Volunteer Fire Assistance Program

APPENDIX K

OBTAINING PROGRAM SUPPORT

A. State Fire Advisory Councils

State fire advisory councils constitute a concept to help improve rural fire protection within States. States creating councils have found them to be valuable in securing public support, sharing information among cooperators, and advising the State forestry agency's fire administrators concerning the delivery of equipment and services. While councils can take different forms from State to State, they serve similar needs.

State forestry administrators should not consider councils to be lawmaking or policy dictating groups. Rather, a council is a group of people forming a network to bring needs from the "customers" and send program information back. The council is a connection between the State/Federal program and the intended recipients. Without it, an unrecognized vacuum often exists.

The design of the council is critical. The design must meet the needs of the customers in a particular State and must consider both the demographics and socio-political characteristics of the State and the concerns and abilities of the members involved. Councils are not normally politically empowered by State legislatures. However, they can be, as in the case of Alabama, given nonprofit corporation status and serve as a focus for funding and drafting of legislation on issues involving the fire service. The Texas group, known as the Texas Rural Fire Advisory Council, offers both a simple and effective model that can serve as a basis for developing other State advisory councils.

Council Make-up

The Texas Charter states the council shall be made up of people "interested and involved in rural fire protection matters." Keep in mind that many States have no mandated fire protection laws for areas outside of incorporated city limits. Other States may or may not have this problem, but the scope of this council is usually limited to rural matters.

The charter goes on to explain that citizens, elected officials, agency representatives, as well as firefighters, can be included on the council. Placing only fire people on the council is like singing to the choir. People are needed who can gain support for new ideas and help initiate them both locally and on the State level.

A partial list of people who might be suitable to serve on a State fire council might include:

County Judges
State Fire Marshal
Emergency Management Coordinator
School Superintendent
Fire Equipment Salesperson
State Tax Official
USDA Forest Service Representative
Other Federal Wildfire Agency Representative
Public Relations Representative
County Attorney
County Commissioner/Supervisor
Executive Director of the State Firemen's Association
Current President of the State Firemen's Association
Landowner

All members should have at least one primary interest. They must have a desire to help improve fire protection and safety within the rural areas of the State.

What Does a Rural Fire Advisory Council Do?

The charter spells out suggested areas of activity. These fall within the areas of analysis, recommendations, and promotion.

All activities undertaken by the council relate directly to the State forestry agency's assistance to departments and communities. In certain areas, such as training, equipment, and education, there is some overlap with other State entities. It may be necessary to consider involving such groups as a part of the council to ensure that all programs take into consideration outside concerns.

State fire advisory councils have accomplished work such as the following:

*	Implemented centralized purchasing to lower the prices paid by volunteer firefighters for safety equipment.
*	Advised the State forester to obtain a person to screen Federal Excess Personal Property for fire department use.
*	Advised the State forester of training needs such as wildfire exposure protection and the Incident Command System.
*	Sponsored a Governor's Conference on the Wildland/Urban Interface to concentrate attention on fire problems and to gain the active support of all State fire organizations and agencies.
*	Promoted the installation and use of dry hydrants to help eliminate water shortages for firefighting in rural areas.

All of the above accomplishments occurred through council interaction with the State forestry agency and other outside groups interested in improving fire protection.

How Should a Council be Organized?

The council can be a loosely organized group led by a chair, vice-chair, and secretary. The Texas Charter provides that the council will meet quarterly to discuss issues affecting the State fire program, decide courses of action, and formulate reports. In some cases, the group will form working teams to accomplish specific activities and to prepare reports. While the council may have no mandated legal responsibility, it can vote to recommend or support specific actions. All members, organizations, and agencies, including the State Forest Service, have only one vote. There are no proxies.

Meetings are open to the public and lodging, meals, and some other travel expenses are reimbursed to council members.

Other organizations, such as the Alabama Fire Institute, have chosen to incorporate and have an executive director and staff. The "council" is a nonprofit corporation allowing the "institute" to raise funds through donations and to represent the fire service at both the State and Federal levels.

Getting Started in Your State

While the problems may be similar, every State will have some different matters to consider. These may dictate a change in the way the charter is written and who is asked to serve. Consider questions such as:

a)		Do counties have the ability to tax for fire protection?
b)		Who has the legal fire suppression responsibility in your State outside of incorporated cities or boroughs?
c)		From what sources do volunteer fire departments receive their funding?
d)		Is insurance and liability a problem for fire departments in your State?
e)		What is the legal form of most fire departments in your State (independent nonprofit volunteer fire departments, fire districts or municipal fire departments)?
f)		What programs does the State forestry agency have in place to help fire departments (training, equipment, funding, etc.) that might be improved through collaboration with other groups and through public education?

When you have answered these questions, then answer the following questions:

1.	What specific items should an advisory council be involved with in your State?
2.	Who should be asked to serve on the council, given the desired results and budgetary considerations for travel and other expenses?

When these questions have been answered a State forestry official should invite prospective members to an orientation. Since most invitees will not know everything about the State forestry programs, a general discussion of the programs is recommended. Take as much time as needed to discuss topics such as forest management, fire control, pest control, urban forestry, etc. While some of these items may not relate specifically to the fire program matters at hand, they will help those present to understand the State's responsibilities as a resource management agency.

During subsequent meetings, council officers should be elected and a charter and bylaws should be developed. The State forestry agency should facilitate this process by obtaining input from council members and drafting and finalizing the documents.

The State forestry agency, as the sponsoring agency, will need to facilitate meetings and to keep the council running. The objectives should be to encourage the flow of ideas and to strengthen the services.

Press Releases...