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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

$12.4M Proposal to Demolish Vacant Fire Station And Rebuild Westford (MA) Municipal Center Rejected by Voters

Cameron Morsberger
The Sun, Lowell, Mass.
(TNS)

Mar. 27—WESTFORD — The $12.4 million proposal to demolish the vacant fire station and rebuild a municipal center in its place failed at Town Meeting Saturday.

Located at 51 Main St., the new building would have housed a number of local government offices, as well as an “improved meeting space” for town meetings that would accommodate five times the current meeting room’s capacity, Select Board Chair Andrea Peraner-Sweet said in an explanatory video played during the meeting. Peraner-Sweet said there is “no value in renovating the building.”

But the measure was widely opposed, with voters rejecting the article in a 162-241 vote.

Resident Heather Fitzpatrick spoke against the motion before the vote, stating that just a handful of employees who need extra space would be receiving it. There is also a school feasibility study whose results have yet to be published and may demonstrate that personnel can be relocated elsewhere.

“We should not be spending $12 million plus interest when it provides only a partial solution to our space needs,” Fitzpatrick said. “Facilities and IT would be housed in this building, and they work significantly in our schools. It makes sense to put them all together.”

Veterans Services, the facilities manager and sustainability coordinator, all of whom currently work out of the Millennium Building, as well as Community Wellness Coordinator Nicole Laviolette, who shares her office with the Animal Control officer, would all move to the new municipal building.

At a Special Town Meeting last fall, residents dismissed the article.

In the aforementioned video, Peraner-Sweet explained that those staffers need to have an “adequate workspace” with updated HVAC and security measures.

“The town has made a commitment to community well-being and mental health,” Peraner-Sweet said. “To fulfill that commitment, we need to provide the community wellness coordinator with a secure, private and closed-door office space where people who seek out her assistance can be assured that their confidentiality and privacy will be respected and maintained.”

Over four previous Town Meetings, residents have supported allocation of more than $900,000 to the needs study and design, Peraner-Sweet said.

Resident Megan Eckroth also voiced her opposition to the measure, stressing that Westford “needs to maintain the buildings we have in town and treasure those buildings.” The town’s nine school buildings need varying degrees of repair or simply don’t offer a “conducive” learning environment, Eckroth said.

“I do not think it is the right time to build a new building,” Eckroth said, “but rather to focus the attention on the buildings that we already have and what we claim to value with our town budget.”

On the meeting room front, resident Doug Burns questioned why meetings aren’t held in auditoriums at Westford Academy, Blanchard Middle School or the library. Burns said new rooms become “dead space that doesn’t get used.”

In response to a question, Select Board Vice Chair Tom Clay said the current meeting space at Town Hall will become an “auxiliary” space.

Terry Stader, a former Veterans Service officer, supported the article. With Afghan and Iraq veterans living in Westford, Stader expressed the need for increased veterans support.

“We need accessibility, we need the privacy,” Stader said. “Shared office space is not the solution that we have at the Millennium Building.”

The proposal also had the support of the Select Board, Finance Committee, Clean Energy and Sustainability Committee and Planning Board, said Elizabeth Almeida, a former Select Board chair, during the video.

“With rising construction costs on the horizon,” Almeida said, “it is necessary that we move this project forward now.”

The project was previously valued at around $12 million in October.

After further discussion, residents voted down the plans. Despite the failure, a proposition pertaining to the 51 Main St. debt exclusion will remain a town election ballot question at the May 2 election, where, if passed, a Special Town Meeting will be held.

Besides 51 Main St., all other articles passed, including the replacement of the Blanchard Middle School roof and enforcement of the Drew Garden agricultural preservation restriction.

Community Preservation funding also allocated $400,000 to tennis and basketball court improvements at Jack Walsh Field, $25,000 to the Forge VFW softball dugouts project, $45,000 to the Parkerville Schoolhouse window restoration project and $312,000 for potential affordable housing projects, among other items.

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(c)2023 The Sun, Lowell, Mass.

Visit The Sun, Lowell, Mass. at https://www.lowellsun.com/

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Posted: Mar 29, 2023,
Categories: Fire Mechanics,
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