VISION STATEMENT
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 0
The vision of the Pender Islands Fire Protection Society (PIFPS) is to serve and be responsive to the needs of the community through investing in training, education and equipment for our fire fighters and medical responders to save lives and protect property and the environment
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: February 25, 2013
BOARD POLICY
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 1
INSPECTION OF FIRE HAZARDS
POLICY
On receipt of a complaint from an interested person, or if a Local Assistant to the Fire Commissioner (LAFC) has reasonable grounds to believe that any premises located on North or South Pender Islands are in a state of disrepair or are so used or occupied that a fire starting in them would endanger life or property, or contain combustible or explosive material so as to endanger life or property, or otherwise contain or constitute a fire hazard, Pender Island Fire Rescue (PIFR) shall inspect the premises at the first reasonable opportunity. The inspection shall be conducted by an LAFC who may issue a written order directing the owner or occupant of the premises to remedy any identified fire hazard within a reasonable time set by the order.
REFERENCE
PIFPS Constitution, Article 2(b)
BC Fire Services Act, Part 1, Sections 21 – 24
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: August 13, 2012
BOARD POLICY
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 2
FIRE SAFETY INSPECTIONS
POLICY
Pender Island Fire Rescue shall provide a system of fire safety inspections of public buildings on North and South Pender Islands to ensure that owners or occupiers comply with the public safety requirements prescribed in Part 2 of the Fire Services Act. The fire inspections shall be conducted by an LAFC and may be done informally in conjunction with pre-fire planning (PIFPS Board Policy #3) or while assisting an owner or occupant with the development of a fire safety plan (PIFPS Board Policy #4). The LAFC may formally order an owner or occupant of a public building to provide or make alterations to means of exit and systems of fire and smoke detection, fire alarm, fire extinguishing, and emergency lighting within a reasonable time stated in the order, provided the order does not set requirements which exceed those established by the BC Fire and Building Codes. Where non-compliance is relatively minor and does not represent an immediate danger to public safety, the LAFC may issue an informal letter of recommended corrective actions.
REFERENCE
PIFPS Constitution, Article 2(b)
BC Fire Services Act, Part 2, Sections 30 – 36
BC Fire Code
BC Building Code
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: August 13, 2012
BOARD POLICY
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 3
PRE-FIRE PLANS
POLICY
Pender Island Fire Rescue will endeavor to develop pre-fire plans for select public buildings on North and South Pender Islands on a cooperative basis with the owners and occupants. Pre-fire plans provide valuable information to fire fighters and first responders with respect to access, water supply, known hazards, exposures, property contact information, and built-in fire protection systems. Pre-fire planning enables a safer and more efficient response to an emergency and provides an opportunity to foster rapport with the business and non-profit communities which have a mutual interest in the activity.
REFERENCE
PIFPS Constitution, Article 2(b)
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: August 13, 2012
BOARD POLICY
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 4
FIRE SAFETY PLANS
POLICY
Pender Island Fire Rescue will endeavor to assist owners and occupants of public buildings that require fire safety plans on North and South Pender Islands. Fire safety plans prevent the occurrence of fire by the control of fire hazards in the building, ensure operation of fire protection systems by establishing maintenance procedures and provide a systematic method of safe and orderly evacuation of the building in the event of fire. Fire safety plans are the legal responsibility of the owner or occupant. Owners of buildings or developments that require complex fire safety plans due to the nature and scope of the occupancies should be encouraged to engage the services of a qualified fire protection engineer.
REFERENCE
PIFPS Constitution, Article 2(b)
BC Fire Code, Section 2.8
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: August 13, 2012
BOARD POLICY
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 5
FIRE FIGHTER TRAINING STANDARDS
POLICY
The training standards for Pender Island fire fighters shall meet or exceed the training standards mandated by the Province of BC for full service fire departments as defined in the "BC Structure Firefighters Competency and Training Playbook" and any subsequent revisions.
REFERENCE
NFPA 1001
PIFR Policy #20
PIFR OGs 3-01-05, 3-01-04, 1-04-01, 1-01-03
BC Structure Firefighters Competency and Training Playbook
(Issued by the Office of the Fire Commissioner of BC - September 2014)
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: October 20, 2014
BOARD POLICY
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 6
MANAGEMENT OF ALCOHOL AT PIFR FUNCTIONS AND ON CRD PROPERTY
POLICY
No alcohol shall be consumed or distributed to persons on CRD property or at Pender Island Fire Rescue functions unless the event is sanctioned by the fire chief or designate and all alcohol at the event managed in conformance with CRD and PIFR guidelines for functions where alcohol is served.
REFERENCE
PIFR Operational Policy #5
PIFR OG 5-01-01
CRD Policy – Alcoholic Beverages
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: February 25, 2013
BOARD POLICY
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 7
WORKPLACE HARASSMENT AND BULLYING PREVENTION
POLICY
The Pender Islands Fire Protection Society is committed to a harassment and bullying-free workplace.
REFERENCE
PIFR Operational Policy #21
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: September 22, 2014
BOARD POLICY
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 8
FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING STANDARDS
POLICY
The training standards and license requirements for Pender Island Fire Rescue volunteers and /or paid staff providing emergency patient care as First Responders (FRs) on the Pender Islands shall be those stated by the Emergency Medical Assistants Licencing Board (EMALB) of BC.
REFERENCE
Emergency and Health Services Act
Emergency Medical Assistants Licencing Board
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: February 25, 2013
BOARD POLICY
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 9
PURCHASE AND PAYMENT
POLICY
All purchases or engagements for goods and services requiring the expenditure of funds held by the PIFPS (PIFR) shall be made in accordance with Part 7, Sections 47 and 48 of the PIFPS Constitution. All payments including cheques or electronic transfers shall be signed or initialed by a minimum of two signing officers authorized by the board of directors. Whenever possible at least one of the authorized signing officers shall be a PIFPS Board signing officer.
Note
In circumstances when a Board signing officer is not readily available, and payment for goods or services is time-sensitive, the two authorized signing officers on staff may issue payment for invoices pertaining to the business or operations of PIFR or the PIFPS. In all such cases the method of payment and invoice shall be presented to a PIFPS Board signing officer for review and approval at the earliest opportunity.
REFERENCE
PIFPS Constitution, Part 7, Sections 47 (1-3) and 48 (1-3)
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: September 22, 2014
BOARD POLICY
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 10
FIRE DEPARTMENT SERVICE LEVEL
POLICY
The fire department service level delivered to the Pender Islands shall be "full service operations" as defined by the BC Structure Firefighters Competency and Training Playbook issued by the Office of the Fire Commissioner of BC, September 2014.
REFERENCE
B.C. Structure Firefighters Competency and Training Playbook
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: November 20, 2014
BOARD POLICY
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 11
PIFPS AND PIFR PURCHASE APPROVAL
POLICY
All purchases or engagements for goods and services requiring the expenditure of funds held by the PIFPS or CRD shall be approved in accordance with the PIFPS “Purchase Approval Matrix”. This includes all payments by cheque or electronic transfers. The fire chief or designate shall, at the earliest opportunity, notify the treasurer or board chair of any extraordinary or unexpected costs.
REFERENCE
PIFPS - Purchase Approval Matrix – (Revised, Schedule F - CRD Agreement 2016)
PIFPS - CRD Purchase matrix 2016.pdfApproved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: April 13, 2015
BOARD POLICY
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 12
IN-CAMERA MEETINGS
POLICY
In-camera Meetings
There are times when discussions within the Pender Islands Fire Protection Society meetings must be kept confidential. This means that everything that is discussed, as well as the minutes, is confidential. Such discussions are considered to be “in-camera” meetings. In-camera meetings have a legitimate purpose but their use should be limited. Because in-camera meetings restrict the normal information reported to the membership, their use should be limited to those occasions when they are absolutely necessary.
Factors Supporting In-camera Meetings
In-camera meetings should be considered where the following subject matter is to be discussed (the following list is not intended to be an exhaustive list, and other factors may be considered):
Minutes of In-camera Meetings
Decisions made in an in-camera meeting (including any in-camera discussion within a broader meeting) and, when appropriate, the factors considered in determining to hold a discussion in camera, shall be recorded in separate minutes. The recording secretary should be part of the in-camera meeting to keep the minutes unless the circumstances require that he/she also be absent. In his/her absence, the president is responsible for ensuring that an appropriate record of the discussion is kept.
Minutes of an in-camera meeting should be distributed to those who participated in the meeting and after their approval should be kept confidential and separately along with any materials considered as part of the in-camera meeting. The Society secretary shall keep or cause to be kept a record of in-camera minutes.
Any access to in-camera minutes is limited to the participants of the in-camera meeting, anyone with a right to be present and any other future Society board members.
REFERENCE
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: August 31, 2016
BOARD POLICY
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 13
POLICY ON BOARD ELECTIONS
RATIONALE:
It has already been recognized that the board does not have an up-to-date policy manual to guide either its own work or the actions of the Chief/department. The work of the Governance Committee has brought to light a particular need for policies in the area of board elections, and the Constitution Committee has confirmed that this level of detail does not belong in the By-Laws.
Specifically, the policy addresses two potential short-comings around elections:
There is no reason for allowing from-the-floor nominations if the membership has been notified well in advance of the meeting; they have been informed about the nomination process; and people have had time to consider running. Advance announcement of the intention to run ensures that all nominees have been oriented to what it means to serve on the board, and the voting members have time to consider the various nominees who are running.
POLICY
REFERENCE
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: March 20, 2018
Pender Islands Fire Protection Society
BP # 14
Nomination & Election Procedures
Relating to Policy on Election Process
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
In the interest of continuity and deliberate planning, the board strives to recruit members who possess the skills, qualities and experience to collectively contribute to effective board governance; who are commited to sustaining effective fire/emergency services on Pender Islands while being accountable to the community as a whole; and who work well as part of a team.
Board member recruitment, nomination and election will be managed through a transparent process that is communicated in a timely manner to both PIFPS members and the PI community.
All potential board members will have an opportunity to learn about the board’s role and responsibility through a timely orientation plan. Continuity is best served when the Board has an opportunity to discuss potential candidates their skills/experience.
The Governance Committee will be responsible for guiding the nomination and election process.
NOMINATION PROCESS
Many of the following actions will be guided or carried out by the board’s Governance Committee (GC)
On-going:
January
February
March
Two weeks prior to the AGM (as required by by-law)
Election Process
Voting:
If there are more nominees than vacancies, then a balloting process will take place.
If there are the same number of nominees as vacancies, the President may call for a motion from a PIFPS member from the floor to approve all nominees, by acclamation.
REFERENCE
Approved by PIFPS BOD Meeting
Effective Date: October 23, 2018
Forest Fire Threat Level
Burning is permitted
No permit is required
Regulations apply
Volunteers Serving
Community
For any Emergency:
Non-Emergency: