May 8… Dress Uniforms – every firefighter deserves one, but does every firefighter want one? That’s a question the IAFC’s Volunteer & Combination Officers Section (VCOS) would like to get answered. If it turns out that every firefighter wants one but the only thing holding them back is the cost, we’ll move forward with a very ambitious program we’re calling “Got You Covered: A Dress Uniform on Every Firefighter.” The target of “Got You Covered” is small volunteer or combination fire departments. The goal is to provide access to dress uniforms at a nominal cost through solicitation of corporate sponsors.
What we need first is some data and we hope you’ll help by taking a brief online survey to answer some questions about dress uniforms.
May 3… Please join the VCOS on Thursday May 17 from 7:00 – 8:30 pm EDT as Chief J. Dan Eggleston hosts the next On-Fire Leadership Webinar. Dan welcomes Mike Phibbs, PHR; Jackson Baynard, MHRM; and Blake Stephens, MRHM – from Integritas Leadership Solutions (ILS). ILS, comprised of leaders who are active members of the public safety community, assists public safety organizations to identify gaps in their organizations and provides strategies that best close those gaps through innovative leadership and management training. (Read More)
Space is limited so Register Now!
April 12…. VCOS is pleased to announce the continued sponsorship of Provident Insurance of the John M. Buckman III Leadership Award for 2012. The award recognizes a Chief Officer of a volunteer or combination fire department who stands out on the local and/or regional level as a true professional who has demonstrated leadership, integrity, and outstanding values within the fire service. The annual award is presented each November at the VCOS Symposium in the Sun. (Read More).
In addition to the actual award, Provident pays the winner’s travel and lodging expenses to attend the award ceremonies at the VCOS Symposium in the Sun and the VCOS will waive the recipient’s registration fee for the conference. If you know a Chief Officer deserving of national recognition for leadership skills, please nominate him or her for the 2012 John M. Buckman, III Leadership Award. Nominees must be IAFC members. Click here to access the 2012 application.
All applications must be received by August 1, 2012.
April 11… The IAFC’s Volunteer & Combination Officers Section will award two $1,500 scholarships to attend Fire Rescue International (FRI), being held August 1-4, 2012 in Denver. This scholarship program was developed to promote leadership through learning among volunteer and combination officers.
Scholarships will be awarded based on the applicant’s description of how the department or the attendee will benefit from attendance at FRI. Applicants for the scholarships must be members of the IAFC and VCOS. Membership information and applications can be found on the IAFC website.
The two successful applicants will be notified by July 1 and will be awarded the scholarship checks at FRI. Therefore, scholarship recipients must be prepared to pay upfront expenses.
To apply, access the application here. Contact Chief Dan Eggleston with any questions regarding the scholarship program or application process. To read more about the VCOS scholarship opportunities, access the Scholarship webpage.
The application deadline is June 15.
April 3… Mark your calendar for a VCOS Webinar on Thursday, April 19 from 7:00 – 8:00pm EDT. Please join Chief J. Dan Eggleston as he hosts the next On-Fire Leadership Webinar – IRS/DOL/WC – Parallel Rails That Do Not Meet. Dan will be speaking with VCOS board member Fred Windisch to discuss the very interesting and often misunderstood topic of volunteer benefits and labor laws. Fred is the Fire Chief of the Ponderosa Fire Department, a combination department in Houston Texas. Seats are limited so register now!
For webinar details, go to the Webinar subpage.
March 28… The VCOS announces the opening of the 2012 board election process. If you’re a current member of the VCOS and are interested in being a member of the VCOS board, please read the following information carefully. The deadline for receipt of applications is Tuesday, May 1, 2012.
The VCOS board consists of nine members at large and the VCOS international director, for a total of ten members.
No more than two at-large board members are allowed to serve on the board at the same time from the same division. Currently, the VCOS board has two members from the Southeastern Division, so we can’t accept nominations from this division.
Open seats for at-large board members:
three seats with three-year terms and one seat with a one-year term
The three candidates with the highest number of votes will win 3-year terms, the candidate with the 4th highest number of votes will win the 1-year term. (Go to the Elections Subpage to read all nomination details.)
March 20… Several major changes have been made to the current (2008) VCOS bylaws. These changes have been reviewed by the IAFC Constitution & Bylaws Committee and were found to be consistent with the IAFC CBL. Please review the changes as they will be included on the ballot which will be sent electronically no later than June 1.
Feb 23… Fire Corps announced that it will be hosting a Training Summit on June 28-29 in Denver, Colorado.The event will provide an opportunity to share ideas and best practices, network, participate in training, and learn valuable information to help departments and agencies enhance their Fire Corps programs. (Read Details)
VCOS Summit workgroup leaders met in Clearwater Beach, Florida on Friday, February 10 to continue work on the final draft of the strategic plan and the operational plan, and to prepare a briefing for the VCOS board of directors. The group developed vision and mission statements, an operational plan name and re-named the enterprise the VCOS Vision Project. Read the project timeline here.
Vision: Thriving volunteer and combination fire and emergency services organizations
Mission: To produce a comprehensive framework to assist communities and their fire and emergency service leaders to create and maintain dynamic organizations.
Feb 13… If you’re a Facebook user, we hope you’ll friend us on our new Facebook page! And, if you’re not a Facebook user, this could be the time to sign up.
