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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

Are You Dissolving Your Assets?

With winter now in full swing, it should be a high priority of all Fire Departments to enact their own form of property conservation. Washington State is one of many states that utilize de-icing and anti-icing products on the roadways to increase the safety of our roads. We have been warned many times of the negative effects of these products on our vehicles, and some of us have experienced these effects already, but this subject should be re-visited on an annual basis in every department. Without proper removal of these products it is possible to incur undue damages to apparatus ​resulting in reduced life expectancy and costly repairs.

Due to the environmental concerns that abrasives have brought, the use of sand has diminished and the use of anti-icers has increased. These agents are applied to the roadway before icing actually takes place as a preventive action. There are several different types of anti-icing chemicals used today which each bear their own positive and negative characteristics, these include: Sodium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, Magnesium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Urea, and Calcium Magnesium Acetate. With an effective temperature range that is within 15 degrees for all of the above, these anti-icing chemicals all provide good melting capabilities. The impacts of these products can range from a high residue to no residue left after application, they can be harmful or relatively safe for vegetation, attack concrete or not, but all share one common effect on our vehicles and the untreated metal components on them, corrosion. 

Our state most often uses Magnesium Chloride which is more environmentally friendly than Calcium Chloride or Sodium Chloride but this product does contain more Chlorides than other de-icers. The increase of Chlorides inherently increases the corrosion characteristics of a product. On the WSDOT website the possible harm caused to our vehicles is addressed in two sentences, “Most vehicles are made with a protective under coating that helps the vehicle resist damage and corrosion. WSDOT continues to strongly recommend drivers who drive on roads treated with anti-icer wash their vehicles to prevent build-up.” The important part to extract from this statement is “most vehicles,” as we know; Fire Department vehicles are not most vehicles. Our equipment is comprised of varying makes and models of both proprietary and custom chassis, some of these vehicles included superior resistance while some do not. With that in mind it is paramount to emphasize the importance of specifying additional corrosion protection on our newly built apparatus. When inspecting apparatus at the mid-build point it is important to verify that the openings for lights, compartment seams, and paint breaks have been fully painted leaving no openings or bare metal exposed to the exterior. These create open doorways for these chemical invaders to creep under the protective coatings and cause damage that is often discovered too late. Damage can be discovered at varying degrees of the oxidation process from seemingly tiny bubbles under paint to extensive patches of paint falling from the vehicle. This is often most evident toward the lower rear portions of an apparatus where road mists are deposited.

The effects of Chlorides are not limited to body damage, severe damage to under-carriage and wiring can also be found. With the ever growing complexity of vehicle wiring and use of multiplexed systems, very minor damage such as connector pin surface corrosion can cause large scale problems to the vehicles our citizens rely on.

What are the signs that anti-icing products may be on the roadway? First of all the onset of freezing temperatures should be your first indicator of the use of these products. Lines or residue may be visible on the roadway as well after first application. Another good indicator of the season for possible application of road anti-icing chemicals is the start of the legal studded tire season. In many cases the anticipation of freezing temperatures may lead to “pre-treatment” of the roadway before the ice actually forms, this usually occurs in a window no larger than 48 hours before the expected storm. 

What can we do today? This is the simplest part of the equation, use WSDOT’s recommendation and rinse the vehicle off, this should be done following every return to quarters. This doesn’t require a full detail after every alarm, however, a thorough rinse which is to include directing a spray upwards onto the undercarriage and inside wheel wells is critical. This can be assisted by using an extended washing wand with a 90 degree head such as the Orbit 36” 9 pattern spray wand PN 58674N available from Sears for around $20. By enacting policy or guidelines for winter operations of vehicles and reminding all personnel of these guidelines on an annual basis we can reduce damage caused by these products and increase apparatus service life.

By: Justin Claibourn, Washington Fire Mechanics Board Member

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Posted: Jan 14, 2013,
Categories: News, Fire Mechanics,
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