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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

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FIRE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT BOARD & COMMITTEES

I Am Tired of Hearing, Continued

By Richard Marinucci

Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to attend countless conferences, seminars, workshops, symposiums, forums, and whatever other term may be used. These have been national, international, regional, and on a state level. These have always proven to be beneficial to my home organization and to me personally. Like so much of what is done, those who participate are most likely to gain maximum benefit. These should never be considered a waste of time or resources.

That is why I am tired of hearing from folks who consider any event that requires travel to be a junket or boondoggle. They obviously don’t know what occurs at these events when the attendees elect to be active participants and pay attention to the various messages being delivered. In fact, I have found that in almost all cases I have picked up on something that has saved my organization money—either through some direct purchase, information that lead to a smart purchase or a decision to not make a purchase, or through some knowledge gained that contributed to a good decision being made.

Attendance at various conferences helps with professional development and in keeping current in one’s profession. Conferences allow great networking opportunities with others in the profession and with those who support the profession. These create great resources that prove to be beneficial in many ways. I have also noted that those who attend and get involved have great influence within the profession. This leads to better service and better options. There are so many benefits that it riles me up when someone questions the value.

For those who cannot support participation, I say they should reevaluate their reasons. I understand that often this is a political decision with no logic behind it. Those making choices solely based on politics are really missing a great opportunity to improve their organizations. Their personnel will not have all the advantages needed to perform at a high level. If they really think that allowing personnel to travel is a junket, they either are not adequately supervising their personnel or they flat out don’t trust the people to behave and participate.

I am also tired of dilettantes. If you do not know what a dilettante is, the dictionary defines it as “a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge.” To me this is the never-ending line of “experts” with minimal exposure to the fire and emergency service to extinguish a fire, respond to an emergency, handle an EMS call, be involved in fire prevention, or determine the origin and cause of a fire.

I don’t mind discussion and learning and even debating various aspects of this service. I think it is quite healthy. However, there are too many politicians and others who have never been on an emergency, crawled down a hallway, had someone die in their hands, get up and go on a call at three in the morning when it is 20 below zero, and so on. They often think they know because they saw “Backdraft” or some other movie. Or, they may have a third cousin, twice removed on their spouse’s side, who once served for six months as a firefighter. Or, it may the retired firefighter who has been out of the business for more than 30 years and can’t believe anything has changed in that time. There are way too many true professionals who study their profession, who take their work seriously, and who have more knowledge in their little finger that have to let the so called “experts” tell them how to do their jobs.

While getting an opportunity to vent a little here, there has to be a little more to this. I have been trying more and more to challenge those who tell me some of these things. There is nothing wrong with this as long as I keep my composure and remain professional throughout the discussion. I can take the high road but let others know I think they are all wet!

RICHARD MARINUCCI is the executive director of the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) and chief of the Northville Township (MI) Fire Department. He retired as chief of the Farmington Hills (MI) Fire Department in 2008, a position he had held since 1984. He is a Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment and Fire Engineering editorial advisory board member, a past president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), and past chairman of the Commission on Chief Fire Officer Designation. In 1999, he served as acting chief operating officer of the U.S. Fire Administration for seven months. He has a master’s degree and three bachelor’s degrees in fire science and administration and has taught extensively.

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Posted: Dec 21, 2015,
Categories: Fire Mechanics,
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