Top Ten Mistakes Made by Fire Boards
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Transcript Top Ten Mistakes Made by Fire Boards
Top Ten Mistakes
Made by Fire Boards
Facilitated By Jeff Dyar
[email protected]
The Far View Group, LLC All Rights Reserved 2010
2
Upper Pine River Fire Protection
District
formed in November 1974
covers 265 square miles La Plata County
urban interface fire protection district We
mutual aid with the forest service and surrounding fire
districts.
…a little about me
39 Years in EMS/fire service
EMS and Health & Safety
Programs, NFA (ret.)
Recent Opportunities:
FEMA Ops Chief
Littleton Report
WTC Response
2002 Olympics
Mesa Verde fires
PRVFPD Board Member
LPFPD Member
Author
One night you were dreaming about
being a Board Member …..
Warning!
The following activity is considered
dangerous by some adults…
Proceed under Caution and
at Your Own Risk!
Who Are You People?
Where are you from?
What do you do?
What do you want from this session?
…. Two Minute Drill!
A Reality Check
New Member Training/mentoring
Background Check for new Board Members
Position/duties description for Members
Agreement on Roles and Responsibilities
Human Resources/policy Guide – legally reviewed
Conflict Management Plan
Conflict of Interest
any situation in which an individual or corporation
(either private or governmental) is in a position to
exploit a professional or official capacity in some way
for their personal or corporate benefit.
A director or executive of a corporation will be subject
to legal liability if a conflict of interest breaches his Duty
of Loyalty
Nepotism
Nepotism - noun : favoritism (as in appointment to a
job) based on kinship Merriam-Webster Online
Dictionary
Cannot Discriminate Based on Nepotism
District Policy/ethics should guide actions
Accounting/Auditing
29-1-603 CRS Annual Audit
$500K - $100K Exemption
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly
appropriating or secreting assets by one or more
individuals to whom such assets have been
entrusted
Conflict Management Plan
Conflict is inevitable, normal, guaranteed
Behavioral Expectations
Conflict Resolution
What are your expectations for
behavior?
Just do your job!
Can’t we all just get along?
Read the Personnel Manual
Define it, coach it, measure it!
Insurance
Professional -error or omission, a mistake, which
causes financial harm to another, can occur on almost
any transaction in any profession
Bond –
Surety minimum $1000 – Individual director
Corporate Fidelity minimum $5K – Entire board
Required – Workers Comp, Health Care, Capital
Investment, Investment
Role Ambiguity – Board and
Chief
The Job of a Board Member or
Elected Official
Fiduciary Responsibilities
Oversight of the Organization
Support of the Organizational Leadership
Coordinate with Neighboring Organizations
Keep Current on State and Federal Issues
Set Budget and Administrative Parameters
Job of the Fire Chief
Administer the Budget approved by the board
Manage the Day to Day Activities
Manage Human Resources
Manage Operations, Prevention and Planning
Inform and Educate the Board/EF
Role Ambiguity – Board and
Members
Duty of Loyalty
a term used in corporate law to describe a fiduciaries'
"conflicts of interest and requires fiduciaries to put the
corporation's interests ahead of their own.”
CRS Violations
Meetings
Elections
Bylaws
Auditing
Tabor
Fiduciary Requirements
Hiring Processes
For a Chief – Have a Process
Credentialing – Work Experience
For Firefighter – Validated Testing
Validated Test – Written
Agility – CPAT
• Top Two for Litigation
HR Management
Legally Reviewed Policies and Procedures
SDA has a sample set - Don’t Copy
Beware of Legally Required Policies
Training for ALL MEMBERS, STAFF, DIRECTORS
Training
95% of New Members don’t receive Training
95% of Established Members don’t receive Training
Most Boards don’t do Strategic Planning
Most Boards don’t manage Conflict
50% of Districts have no HR policies
HOUSE BILL 09-1199
24-33.5-1212. Training for directors of fire protection districts - pilot
program - advisory board - training fund - repeal. (5) (a) The division
shall offer courses to directors of fire protection districts in accordance
with this section at no charge …..
Tentative Curriculum – 4 hours, 8 deliveries across State
- Wildland-Urban Interface Planning
- Strategic Planning – Fire District
- Roles/Responsibilities – Fiduciary
Delivery before June 2011
What to Do Now!
Get Training
for new Directors, recurrent for ALL Directors
Don’t forget Admin and Chief Officers
HB 1199
• Review the “Top Ten” and conduct a Vulnerability
Assessment
• Get Outside Help
Thanks for Attending!
For Information on this presentation, a copy of the presentation
or help with District issues, Contact:
[email protected] (970) 769-0788