MISSISSIPPI FIRE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION
By-Laws
Constitution and By-Laws
We, the members
of the fire service in the state of Mississippi, in order to form a more
perfect organization, establish harmony of action, insure prosperity and
success, provide pecuniary support, secure protection, promote the best
interest of the Fire Chiefs of Mississippi, complete statistical information
concerning the practical working of the various apparatus in use for the
extinguishment of fires, and to cultivate a fraternal and benevolent fellowship
between the members of the various Fire Companies and Departments in the State,
do herby organize the Mississippi Fire Chiefs Association and establish the
following Constitution and By-Laws, each member pledging himself/herself to
perform the duties of him/her by this Association.
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I – NAME
Section 1
This
organization shall be styled and known as the Mississippi Fire Chiefs
Association. Hereinafter in the Constitution
and By-Laws the word “Association” shall mean the Mississippi Fire Chiefs
Association.
ARTICLE II – Mission Statement
Section 1
To
establish harmony of action in the cultivation of benevolent fellowship, secure
protection and promote the best interest of the Fire Chiefs of Mississippi.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
Section 1
Membership
in the Association shall consist of four classes: Active, Lifetime, Associate and Honorary.
Section 2
Active members : Present or Past Chief Officers of
regular organized Fire Departments, paid, volunteer or private, Salvage Corps, Fire
Prevention and Protection Associations, State Fire Marshall, including his/her
Assistants or Deputies, the State Fire Academy Director and all Instructors, City
Wardens and Fire Marshals, Fire Commissioners, Rating Bureau personnel
operating in Mississippi, Board of Directors of Fire Districts, Public Safety Directors,
County Fire Coordinators and all members retired from service, as specified
above shall be eligible to membership in this Association.
Any person that is a regular member
of an organized fire service organization (career, volunteer, private, or
training academy) that performs the duties of a chief officer but doesn’t have
the title of chief, shall be eligible for membership in the Mississippi Fire
Chief’s Association upon written recommendation of the head of the organization
or his/her designee.
Section 3
Life membership may only be
bestowed on members who have distinguished themselves in the Fire Service and
the affairs of the Association.
Recommendations for life membership must be submitted by the originating
department to the Executive Committee for a determination of eligibility and
approval or disapproval. If approved,
the President will present the name for vote under New Business at the next
annual meeting. Each President, leaving
office in good standing shall be granted Life Membership in the Association. Lifetime Members shall be accorded all
privileges of the Association, including the right to vote and hold
office. Any member of the Association,
convicted of a felony shall not be considered for lifetime membership and any
lifetime member convicted of a felony, shall have this honor revoked.
Section 4
Honorary
members: Shall be qualified citizens
of the State, of good moral character and show their interest in the Fire Service
of the State.
Section 5
Associate
members: Shall be equipment
salespersons, factory representatives or manufacturers of fire equipment.
ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS
Section 1
The
officers of this Association shall consist of a President, First Vice-President,
Immediate Past-President, eight Vice-Presidents, a Secretary-Treasurer and the President
of the Mississippi Firefighters Association. These persons shall compose the membership of
the Executive Committee of the Association.
One Vice-President is to be elected
from each of the eight districts: Northeast,
Northwest, Northwest Central, West Central, East Central, Southwest, Southeast
and Southern. The President, First Vice-President
and the Secretary-Treasurer are to be elected from any section of the State.
The Northeast District shall consist of Alcorn, Benton,
Chickasaw, Clay, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo,
Union, and Webster Counties.
The Northwest District shall include Calhoun, Coahoma,
Desoto, Lafayette, Marshall, Panola, Quitman, Tate, Tunica, and Yalobusha
Counties.
The Northwest Central District shall include Bolivar,
Carroll, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Leflore, Montgomery, Sunflower,
Tallahatchie, and Washington Counties.
The West Central District shall include Hinds, Issaquena,
Madison, Rankin, Sharkey, Warren, and Yazoo Counties.
The East Central District shall include Attala, Choctaw,
Kemper, Lauderdale, Leake, Lowndes, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Scott,
and Winston Counties.
The Southwest District shall include Adams, Amite,
Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin, Jefferson Davis, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lincoln,
Marion, Pike, Simpson, Wathall, and Wilkinson Counties.
The Southeast District shall include Clark, Covington,
Forrest, Greene, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Perry, Smith, and Wayne Counties.
The Southern District shall include George, Hancock,
Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River, and Stone Counties.
All officers of the
Executive Committee must be nominated to serve an additional term.
Should the sitting
President either not be considered for re-election or has served the term
limit, the 1st Vice President is given an automatic nomination for
the office of President if he/she desires.
Section 2
All
officers shall be elected to a two-year term at the annual meeting of this
Association during odd numbered years. The
newly elected officials must have received a majority of the votes present and
cast.
The President shall have a term limit of two elected terms
after which they must sit out one term before running again. No other officer of the Executive Board will
be subject to a term limit.
Section 3
Should a vacancy occur in any office other than President or
1st Vice President, the Executive Board will appoint a candidate to
fill the position. Should a vacancy
occur in the President, the 1st Vice President would step into the
position. Should a vacancy occur in the
1st Vice President, the Executive Board would appoint a candidate
from the regional Vice Presidents.
ARTICLE V – VOTING
Section 1
Only
Active and Lifetime members with current dues paid and registered as delegates
at the conference shall be eligible to vote. Honorary and Associate members cannot vote.
ARTICLE VI – MEMBERSHIP DUES
Section 1
Every active
Fire Chief and persons eligible to become a member of this Association shall
submit an application to the Secretary-Treasurer, with the entrance fee.
These fees Shall be $45.00 for municipal. county and
industrial departments, volunteer and retired members. If such an applicant is eligible, they shall
become a member of this Association and shall pay into the treasury dues
thereafter. Annual dues are payable on
the first day of each year. Associate
members shall follow the same procedure for application as above.
Section 2
The
fiscal year shall extend from the 1st day of January through the 31st day of December.
ARTICLE VII – ANNUAL MEETING
Section 1
The
annual meeting of this association shall not exceed 5 (five) calendar
days. Special meetings may be called by
the President, with the consent of a majority of the members of the Executive Committee. In all cases of special meetings, the
objectives must be stated in the call.
Section 2
A
failure to hold an annual meeting shall in no way mean dissolution of the Association.
ARTICLE VIII – DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES
Section 1
The
duty of the President is to preside at all meetings and appoint all standing
committees; to sign all orders duly granted by the Association or Executive Committee.
Section 2
The Vice-Presidents
shall assist the President in the performance of his/her duties. They shall perform such duties as required of
them by the Association.
Section 3
The Secretary-Treasurer
shall attend all meetings; keep a complete record of the proceedings; issue all
calls pertaining to the Association or Executive Committee; collect all money
due to the Association and keeping a correct account. The Secretary-Treasurer shall execute a bond
of $50,000.00 to be filed, with approval of the Executive Committee, if such
bond is obtainable. The Secretary-Treasurer
shall turn over to his/her successor in office all books and papers in his/her
possession belonging to the Association.
Section 4
The
duties of the Executive Committee shall be to have published the proceedings of
the Association; to transact all business of the Association during the time
intervening between the annual meetings; and shall suggest to the Association,
at its annual meeting, such rules and regulations as it may deem in its best
interests and not in conflict with the Constitution and By-Laws of the
Association. A majority of the Executive
Committee shall constitute a quorum and a majority of such quorum may determine
all questions.
Section 5
The President
shall appoint the following committees consisting of not less than three
members nor more than five members, with the approval of the Executive Committee. These committees shall be: Legislative,
Credential, Resolution, Auditing, Publicity, Fire Prevention, Education and
Training, and any other committees deemed necessary by the Executive Committee.
Section 6
The President
shall also appoint a parliamentarian. When appropriate, consideration
should be given to the Immediate Past 1st Vice President.
Section 7
The
Executive Committee shall meet at such time and place as it decides, or by call
of the President. If any vacancies shall
occur, by reason of death, resignation of office or membership, such vacancy
may be filled by the Executive Committee for the unexpired term for which said
officer was elected.
ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENTS
Section 1
All
motions to alter, amend or appeal the Constitution and By-Laws of the
Association, or any portion or section thereof, must be made in writing at a
regular meeting of the association, at which time motions must be read and
action taken of those members present and voting.
Section 2
The
consideration of any proposed amendments to the Constitution, By-Laws or Rules
of Order, which have been acted upon by the Executive Committee, shall be the
first business at the opening of the evening session on the first day of the
conference, or if no evening session is held on that day, the proposed
amendments shall be the first business at the opening of the next succeeding
session.
Section 3
All
amendments, alterations or revisions of any part of this Constitution, By-Laws
or rules of order shall take effect upon their adoption by the conference.
Section 4
Any
question coming before the conference not specifically provided in the Constitution,
By-Laws or rules of order, shall be decided by the presiding officer based on
parliamentary procedure principles in “Roberts Rules of Order”.
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I – MEETINGS
Section 1
This
Association shall hold its annual meeting as stated in Article VII Section
1. Special meetings may be held at such
time and place as the interest of the Association may require but they shall be
confined to the business to which they were called.
Section 2
The President,
or in his/her absence, the First Vice-President may call such meetings, with
the consent of a majority of the members of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE II – DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT
Section 1
The President
shall be the Chief Officer of the Association.
The President shall preside at all meetings; put motions to a vote when
seconded, decide questions when votes are equal, and such other points of
order. The President shall appoint all
committees, except in case where a vote is required by the Association. The President shall grant leave of absence
from meetings when good and proper excuse is given, sign the minutes of all
meetings, after they have been approved by the Association.
Section 2
The President
shall sign all certificates of membership and all other lawful documents that
may require his/her signature. The President
shall be ex-officio Chairman of all committees.
All property of the Association shall be under his/her control during
his/her term of office.
ARTICLE III – DUTIES OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT
Section 1
The Vice-President
shall assist the President in the discharge of his/her duties. In the absence of the President or in case of
the President’s inability or refusal to act, the First Vice-President shall
take the place of the President.
ARTICLE IV – DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY-TREASURER
Section 1
The Secretary-Treasurer
shall attend all meetings of the association and committee meetings when
requested by its committees. If the Secretary-Treasurer
is unable to attend a state meeting he/she shall have the necessary books and
papers conveyed to the meeting.
Section 2
The Secretary-Treasurer
shall keep a correct record of the proceedings of the association. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep a detailed
record of all receipts and disbursements.
The Secretary-Treasurer shall make payment of approved bills ordered
paid by the executive committee, or the association. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep such books
and perform such duties as may be required of him/her by the executive
committee.
Section 3
The Secretary-Treasurer
shall, at each annual meeting, make a statement, in writing, of all sums of
money received and disbursements made by him/her showing the balance, if any,
in the treasury. The Secretary-Treasurer
shall maintain a list of all paid members and shall issue proper notification
to delinquent departments and members.
Section 4
The Secretary-Treasurer
shall, on retiring from office deliver to the auditing committee all the books
and papers in his/her possession pertaining to his/her office, properly checked
and balanced, and if found correct, the auditing committee shall approve them,
and turn them over to the executive committee, who shall cancel his/her bond
and turn the books and papers over to his/her successor in the office.
Section 5
The Secretary-Treasurer
shall deposit in the name of the association any monies belonging to the
association in such bank or banks as the association may designate, over and
above the amount of fifty dollars. This
money can only be drawn by check against the Association.
ARTICLE V – STANDING COMMITTEES
Section 1
The President
at the first executive committee meeting after the annual meeting of the
Association shall appoint the standing committees.
Section 2
The President
shall appoint a Vice-President as chairman of each committee named in article x
section 5. The chairman shall designate
the time and place of meetings. The chairman
shall give an explicit account in writing, of the proceedings of his/her
committee to the Association.
Section 3
Members
of committees shall act with the utmost secrecy on all matters brought before
them and disclose their nature to no one, until their report is received and
acted upon by this executive committee or the Association.
ARTICLE VI – ORDER OF MEETINGS
Section 1
At the
annual meeting of the Association business will be conducted in the following
order:
1. Call the roll.
2. Report on Applicants.
3. Report of Committee on Credentials.
4. Reading of the minutes.
5. Report from the Officers and Executive Committee
6. Report of Standing Committees. (Legislative, Credentials,
Auditing, Resolution, Education and Training, Publicity and Fire Prevention)
7. Report of Special Committees
8. New business. (Election of Officers, etc.)
9. Miscellaneous Business
10. Unfinished Business
11. Adjourn