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Home > IAFC Sections > VCOS
Volunteer & Combination Officers Section (VCOS)
The mission of the IAFC Volunteer & Combination Officers Section is to provide chief officers who manage volunteers within the Fire/Rescue/EMS delivery system with information, education, services, and representation to enhance their professionalism and capabilities.
Our vision is to be the leading international organization with a sustained performance in representing the interests of the professional volunteer and combination fire service. We will be a dynamic organization, characterized by our integrity, customer focus, membership growth, the value placed on people and superior application of technology. We will be the best at generating and applying new ideas and learning faster than other organizations.
VCOS Election Update
June 2, 2009... For additional information on your board candidates, please read their announcements, which are linked below.
June 25, 2009... Don't forget your postmark deadline to mail your ballot is Wednesday, July 1. Remember to put your member number on the outside envelope before you mail it.
May 22, 2009... The VCOS election ballots are now in the mail. All candidates included their 150-word biographies, which were mailed with the ballots. If you were a member in good standing during the month of May and you did not receive a ballot, contact the staff liaison at jfishkin@iafc.org to request one.
VCOS Website
The VCOS board of directors is very pleased to announce that we have accepted a proposal to redesign the VCOS website under the direction of the IAFC Services Department. While they design and develop the new website, we'll be posting all new information on this webpage. Until the redesigned website is up and running, all new information will be posted to this webpage.
VCOS Scholarships for 2009
Two $1500 Scholarships to be Awarded for Symposium in the Sun
New Announcement - June 23, 2009... The Volunteer & Combination Officers Section (VCOS) will award two $1,500 scholarships to attend Symposium in the Sun being held November 5-8, 2009 in Clearwater Beach, Fla. This scholarship program was developed to assist IAFC/VCOS members who would benefit by the first-class educational training offered at Symposium but who cannot afford the expense. Scholarships will be awarded based on the applicant’s description of how the department or the attendee will benefit from attendance at Symposium in the Sun.
Applicants for the scholarships must be members of the IAFC and the VCOS. The two successful applicants will be notified by September 30 and will be awarded the scholarship checks at the conference. (Therefore, scholarship recipients must be prepared to pay upfront expenses.) Fill out the application (pdf) and submit per the instructions. Please contact Chief Mike Lee at mikelee@ci.lincolnton.nc.us or call (704) 736-8920 with any questions regarding the scholarship program or application process. Deadline for receipt of all applications is August 31, 2009.
Two $1500 Scholarships to be Awarded for FRI Attendance
April 16, 2009... The Volunteer & Combination Officers Section (VCOS) will award two $1,500 scholarships to attend Fire-Rescue International (FRI), being held August 25-29, 2009 in Dallas. This scholarship program was developed to promote leadership through learning among volunteer and combination officers. Scholarships will be awarded based on the applicant’s description of how the department or the attendee will benefit from FRI attendance. Applicants for the scholarships must be members of the IAFC, but do not have to be VCOS members. The two successful applicants will be notified by July 31 and will be awarded the scholarship checks at the conference. Therefore, scholarship recipients must be prepared to pay upfront expenses.
Fill out the one-page application (pdf) and submit per the instructions. Please contact Chief Dan Eggleston (deggleston@albemarle.org) with any questions regarding the scholarship program or the application process. Deadline for receipt of all applications is June 30, 2009.
VCOS Awards for 2009
New Announcement - June 19, 2009... John M. Buckman III Leadership Award, sponsored by Provident and VCOS
The John M. Buckman III Leadership Award, sponsored by Provident Insurance, recognizes a chief officer of a volunteer or combination department who stands out on the local and/or regional level as a true professional who has demonstrated leadership, integrity and outstanding moral values within the fire service. The award will be presented in November 2009 at the VCOS Symposium in the Sun held in Clearwater Beach, Florida (November 5-8, 2009). In addition to the actual award, Provident will pay for the winner's travel and lodging expenses to attend the award ceremonies at the VCOS Symposium in the Sun. Symposium registration costs will be picked up by the VCOS. Applications are now being accepted and must be received by August 1, 2009.
June 17, 2009... Emergency Vehicle Safe Operations Achievement Award, sponsored by VFIS and VCOS
This award, designed to support the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the USFA initiatives to reduce firefighter injuries and deaths as a result of vehicle accidents, recognizes emergency service organizations which have experienced no accidents from August 1, 2008 through July 31, 2009. The organization must have at least one member who is an IAFC-VCOS member and must also demonstrate a functioning vehicle safety program. All emergency service organizations which submit the application by August 31, 2009 and meet the qualification criteria will receive an award at the 2009 VCOS Symposium in the Sun held in Clearwater Beach, Florida (November 5 - 8, 2009).
The organization which is selected as the top winner of the award will have all transportation and hotel expenses paid by VFIS for one member of the organization and VCOS will pay for that member’s conference registration. The deadline for receipt of applications is August 31, 2009.
Retention and Recruitment Award, sponsored by VFIS and VCOS
This award recognizes success and excellence in the retention and recruitment of emergency service organization members. The program will distinguish the application of state-of-the-art management activities and personnel initiatives that result in the increase and retention of members. The individual submitting the entry must be a member in good standing of the IAFC and the VCOS and the program must have been in place for one full year, January 1 through December 31, 2008. For complete details, read the full announcement. All award applicants must submit a completed application form. The winner will receive all expenses paid to attend the VCOS Symposium in the Sun in Clearwater Beach, Florida (November 5-8, 2009). The deadline for receipt of applications is August 31, 2009.
Other Information Items
June 3, 2009... VCOS & Firehouse.com Develop Podcasts
Do you know that VCOS and Firehouse.com have been collaborating on educational podcasts specifically geared to the volunteer and combination fire service? A partial list of these include:
- VCOS Radio: The Economy and the Stimulus Package
- VCOS Radio: How to Double Your Department’s Staffing
- VCOS Radio: Creating a Successful Combination Fire Department
- VCOS Radio: Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week
- VCOS Radio: Understanding Junior Firefighter & Exploring Programs
- VCOS Radio: Education Opportunities for Volunteer and Combination Officers
Access these podcasts and other VCOS training podcasts online.
Free Training Program - Firefighter Response to Ethanol Incidents - June 27 in Atlanta
May 15, 2009... The VCOS is sponsoring a class to train your personnel on how to prepare for an ethanol incident in your community. This class is free to all attendees. Priority will be given to IAFC and VCOS members, but the class will be opened to all if the seats aren’t filled as the class is prepaid for 65 attendees.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided free of charge. The class starts at 9 am and will terminate at 5 pm. It’s being held at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, Ga., which is close to the Atlanta airport (not the convention center downtown). Print off the registration form (pdf) and fax it to staff liaison J Fishkin at 703-273-9363.
Complete the VCOS Survey
Help us, help you! Please complete the VCOS survey so the information can be compiled into a new report on economic issues. The compiled information will be shared with all VCOS members and material will be presented at the 2009 VCOS Symposium in the Sun.
Go to the VCOS Survey
Does your department serve fewer than 10,000? Read details on IAFC's Departmental Membership
For information on the current VCOS board of directors: VCOS Board of Directors 2008-2009 (pdf)
Current 2008 VCOS Bylaws (pdf)
Our publishing partner, National Fire & Rescue Magazine, bids a sad farewell after 10 years of publication. Read the final editorial by Fire Chief Dan Jones.
VCOS Newsletters
VCOS Ribbon Reports
VCOS Leadership Course: "Beyond Hoses & Helmets"
Strategy and Tactics of Leading a Volunteer or Combination Fire/Rescue Organization
Classes are now closed for 2009 - we are taking requests for 2010. Pierce Fire Apparatus and the Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS) of the International Association of Fire Chiefs are pleased to offer an educational training course designed by practicing chief officers that delivers real world expertise through an interactive educational experience. The course is titled "Beyond Hoses and Helmets – Strategy and Tactics of Leading a Volunteer or Combination Fire/Rescue Organization." The United States Fire Administration and the National Emergency Training Center provided technical support in the development of course material and supporting documents.
The support offered by Pierce Fire Apparatus allows VCOS instructors to present this course throughout the nation in an effort to support the VCOS mission – to provide chief officers who manage volunteers within the fire/rescue/delivery system with information, education, services and representation to enhance their professionalism and capabilities.
"Beyond Hoses and Helmets" offers instruction in the following areas:
- Problem solving
- Marketing
- Recruitment
- Retention
- Leadership
- Team Building
- Training Development
- Conflict Resolution
- Principles of Negotiation
- Verbal Communications
Download the agreement form (pdf) to request the course to be scheduled at your agency. The costs to your agency are minimal and include hotel rooms and meals for the instructors. Details are available on the agreement form. We do not schedule courses in August or December.
Chair
Chief Timothy S. Wall
North Farms Fire Department
PO Box 4337
Yalesville, CT 06492
203-265-7173
Fax: 203-284-1993
firewallco7@sbcglobal.net
Staff Liaison
Joelle Fishkin
Section Manager
IAFC
4025 Fair Ridge Drive, Suite 300
Fairfax, VA 22033
703-273-0911
Fax: 703-273-9363
vcos@iafc.org
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