Singerly Fire Company

1. The first step toward membership is submitting an application. The chairman of the membership committee will review your application, check your references and then contact you with the date to appear before the committee. If you belong or have belonged, to another company, you must submit a letter of reference (on letterhead) from that company.



2. You will meet with the membership committee and be interviewed.



3. You will be contacted about the time and date of the Board of Directors meeting. You must attend this meeting or your membership will be postponed. At the meeting you will be introduced and given a chance to ask questions. After meeting the Board you will be asked to return to the membership office and wait for the result of their vote. The committee chairman will notify you of this and will then conduct an orientation.



4. Length of probation. You will be a probation member for one year minimum, three year maximum, depending on your fulfilling the work details and training necessary for regular membership. Extensions may be recommended by the committee but are approved only by the Board of Directors.



5. Health physical form. You will be given a health physical form to be completed by a physician and submitted to the Membership Secretary or Chairman before participating in any activity in the company. Submit copies of any training certificates or records that you have.. You are to complete and submit the health questionnaire.



6. Orientation folder – will be given to you when you are accepted by the Board of Directors. You must sign that the folder was received. It is the responsibility of the probation member to read the entire contents of the folder; safety directives, standard operating guidelines, disciplinary procedures, by-laws, etc. The Fire Marshal’s background investigation form must be signed and a copy made of your drivers license. Every probation member is assigned to an advisor. You will be informed of your advisor’s name, phone number and the station you are assigned to during orientation.



7. Photo ID – A picture will be taken for your personnel file and a picture will be taken for an accountability tag at a later date. The proper use and purpose of the accountability tag will be explained in the company level training classes.



8. Performance evaluations must be completed quarterly at the mandatory general membership meeting. These meetings are in January, April, July and October on the Sunday nearest to the 10th of these months. You must bring your orientation folder to the meeting. When your quarterly form is filled out, your advisor must initial it. You are responsible for the initial contact with the advisor.



9. VLOSAP – (Volunteer Length of Service Awards Program) is an award for 25 years of credited service, with benefits to be received at the age of 60. Quarterly reports must be filed at the same time as your performance evaluation. VLOSAP forms are turned in to Rosemary Culley, the VLOSAP Chairman. The information needed to fill out your performance report and VLOSAP report will be available in activity reports at the general membership meeting.



10. Fire Probation – Do not take two major classes at the same time, such as EMT and Firefighter I. Concentrate on one specialty at a time. The training officer will contact you when a class is scheduled. (1.) 36 hour company level class, (2.) 120 hour Firefighter I, (3.) Firefighter II, Hazmat. You cannot ride any apparatus until you have been cleared to ride by an officer. Probation members cannot drive apparatus.



• Classes can be held anywhere in the County, usually at a fire station or at the North East Regional Training Center at Aberdeen. Do not sign up for a class unless you are sure that you can take it The fire supply officer will review gear, pagers, monitors, etc.
• Members must respond to a minimum of 15 fire calls per quarter to be allowed to keep gear.
• Never drive to the scene of an alarm; always respond to the station.
• To drive you must be a regular member over 21 years old and have completed the driver training course, MFRI pumps course, company level pumps and served as a unit specialist for one year.
• If you are at the station and you elect not to go on a call that is dispatched, you must leave the station. Do not remain there if you are not going to respond on calls.



11. Ambulance Probation The ambulance training officer will contact you when a company level class is scheduled. (1) a 24 hour company level class, (2) 140 hour EMT-B Classes can be held anywhere in the County, (usually at a fire station.) Do not sign up for a class unless you are sure you can attend it. EMT classes are taught by MFRI and are tested by MIEMS. If you drop out of a class, you can be penalized at the time you sign up for another class. You will go to the bottom of the list for future classes.
    a. Members must respond to a minimum of 15 calls per quarter to be allowed to keep gear.
    b. Drivers must be a regular member, at least 21 years old and have completed the driver training course and served as a unit engineer for one year.
    c. The ambulance training officer will review pagers, gear, etc.
    d. Never drive to the scene. Always respond to the station.
    e. If you are at the station and elect not to go on a call that is dispatched, you must leave the station. Do not remain there if you are not going to respond on calls.



12. Duty crew program – After the EMS or fire training officers have cleared you to ride the apparatus, you may sign up for duty crews. There are forms in the radio room to request duty crew shifts. Shifts are 5 hours, day or evenings. Duty uniforms are furnished and there is a meal allowance. An incentive for each shift is given to members quarterly. Company officers will explain the program in more detail.



13. Station Cleanup – We have three stations: Station 3 at Rt. 40 and Normira Avenue, Station 13 at Rt. 279 and 213, and Station 14 on Singerly Road at Kenmore. It is mandatory that all probation members attend station cleanup at their assigned stations. This is held every Tuesday evening at 1830 hours. The time is set by the station officers. If you are unable to attend, you must notify the station Captain. If you have a schedule conflict with the time of cleanup, you may arrange with the officers to do your cleanup duties at another time. You are obligated to the station you are assigned to, however, you may help with work details at any or all of the stations. We are one company.



14. Fire Recorder – He is responsible for the fire response records, who made the call, the amount of damage, times documented for call, etc. The officer in charge will fill out the form but the member should check to make sure his/her name is on the list. The submission of reports has recently been computerized. To receive station credit for a call, you must stay at the station until units are placed back in service. This applies to fire and ambulance. Calls that are not emergencies, such as standbys, etc., are not put on a fire report. Those calls are recorded on an activity worksheet.



15. Fundraising – It is mandatory that all probationers be assigned to a fundraiser. This will be a bingo assignment unless there is a scheduling conflict. Assignments are for one bingo every four weeks. You are to work from 1800 until the end of bingo for the evening. If you cannot work the entire evening, you must clear it with Gene Culley or Kay Trego. Working one or two hours does not fulfill your fundraising obligation. If you can only work a partial shift, arrangements can be made with the chairman of the event, but they need to know in advance so they are assured of enough help to run the event. There are several different fundraisers that you can be assigned to: Bingo, Kitchen, Print shop, Flea Market. All committees are listed in the radio room of each station.
    
    a. If you are assigned to a fundraiser, you must work that date or notify the chairman in advance that you can’t be there. If you do not make notification, you will receive a “no show” grade for the event. For every no show you accumulate, a month will be added to your probation time. If you are excused by calling in, you will not receive a no show.
    b. Members who are assigned to fundraisers should not sign up for duty crew on the night of their assignment.
    c. Members working are entitled to a meal or refreshments if the kitchen is open for business during the event. If you are not working the event, you are obligated to pay for the food you request.
    d. If you find it is necessary to change your assignment, you must contact the membership secretary or personnel director to be reassigned.



16. It is the responsibility of the member to check the bulletin boards for assignments, for classes and for notices pertinent to duties. Always report to the chairperson of the event for assignment. All members, regular and probation, assigned to any fundraiser, must get permission from the chairman of the event to leave before the event has ended. All members, regular and probation may leave with permission however, if you leave, you must sign out and then sign back in if you return to the event. a. Always dress properly for the event you are working. Your appearance reflects on Singerly Fire Company. Do not wear tee shirts with questionable messages on them. Ragged, dirty clothes are also not acceptable. Shorts are not permitted when working dinners.



17. Worksheets – Members are expected to sign their own name to worksheets to receive credit for the event they are working. The time in and the time out should be noted. It is recommended that you also keep a calendar of your own to keep track of your hours. a. If you feel there are errors or omissions on the quarterly activity report, contact Shirley Herring within 10 days of the quarterly meeting.



18. Medical – No Exceptions. If you are injured or ill, you must submit a statement from your doctor to the membership secretary. This will excuse you from duty with no penalty. Before you return to duty, you must submit a release from your doctor.
    a. If you are injured while participating with Singerly, you must notify the Safety Officer immediately. There is a limited amount of time to submit papers to workmen’s comp.
    b. Hepatitis B vaccine is given free of charge. It is given in a series of 3 shots. Records are kept by the company. If you have already had the shots or do not want to get them, tell the Assistant Chief for EMS. You will also be required to take a blood-borne pathogen class.
    c. Pregnancy. You must notify Eileen and Shirley as soon as possible. You will receive forms for your doctor and a copy of the Singerly maternity guidelines.



19. Safety is a high priority item at Singerly. If you have any questions or concerns, you may talk to any of the Safety Officers. Proper training and equipment and good commonsense will keep everyone safe.



20. Telephone use and guests – Personal calls are to be limited to 3 minutes – no longer. Long distance calls are prohibited unless it is a business call authorized by an officer. Probation members are not permitted guests in the station without authorization.



21. Students – Members who are still in high school must submit their report cards to the membership secretary for review. Restrictions are imposed if you are not making passing grades. (You are not allowed in the station after 1900 hours if you have failing grades) a. If a probation member is under 18 years of age, a parental form must be signed by a parent or guardian. The form is included in the orientation folder.



22. At the end of your first year of probation, regular membership is not a surety. You must have completed Firefighter I or EMT-B, but you must also have earned the required points in fundraising, training, station duties and responses. If you have no shows on your record, your probation period will be extended one month for every no-show. During your probation period you should strive for a good work record. If you have a conflict on your scheduled night, you can avoid a no-show by notifying your chairman and being excused.



23. A Key Card or Fob to the station is available after you have completed your company level training. There is a $15.00 deposit on the card or fob.. Cards and fobs may be obtained from Rosemary Culley or Shirley Herring. If you should leave the company for any reason, you must return your card/fob, gear and any property in your possession belonging to Singerly Fire Company. All insignia must be removed from your clothing and vehicles.



24. There is a Personnel Policy and Procedures Manual in the radio room of each station. This manual should be read during the first few months of your probation period. It is the guidelines of the policies of the Company. Any and all policies or procedures instituted must be approved by the Board of Directors.



25. Thank you again for applying for Singerly Fire Company membership. We are proud of our company and look forward to sharing the fellowship and dedication with you. The good you can do by volunteering in the fire service will stay with you the rest of your life.

If you have any questions, you may contact Shirley Herring,
Membership Secretary and Personnel Director at 410-398-5753.
Email: bigwhig@verizon.net