoffman explains the department already had a 95-foot platform aerial quint in its arsenal, so the decision was made to purchase a rear-mount 105-foot aerial, which the department feels will have more reach and can access windows in dwellings more easily.

The apparatus is loaded with battery-powered fans and Hurst eDraulic battery-powered extrication tools. It also has 800 feet of 5-inch large-diameter hose (LDH), 200 feet of 1¾-inch crosslay, 200 feet of 2½-inch hose, and skid loads of 100 feet of 1¾-inch hose. The front bumper has a swivel suction with 5-inch LDH.

It’s also equipped with a complement of saws, forcible entry tools, rapid intervention team (RIT) equipment, as well as a collection of engine company tools and fittings. It also has a PTO-driven 10-kW Harrison hydraulic generator for added operation.

 

 

5 The rear compartment with the standard portable ladder complement.

 

 

6 The swivel front suction with 5-inch LDH.

 

“We really liked the Smeal 105-foot aerial, which, in our opinion, gives a strongly constructed steel aerial with a 750-pound tip load and an interlock at the tip for rescue or firefighting operation,” Hoffman says. “All in all, we are really happy with our recent addition, which should last us well into the future with the way our committee designed the vehicle. We planned for the future and have added compartment space for future use and any additional tools we may purchase in the future.”

The Medford Fire Department took into account the dwindling staffing problem plaguing many volunteer fire departments around the United States. It decided to go with a quint as opposed to a straight ladder truck for this new purchase.

 

The quint gives the department the option of the vehicle operating as an engine should the incident commander decide to, depending on the fireground operation.

The truck was designed with both engine company and truck company tools for the two types of operations as well as added vehicle extrication tools for operation at the scene of an auto extrication.

The truck also carries a great deal of hose and supply line and could supply itself on the fireground if needed. The added compartment space will come in handy if additional tools are purchased in the future.

Proper preplanning for a large apparatus purchase is needed if you want it to turn out in your favor and last for the foreseeable future.


BOB VACCARO has more than 40 years of fire service experience. He is a former chief of the Deer Park (NY) Fire Department. Vaccaro has also worked for the Insurance Services Office, the New York Fire Patrol, and several major commercial insurance companies as a senior loss-control consultant. He is a life member of the IAFC.

 

Print
Posted: Mar 24, 2023,
Categories: Fire Mechanics,
Comments: 0,

Theme picker