Washington Fire Chiefs

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About WFC

About Washington Fire Chiefs

The Washington Fire Chiefs is an incorporated nonprofit association. Its mission is to be a source of information and education to its members and to take a lead role in influencing issues affecting the fire service.

It is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of a President, Vice-President, Board Representative, State Vice-President to the Western Fire Chiefs’ Association, and seven Directors. The officers and Board are elected for two-year terms; the State Vice-President to the Western Fire Chiefs Association is elected to a three-year term. All elections are held at the Association’s Annual Meeting.

There are six major standing committees with various subcommittees under each major committee. In addition, the President appoints ad-hoc committees as necessary. The President also appoints various members to state boards and commissions to represent the Association. All committees meet at the Committee Workshop to develop their objectives for the coming year.

There are eight Sections existing under the umbrella of the State Association. These Sections are:

Training and Safety Officers
Apparatus & Equipment
Emergency Medical Services
Public Fire Educators
Fire Administrative Support
Hazardous Materials/Special Operations
Fire Officers
Information Technology

Each Section elects its own officers and Board members and operates under a set of Operating Protocols. The protocols must be consistent with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.

The Association is managed by the Executive Director and employs two administrative staff. The Association office is located at 605 East 11th Avenue in Olympia. The Executive Director is a registered lobbyist and represents the Association in legislative affairs along with a contract lobbyist.

In addition to the Annual Meeting, the Association sponsors the Executive Leadership Symposium, the Labor Relations Seminar, regional workshops, the Committee Workshop and a Legislative Reception.

The Association is an exclusive distributor in the state of Washington for IFSTA training materials. In addition, the Association has contracted with a private corporation to produce an annual Fire Incident Report (WIRS); this action was taken when the State eliminated funding for the WAFIRS system.

The Association now offers a Disability Insurance Plan for its member departments at a considerable savings in premium.

Income is derived from membership dues, sales of IFSTA materials and the various conferences and seminars sponsored by the Association.

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Strategic Direction

Dear Members and Stakeholders:

It is my pleasure to present the 2009-2011 Strategic Direction for the

Washington Fire Chiefs to our members, associates and partners.

This comprehensive vision was developed with input from the Washington Fire Chiefs Board of Directors, Chairs from each Section, Emergency Management Division, State Fire Marshals Office, and Washington State Association of Fire Marshals, with attorney Rick Gross facilitating the planning process.

The planning retreat was made possible through contributions made by the following WFC Partners: Emergency Services Insurance Program (ESIP), Provident Agency, Emergency Reporting, Wilson Heirgood Insurance, Washington Fire Chiefs Golf Club, Wedbush Morgan Securities, Enduris Washington, Erven, Bong & Associates, and MacIlvennie Associates. The Washington Fire Chiefs is able to do more through our vendor generosity and ongoing financial support. We also encourage our members to support those that support us.

Our 2009-2011 Strategic Direction is a continuation of the work begun in 2006. At that time, we defined our mission and established four goals, which have been carefully implemented through the hard work of many individuals, each of whom shouldered a small part of the vision and made it a reality. We thank the individuals and small groups who volunteered their time to the Washington Fire Chiefs and contributed to our collective success. Much has been accomplished in the past three years, and as a result, we are now able to move our vision forward to achieve even more challenging objectives.

As your President, I personally encourage every member and every county fire chiefs association to review our Strategic Goals and find areas that you want to help accomplish. As an Association with a long history of drawing its strength from the fellowship and mutual assistance of our members, we want to put your abilities and perspectives to work for the WFC. As we face the challenges of the upcoming years together, the Washington Fire Chiefs will facilitate and encourage abundant opportunities for collaboration and affiliation as we fulfill our mission: We Serve, Educate and Lead.

I look forward to all of the success that WFC’s members are capable of achieving. When we hear from our members that our legislative work made a positive impact on their local operation, we have served. When we see our members participating in our professional development opportunities, we have educated. When we hear stories of those who have personally benefited from their connection with the Washington Fire Chiefs, we have led.

All this is accomplished when we stand together as one and share a common vision. This provides the framework – now we all must DO the rest.

Thank you,

Chief Wayne Senter
President

Download Strategic Direction 2009-2011 PDF