membership voting

[FF7679]

Wondering how different departments bring on new members after an application is filled out. Does the department as a whole vote on the person, or does the leadership make a decision? Or once an app. is filled out is there anything that can keep them from joining? Also what is done if the person has a clean record (background check) but doesn't have the best reputation? This is coming from a department that has been through two members screwing around already once, and doesn't want it happening again.

[Roch207]

No voting here. Chief gets application. If Chief accepts applicant, applicant must pass background check and medical evaluation. Then goes to State for physical agility test. After that is passed, candidate must pass FF 1/2 before active responding.

[petabyte0avatar]

Our board used to make the vote, but this has been changed due to the sometimes zealous rush to get slots filled that the board has had in the past.

The chief and captains all get time to meet the candidate and talk with him/her (leadership must give a positive recommendation to the board). The candidate must demonstrate an actual interest and show up to at least a few meetings before he/she will be given any type of serious consideration. The candidate also must read and sign a code of conduct before acceptance.

Once we explain the reason this type of approval process is in place, it has tended to filter out the folks who aren't really serious about joining. We've all been burned in the past.

Usually, we have a good feel of the person by the time initial training is completed. A review is done at that point to make sure there are no concerns from the leadership.

Any violations of the code of conduct (or pretty much anything unbecoming) will go before the the leadership and the board for recommendations.

[WebFire]

First step is a complete background check. Then we have a dedicated membership committee that includes the chief and president of the association, and about 4 other members. The committee reviews the apps. At that point an interview is granted or the app is rejected. Once all interviews are conducted the committee then makes a recommendation to the membership as a whole.

The membership can vote to accept the recommendation. Once accepted, the town council and then mayor must approve.

Then of course they have to do a physical, and maybe a drug test (can't remember).

After all that, they are on! Sounds complicated, but it's not really.

[BOATS22]

we hire like any other business. but we add a police back ground check

[guardo83]

First step for us is that they fill out an application, then must attend 3 consecutive meetings. On the third meeting the membership will vote. If accepted, the applicant has two years to complete FF1 as per state regulation. Our classes run FF1&2 as one class so if they attend class and certify they'll be FF 1&2. Untill then applicant cannot participate in fire supression or drive, untill driving couse and practical are completed, they can however help with support functions.

We only have about 18 in active membership, so we welcome the help and do our best to train them and keep them safe.

[Eng34FF]

Both departments that I've joined have been similar. Fill out an application, have an "interview" with either the board of directors or the membership committee and the go before the membership to be "voted in." Both departments have a probationary period before you become a full member.

As a member of the board, at one department, we did decline a couple of people. One had problems with another neighboring department and another we only delayed until he got some things straightened out. We have also had serious debate over people who had been dropped from the department previously for not meeting attendance standards.

[WCENG23]

We only take on members twice a year. Our process is:
1. Fill out application
2. Physical agility test
3. Background check
4. Oral interview board
5. General membership vote
6. Probationary period up to 12 months

[ndvfdff33]

We have a group of Captain's with one Senior FF who interview each applicant. The next meeting we have, they give the yay or nay on the person and then we vote as a dept.

[Bones42]

Very similar to what WebFire stated.

[WRFF236]

Multi step process: hand in application, take written exam, if written is passed then Physical agility, if this is passed then back ground check, if this is passed then they along with other fellow classmates are brought to the memebership for a vote to allow them to be recruits. There is then an 18 month probationary period in which every six months they are re voted on. Each probationary memeber is evaluated based on performanse and commitment. If they have been slacking then there is a chance they will get voted off. This is how we "weed" out and get the better of the recruits. After their 18 month vote, if succesful they are considered members of the department.

[ltkeith25]

Chief gets application, gives it to our membership committee, they review application then give new applicants an interview, those that pass interview get a criminal background check, then members vote on them 2/3 majority to pass, city council then approves after passing physical, members on 1 year probation period for making training and meeing nights.

[allison20]

Fill out app. Check to make sure you did app yourself, to prove that you CAN read. Attend a fire meeting, if you are still alive at end of meeting=welcome to fire dept.

[tbonetrexler]

After the application is filled out and we get the background check, the potential member is brought before the entire company, and we vote to bring them in as a probationary member. Approx 1-2 years later, after they have completed all their training successfully, they are brought up again to the floor for full membership.

Basically same thing for Juniors, but they have to wait until they are 18 to be brought up for full membership.

[Remthedays]

We got away from the voting in the officers positions to get away from the Good Ole Boy club. All new members fill out application, get complete background check including driving record. Once this is done an officer does an interview of the applicant and brings it before the others officers for approval. If approved then a fitness test (If fails then applicant is done). They are on probation for one year and in that year they have to complete at minimum FF1, First aid,CPR with AED. We just went to paying a small amount for all calls and training to see if this increased your responce on certain types of calls and it appears to be working. Other benifits are also offered such as 24hr coverage Life Insurance,Work Comp.....etc.

T.J.

[RescueEngine40]

I am the membership chairman of my volunteer fire company. Starting this year, we are going away from our rules for volunteer applications and voting. Since our department is part of the County Fire Department, all new applicants must fill out and complete a County Application which is 4 pages long, plus photographs, fingerprints, and a paper signed by the County Courts for applicants under 18 years of age. Basically once a new applicant is interested in joining the department, he or she will fill out a preliminary mini-application, which asks for their name, address, city/state/zip, good phone number (house/cell), e-mail address, position in which they are applying for (Fire-EMS, EMS Only, Administrative/Associate), and any additional training. In our county, in order to become a firefighter, you must be trained as a EMT-B also. Once they have filled out the mini application, they will be given the county application. They must have the county application filled out completely before submission to the membership committee. Once they bring back their complete application it will be submitted to the Volunteer Fire Commission for processing/background check. The turn around time for the process is a week or two, so it gives them enough time for the results to come back saying they are good to go. Once the Fire Commission receives the results from the background check, the Fire Commission Secretary, e-mails me and lets me know what the results are, if they pass or not. If they pass, the new applicant will receive a phone call or e-mail, asking them to attend the next company business meeting, if they fail, they will be requested to contact the County Investigator to see if there is anything they can do, to get the application cleared. We as a company are not told why they were not accepted. During the next company meeting, the new applicant will be brought up before the entire active-voting membership to be brought up for a vote. The applicant will be asked to leave the room, while the membership votes, their application will be read aloud, any previous training, where they live, etc. Once the membership votes, the applicant will be called back into the meeting to hear whether or not they were voted into the department.

We have had numerous problems to where a new applicant turns in an incomplete application and the membership votes on them anyway, or a completed application comes through and is voted on and during the background check the applicant has failed.

[FireEMT712]

The process we use is this:

1. Application goes to officers.
2. Officers choose X amount of applicants to proceed
3. X applicants are interviewed by officers and sign for background check
4. X applicants' background checks are submitted to fire commitee half firefighters half civilians
5. Commitee picks X out of X applicants to proceed
6. Commitee approved applicants proceed to physical agility test
7. Applicants that pass the phys/agil test are submited to chief
8. Chief picks from remaining applicants based of phys/agil and certifications or other qualifications.

[hwoods]

We have had numerous problems to where a new applicant turns in an incomplete application and the membership votes on them anyway, or a completed application comes through and is voted on and during the background check the applicant has failed.

You're not alone, that happen elsewhere too. I have a gut feeling that the Applications from your area will be done properly with you on the job......