|
 |
Policy Number 03-2006
Responding to Inquiries
July 2006
PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to describe the process by which questions regarding fire service safety, health and survival will be addressed by members of the Safety, Health and Survival section when acting in their capacity as section members or officers.
PROCEDURE: The following steps should be followed in responding to any question or request for information:
A. Informal questions or requests for information may be handled at the discretion of the section member or officer, though it should be made clear that such an informal inquiry does not represent the views of the SHS section.
1. Informal requests may occur in any method other than a letter to the section Board or officers of the section.
B. Formal Questions, Requests for Information or Referral from Section Board Member
1. All formal requests must be in the form of a letter to the section Board of Directors or the Chair of the section.
2. All requests must include the name, rank and contact information of the person initiating the request. For validity purposes, requests that do not include this information will not be addressed.
3. All requests received by any Board member in his/her capacity as a Board member will be copied to the IAFC Staff Liaison. The Liaison will determine the membership status of the person making the request and will then send the request and membership status to all the members of the Board for their response.
4. An officer of the SHS will contact the Chief of the fire department involved in the request to notify the Chief that a request was made and the details of the request. The personal information of the person making the request will not be given to the Chief.
5. Responses will not be given for 24 hours after the Board members receive the request. If the officer who contacts the Chief of the department involved has reason to believe that the Board members would benefit from the additional information, adequate time exists to relay this information. No responses should occur during the weekends.
6. All responses should be distributed to all Board members. All responses will be factual and appropriate. All comments and/or replies should be evaluated by the Board and officers of the section to ensure that they are consistent with the direction of the section.
7. Time to respond will be limited to five work days from the receipt of the request by Board members. A summary of responses provided to the person making the request may also be made available to the Chief.
8. The section Secretary, in coordination with the IAFC Staff Liaison, will maintain a repository of requests and responses for future SHS section work. Information can be deleted with the Chair’s approval.
|
| |
|
|
