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CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

Approved 12/11/2006 for 2007


Alpha-Mastodon Volunteer Fire Department

CONSTITUTION
Preamble

Be it resolved, that we solemnly pledge ourselves to sustain the officers in the discharge of their duties, and hold ourselves bound in honor to conform and abide by, in every respect, the following Constitution and Bylaws.




Name and Purpose
Name: This organization shall be known as the Alpha-Mastodon Volunteer Fire Department.
Purpose: Its purpose shall be to preserve life and property in the township of Mastodon, the Village of Alpha, and surrounding areas through mutual aid request in case of fire and/or other emergencies. To also promote fire safety education in the whole of Iron County with its mutual aid partners.

BYLAWS

In exercise of the powers conferred upon the Mastodon Township Board, by the State of Michigan, the following rules and regulations are herewith adopted for the governing of the Alpha-Mastodon Volunteer Fire Department. These rules and regulations shall be amended at the discretion of the Mastodon Township Board.



ARTICLE I

Meetings




Section 1: This fire department shall meet regularly on the 1st Monday of each month at a time agreed upon by the membership, and shall meet in special session on order of the Fire Chief. The Fire Chief shall schedule and preside at all meetings of the department. He/she shall preserve order and shall conduct all meetings in conformity with this constitution. In the Fire Chiefs absence the next ranking officer shall act in his/her place.



Section 2: This fire department shall meet monthly to conduct training meetings.

ARTICLE II


Membership
Section 1: No activity of the membership shall discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, creed, color or religion. Any resident citizen of Iron County or the departments Mutual Aid areas, who has attained the age of 18 years and who is willing to submit, to the Fire Chief or Secretary, written permission to conduct drug screening and background checks, found to be in good standing in the community and possessing a valid Michigan driver’s license will be eligible to apply. The results shall be considered for membership in the Alpha-Mastodon Volunteer Fire Department. Final approval is contingent on successfully passing a complete medical psychical and approval by The Mastodon Township board.
Section 2: Application:

  1. An application shall be obtained from the Fire Chief or Secretary prior to the next scheduled meeting. 51% of membership shall be present to vote on the new applicant.




  1. At the next scheduled department meeting, the application will be read to the membership. Vote by ballot or hand will take place at the discretion of the Fire Chief. The prospective member not being present. The prospective member will then be notified of the result.




  1. For active member status, a majority vote will rule at which time the member will be considered a Level I probationary member and shall be exempt from voting on department issues for a period not less than 6 months. After which, will be considered Level II probationary for a period of not less than 6 months and qualified to vote on department issues, implying a total of not less than 12 months probationary period.




  1. Each new member shall participate within a 24-month period, if available, in the basic entry-level firefighting course known as FF1 in the State of Michigan.



Section 3: Any member may be expelled from this department for cause, at any special meeting of the membership in which all elected officers are present, by 51% of the majority vote. The member must be notified in writing, signed by the elected officers, that charges will be preferred against him/her at said meeting up to and including legal action. Documented proof of special meeting notice to all members is required. This section shall not apply to sections of the bylaws, which define automatic discharge from the department, except where reference is made to this section of the bylaws.
Section 4:

  1. Any member who does not respond to at least 50% of the department functions during the year shall have their member status reviewed by the officers unless excused by the Fire Chief, Assistant Chief or Training Officer. Absence of over 50% is grounds for member status revocation. Voting privileges can be suspended for absence of more than one third of department functions. Sickness in the family, work, or out of town shall excuse members from drills providing such excuse has been submitted to the Fire Chief by officer in charge and is acceptable to the Fire Chief.




  1. All members shall be required to attend all training sessions and meetings unless they have a reasonable excuse (as defined above). All members are encouraged to attend all non-departmental continuing education provided by the Iron County Training council.



  1. Any member may resign from the department upon written application to the Fire Chief. All department property must be returned at that time.




  1. Reinstatement: any member who has resigned in good standing may apply to the Fire Chief for re-admission to the department and brought before the members to vote back into the department.

ARTICLE III

Officer qualifications and Election of Officers
Preamble

The officers of the Alpha-Mastodon Fire Department shall consist of one Fire Chief, one Assistant Chief, one Captain, one Lieutenant (Camp 5), one Training Officer, one Safety Officer, one Secretary, and one Treasurer. The Camp 5 Lieutenant the Training Officer and the Safety Officer shall be appointed by the elected Fire Chief and approved by the Mastodon Township Board.


Section 1: No member of the AMVFD shall be eligible to hold the Office of Fire Chief until they have served 5 years in the fire service and 4 consecutive years as an active member of the Alpha-Mastodon Fire Department.
Section 2: No member of the AMVFD shall be eligible to serve as Assistant Chief until they have served 4 years in the fire service and 3 consecutive years as an active member of the Alpha-Mastodon Fire Department.
Section 3: No member of the AMVFD shall be eligible to serve as Captain until they have served 3 years in the fire service and 2 consecutive years as an active member of the Alpha-Mastodon Fire Department.
Section 4: No member of the AMVFD shall be eligible to serve as Lieutenant, Training or Safety Officer until they have served 1 year as an active member of the Alpha-Mastodon Fire Department, is qualified and appointed by the Fire Chief.
Section 5: The elected officers of this organization shall consist of, a Fire Chief, Assistant Chief, Captain, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section 6: The election of officers of this organization shall be annually. The election shall be by secret ballot. It shall be held during the business meeting night in April. Results presented to the Mastodon Township Board for approval by present Fire Chief. Those elected shall assume their office on the business meeting night in May. All officer terms shall serve one year.
Section 7: All officers shall be elected by majority of members present at the regular meeting. No Officer shall hold more than 1 elected position.
Section 8: All active and level II probationary members shall be eligible voters.
Section 9: The Mastodon Township Board shall not appoint as Fire Chief any person that has not been recommended by the fire department. Upon refusal of the Township Board to appoint the Fire Chief recommended by the fire department, the office shall be declared vacant as defined in Article IV, Section 3 and another election shall be held on the next regular fire department meeting. The election result must be presented to the Mastodon Township Board for approval.

ARTICLE IV



Duties of the Officers
Section 1: The Fire Chief shall schedule and preside at all meetings of the department. He/she shall preserve order and shall conduct all meetings in conformity with this constitution. He/she shall order all disbursements of funds held in the hand of the Treasurer. He/she shall appoint all committees and perform all other duties commonly belonging to this office. It shall be the duty of the Fire Chief to appoint an auditing committee, consisting of three active members and the Secretary, to examine all books annually. They shall make their report in writing, signed by each member of the committee, to the Mastodon Township Board at the annual meeting.
Section 2: The Fire Chief shall have full charge of all apparatus and equipment and the building or part of building in which such apparatus is housed. He/she shall be in the sole charge of this department. Members shall take orders from no other than the Chief or his/her delegated representative(s). The Fire Chief shall be responsible for the efficiency of any and all apparatus used by this department. He/she shall conduct personal inspection of all apparatus at least once a week, to insure all means of combating fires are at their highest efficiency. He /she shall communicate such information, facts, and remarks as the interest of the department may require. At each regular meeting, and special meetings called for this purpose, the Fire Chief shall conduct, or have conducted, practice drills or training classes covering the handling of pumps, hoses, ladders, hookups, rescue, salvage, ventilation, inspections, fire prevention and other information subjects that are of value to a fireman. The Fire Chief shall appoint all fire ground leaders, pump operators, hose-person, drivers and ladder-person and/or make such other appointments, as he/she may deem advisable for the efficient operation of the department. The Fire Chief shall have the authority to make mutual aid agreements with other departments in the surrounding areas. Any officer has the authority to order department apparatus to the aid of other departments upon request of said department. In the event that the fire department and/or apparatus responds to a call from another nearby area, it shall be the duty of the Fire Chief to make arrangements or provisions for suitable temporary protection for his own community.
Section 3: The Assistant Chief shall assist the Fire Chief. In the absence of the Fire Chief, he /she shall perform all duties of that office. If the office of the Fire Chief is at any time declared vacant, he/she shall become successor to the Chief for the remainder of the term in office or until his successor is elected. It shall be the duty of the Assistant Chief to see that all meetings and drills and other department business are conducted in conformity with the constitution. The Assistant Chief shall report to the Fire Chief at fires and drills and shall assist him at all his duties. In the absence of the Fire Chief, he/she shall be in charge at fires and drills. The Assistant Chief has the authority to sign mutual aide agreements.
Section 4: The Captain shall assist the Fire chief and Assistant Chief in carrying out their duties and to perform the duties of Assistant Chief in the absence of the Assistant Chief. Will perform any other duties that may be assigned. He/she shall also inspect all equipment and apparatus, and report all findings and problems found during the monthly meeting. He/she shall have the authority to correct problems found with approval of the Fire Chief.
Section5: The Lieutenant will have the responsibility to perform the duties of the Chief Officers and Captains in their absence on the fire scene, and to assist the officers in the discharge of their duties.
Section 6: The Secretary shall keep a true and accurate account of the proceedings of every meeting in a book provided for that purpose which shall be open for inspection by any member; secretary shall assist in the examination and auditing of all books and accounts belonging to the department; secretary shall in case he/she cannot attend any meetings, deliver to his/her successor in office all books, papers, and all other property in his possession pertaining to this office. He or she shall attend to department correspondence and perform all other duties commonly belonging to the office of secretary.
Section 7: The Treasurer shall keep a ledger containing the correct account of all money received and expended, subject to inspection at any time, and file an account of all money on hand at each regular monthly meeting. He/she shall pay no bill that has not been approved by the department and signed by the Fire Chief, Assistant Chief or Treasurer. The signature of Treasurer and Fire Chief or Assistant Chief on the signature section of the checks shall authorize the disbursement/payment.
Section 8: The Training officer shall be appointed by the Fire Chief. He/she shall schedule monthly training exercises and record attendance in the training log. The Fire Chief must certify him/her.

Section 9: The Safety Officer shall be appointed by the Fire Chief. He/she shall assist the Incident Commander at a fire scene. The duties shall include the overseeing of the fire scene to insure safety and wellbeing of the firefighters and EMS personal. The Safety Officer shall have jurisdiction and command of all unsafe situations his/her decision shall be final. Situations shall be communicated to the Incident Commander. Any member refusing compliance shall be subject to disciplinary review per Constitution guidelines.

ARTICLE V

Duties of members
Section 1: Every member, at the alarm of fire, shall promptly respond to the alarm following the traffic laws of the State of Michigan. One should remember that the State of Michigan does not allow emergency vehicles to violate traffic laws. This applies to driving Department vehicles or personal vehicles. (See S.O.G for Emergency Driving) Upon arrival at the fire, every member shall check in with the incident commander, register his or her presence with the incident commander, and assist in any work assigned by the incident commander. He/she shall not leave the fire ground without checking out with the Incident Commander.
Section 2: On orders to pickup at fires, all members present shall assist in breaking, draining and loading of lines and replacing the equipment on the apparatus. They shall report back to the firehouse, answer roll call, and help put the apparatus in condition for the next run.
Section 3: Any member appearing at a fire, drill, meeting or going into the fire station appearing to be under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance shall be reprimanded and expelled in accordance with Article II, Section 3. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Section 4: Any member being disorderly toward an officer at a fire or while on duty, shall be reprimanded and expelled from the scene. The department may direct in accordance with Article II, Section 3.
Section 5: Any member bringing any person into the fire station shall be held responsible for any act that person may commit.
Section 6: Every member of the department shall be provided with a copy of the constitution and bylaws. The constitution and by laws shall be signed and returned to the Chief.
Section 7: In order that this department may function efficiently, the following rules and regulations shall be observed and it shall be the duty of all active members to know them:

1. It shall be the first duty of all members to give strict obedience to the lawful orders of their elected and appointed officers.

2. All work at fires or drills shall be done in a confidential and orderly manner.

3. The following shall be the chain of command: Fire Chief, Assistant Chief, Captain, Lieutenant or designated Incident Commander.


4. It shall be the duty of any qualified active member of the AMVFD to drive the equipment to fires. The first qualified member reaching the fire station shall drive the equipment to the fire and operate the pumps until relieved by the truck captain, or (in his absence) the operator on duty shall be responsible for checking on all small equipment on the apparatus and see that none is left at the fire or lost. (Refer to S.O.G. for Emergency driving)



5. It shall be the duty of the hose team to handle all hose lines and to extinguish fires with the least possible water damage. They shall connect hoses to the apparatus; stretch hose lines and handle the nozzles. It shall be their duty to learn and practice the best methods of performing their special tasks.

6. It shall be the duty of the ventilation team to make rescues and to open and ventilate burning building and conduct salvage operations.

7. The officer in charge at a fire shall fill out a report on each fire on the form provided for this purpose, immediately after returning to the fire station. The report shall state date, times, address, owner, occupant, and extent of damage, probable cause of fire, how extinguished, number of firefighters present. From this report, a discussion of the fire shall be held at the next regular meeting.

8. It shall be the duty of the Fire Chief to see that the information in the fire report, if required, is reported and available to the proper authorities. No name of any member shall be placed on a fire report unless that member actually attends the fire, performs his/her duties and returns to the fire station, except if the member has the permission of the incident commander to return back to work or home immediately. Any member ordered to remain at the fire hall shall be entitled to compensation the same as members at the scene of the incident.

9. Each member of the fire department shall be responsible for his/her turnout gear and any other equipment used by him/her. And shall return all fire department property to its proper place. All members having been issued firefighting clothing are required to wear such clothing (full structure gear) at all incidents. Wild land gear if issued may be worn for wild land fires but structural gear must be present at all wild land fires in the event a structure is endangered. (Refer to SOG for P.P.E.)



10. The Captain may from time to time appoint certain members of the department to care for the apparatus for a certain period of time. All members assigned to this detail shall make an inspection of the equipment as ordered by the Captain.

11. No member of this department, except an officer acting on orders of this department (or Chief) shall disclose to any person, not a member of this department, business or other discussion which takes place at official functions of this department. Any member divulging disclosures that are deemed detrimental to the good of the department shall be subject to expulsion in accordance with Article II, Section 3, or township liabilities.

12. Each member of the AMVFD is expected to conduct him/her self, in act, deed or official colors so as to not bring discredit or adverse criticism on the department or the township board. Said member can and will be dismissed from the department by the Fire Chief and or Assistant Chief in accordance with Article II, Section 3.

13. Members are strongly encouraged to attend all Iron Range Fire Association meetings and funerals of fellow firefighters, active and honorary.

ARTICLE VI


Quorum, amendments and dissolution
Section 1: One-third of the active members of the department shall constitute a Quorum, and in all transactions not otherwise provided for, a majority of votes shall govern.
Section 2: The constitution may be amended by vote of two-thirds of the active members present at any regular meeting. Such amendment shall, however, not be considered final until they have been submitted to and approved by the Mastodon Township Board.
Section 3: In the event the Alpha-Mastodon Volunteer Fire Department should permanently dissolve, all assets and properties will be dispersed to the Mastodon Township Board.

ARTICLE VII


Honorary Members
Section 1: There shall be established an honorary list of retired firefighters with the requirement for the same established by vote of the membership. Those persons shall become honorary members and will be entitled to attend all fire department social events.
Section 2: Retired/Honorary members are those who have acquired 10 years of service to the Alpha-Mastodon Volunteer Fire Department, have reached the age of 62 or have become disabled. He /she shall be considered for honorary membership with the approval of the active membership.
Section 3:The fire Chief shall notify any member forced to leave the department due to sickness or accident that he is entitled to honorary membership if he/she desires.

I, _________________________________, hereby declare that I have read, understand, and will obey the Constitution and Bylaws set forth by the Alpha-Mastodon Volunteer Fire Department.



Signature Date


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