Southeastern Kentucky Firefighters Association

Organized January 1960

Constitution and By-Laws

Revised May 21, 2015

 

Article  I

NAME

This organization shall be known as the Southeastern Kentucky Firefighters Association.

 

Article  II

LOCATION OF MEMBERSHIP

The Association shall be comprised of member organizations in the following counties:  BELL, CLAY, HARLAN, JACKSON, KNOX, LAUREL, ROCKCASTLE, and WHITLEY.

 

Article  III

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is:

*           To promote the principles and practices of improved fire protection, fire prevention,         fire-fighting methods, rescue, and emergency medical care for the communities represented by our members.

 

*           To promote and foster friendly relationships with each member organization and the             communities represented by our members.

 

*           To sponsor and promote general meetings of our members, and to conduct educational             programs and/or training on fire-fighting methods and public safety related subjects.

Article  IV

MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS

The membership of this Association shall be classified as Active, Individual, Honorary Life, and Associate.

 

Section 1, Active Organization:  Any Fire Department or Fire-Rescue Department, hereafter referred to as “organization”, acting in the capacity of public safety protection, shall be eligible and may become an active member of this Association by complying with the Constitution and By-Laws.  This shall entitle each member organization to voting privileges.  Each active organization shall have one vote in a roll call.  Each organization that maintains privileges shall be represented by its chief officer.  In the event that the chief officer cannot be present, any member of that organization may represent it by presenting a written proxy that has been issued to him/her and signed by the chief officer of that organization.  The proxy shall be presented to the Secretary before the beginning of the meeting.  No person representing his/her organization or other organization shall have more than two (2) votes in any matters brought before this Association.

 

The membership fee for an organization shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per year and shall be paid by the thirty-first (31st) day of January to have voting privileges.

 

Section 2, Individual Member:  Any individual, acting in the capacity of firefighter, who is interested in the welfare and success of this Association, shall be eligible to become an individual member of this association.  The fee for this membership shall be five dollars ($5.00) per year.  There will be no voting privileges for this membership.

 

Section 3, Honorary Life Member:  This membership may be conferred upon persons for a distinctive service rendered to the cause of public safety in southeastern Kentucky.  This membership shall be conferred by the President with approval of the voting members by a majority vote at a regular meeting.  An outgoing President, upon completion of his/her term of office, shall receive an Honorary Life Membership.  This membership shall not include any voting privileges.  There shall be no annual dues for this membership.

 

Section 4, Associate Member:  Any government agency, civic organization, or vendor (any business that deals in public safety equipment or items) that wishes to become a member of this Association may do so as an Associate Member.  The annual membership fee is twenty-five dollars ($25.00) with no voting privileges granted.

Article  V

MEETINGS

There shall be a minimum of six (6) meetings per year with the third Thursday of January, March, May, July, and September being the first dates.  The final meeting of the year shall be the first Saturday of December, where election of officers for the coming year will take place.  The starting time for each meeting shall be 1900 hours.

 

Article  VI

OFFICERS

Officer positions shall be as follows:  President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.  All officers shall be current members of an Active Organization of the Southeastern Kentucky Firefighters Association and shall be a Certified Kentucky Firefighter.  (Note: These officer criteria shall take effect for officers elected for 2016 and thereafter.)

 

If the President resigns, the First Vice President shall assume the office of President.  The Second Vice President shall move to the office of First Vice President, leaving the office of Second Vice President vacant.  Upon this, there shall be a special election to fill the position of Second Vice President.  No additional months shall be added to the current term of these positions, with the final month being in December of the current year.

 

Article  VII

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Election of officers shall be done annually with the term of office being for the following year. 

 

Election of officers shall be by secret ballot unless unopposed.  Floor nominations may be taken for any office.  Elections shall be held at the December meeting with the new officers being sworn in during the January meeting.  The terms of office shall be for one (1) year unless an officer resigns for any reason.

 

The President may run and be elected for a one (1) year additional term.  When the President is elected to an additional term, he/she may not run for any office for one (1) year after his/her term of office is completed.  Vice Presidents that may be elected from their current position to President shall be able to succeed themselves as previously stated.

 

Due in fact that all officers are elected by the Associational members, any officer may be removed from his/her office for failure to fulfill his/her job description or where he/she may bring disgrace to the Association.  This action may be taken at any regular meeting where a quorum is present.  A majority vote by the members present is required for this action.

 

Article  VIII

COMMITTEES

All committee members shall serve for the year term that they are appointed.  Committee members shall be appointed by the President.  Other committees may be formed to address the needs of the Association.  All committee members shall be current members of an Active Organization of the Southeastern Kentucky Firefighters Association and shall be a Certified Kentucky Firefighter.

 

All committees shall be in place by the first regular meeting in January.  Reports should be given when applicable to the members at regular meetings.

 

Executive Committee:  The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, two Vice Presidents, Secretary, and Treasurer.


Nominating Committee:  The Nominating Committee shall establish a recommendation list of officers to be voted on by the Association members in good standing.  The nominating committee shall be comprised of five members that are appointed by the President to compile the list of potential candidates for the December election, and this information shall be sent to all Association member organizations.

 

Education Committee:  The Education Committee shall be responsible for helping to develop public safety programs for the association members.  Public safety programs will be modified when necessary to insure that the programs are current with the standards of the state and national fire service organizations.  These programs will be maintained by the Education Committee and its members.  The programs will be available to member organizations for use when needed.  The Education Committee will also conduct surveys of the members to assist in the subject courses for the Association Fire Schools.

Fund-raising Committee:  The Fund-raising Committee shall consist of a minimum of five, seven, or no more than nine elected members.  The duties of this committee are to establish effective projects that will enable this Association to raise funds to support future programs for training and education.  These projects must be approved by the membership and must meet all state and federal fund-raising guidelines.

 

The Fund-raising Committee will compile a list of recommended projects to be presented to the membership at each regular meeting to be considered for approval and implementation.  A separate banking account will be maintained for these projects.  Additional duties and regulations may be added when necessary to insure compliance with all state and federal laws.

 

Article  IX

OFFICERS DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

President:  The President is the executive officer of the Association.  He/she will preside at all meetings with one meeting being excused (exception being absence because of an emergency).  If the President cannot be present at the meeting for personal reasons, he/she must contact the Vice Presidents to secure a replacement to fulfill the duties.  The President will be in charge of setting the agenda and running the meeting in an orderly manner.  Robert’s Rules Of Order shall be followed. 

 

The President is encouraged to visit as many member organizations as possible during the year to promote the Association.  If there is a conflict, the President may designate a suitable replacement to attend meetings.

 

The President is considered to be the main representative of the Association members, and should conduct himself/herself in a favorable manner with all organizations.

 

If unable to fulfill the duties as prescribed, the President Elect should tender his/her resignation. 

 

First Vice President:  The duties of the First Vice President include being in charge of membership recruitment.

 

The organizations that qualify for membership in this Association, but do not join, shall be contacted to find out why they have not become involved.  This should be done before the regular scheduled meeting in March of each year.  He/she should become involved in visiting member organizations whenever possible.

 

The First Vice President shall assume the duties of the President at the regular meetings when the President is unable to attend.  When the President resigns or is removed for any reason, the First Vice President will automatically move to the position of President and finish the remainder of the annual term of that office.

 

Second Vice President:  The position of Second Vice President will work with the Education Committee in planning the regional and local fire schools and other emergency training.  He/she shall be the liaison officer between the Education Committee and the host organization and/or training organization.  After the training is established, this information will be sent to the Secretary and President to be forwarded in the regular newsletter.  Special newsletters may be sent when necessary.

 

The Second Vice President shall assume the duties of the President when necessary.

 

Secretary:  The Secretary shall be responsible for taking notes of the Association business conducted at all regular meetings and Executive Committee meetings.  He/she shall take a roll call of member organizations and Association officers to verify attendance at each meeting.  He/she shall maintain the Association attendance records.


Treasurer:  The Treasurer shall make a financial report at all regular business meetings of the Association.  He/she shall maintain all financial records with an approved financial institution.  That institution shall be agreed upon by the membership.

 

The Treasurer may be required to be bonded.  In the event that he/she must be bonded, the Association shall pay all fees.  Bonding of the Treasurer shall take place when the balance in the Association account(s), combined, reach a total where the membership sees it fit for such action.

 

Article  X

“QUORUM” DEFINED

AMENDMENTS TO THE BY-LAWS

Quorum:  A quorum of this Association shall consist of a minimum of five (5) active members in good standing. 

 

Amendments To The By-Laws:  In order to change or amend the By-Laws, a quorum of the membership must be present at any regular meeting or special called meeting.  Any proposed amendment shall be read at two consecutive meetings before being voted on.  Notification of pending By-Laws changes will be sent within twenty-one (21) days after first reading to all member organizations.  Voting shall take place at the next regular meeting when a quorum is present.  The amendment(s) shall be passed or rejected by the majority vote of members present.

 

Article  XI

ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER

Any action of the Association not covered in Article I through Article XI shall be covered by “Robert’s Rules Of Order”.