Fire Services Advisory Committee Policy (Approved 2023-05-15) — full text

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Municipality of the District of St. Mary's Fire Services Advisory Committee Policy Page 1 | 6 1. Purpose The purpose of this policy is to establish and stipulate governance direction for a Fire Services Advisory Committee that will provide advice to Council on issues related to the provision of municipal fire services within the Municipality. 2. Authority As per section 24(1) of the Municipal Government Act Council may establish standing, special or advisory committees. 3. Definitions 3.1. Council- The Council of the Municipality of the District of St. Mary's. 3.2. The Committee- The Fire Services Advisory Committee. 3.3. The Municipality- The Municipality of the District of St. Mary's. 4. Scope The objectives of the Committee are to provide direction for the Municipality of the District of St. Mary's on issues related to the provision of fire services within the Municipality. Topics for consideration include, but are not limited to: a) Strategic planning for fire services, b) Fire service operations, c) Fire services best practices, d) Fire service training, e) Insurance (including Workers Compensation), f) Registration of fire services, g) Fire fighter health and safety, h) Levels of service, i) Operational standards, j) Response protocols, k) Recruitment and retention of volunteers, l) Fire prevention and public awareness, m) Fire vehicles and firefighting equipment, n) Fire departments, o) Communications, and p) Water supply management. Municipality of the District of St. Mary's Fire Services Committee Policy Page 2 | 6 5. Membership 5.1. The Committee will be comprised of the following breakdown: a) Three (3) members of Council (voting members). b) Eight (8) Fire Chiefs or their designates (voting members) representing the eight Fire Departments that service the Municipality. c) Option: up to three (3) members of the public (voting members). d) Member(s) of administration (non-voting member(s). 5.2. Council may appoint an alternate member of Council to the Committee, and the alternate member may attend and vote in the place of any absent council member. 5.3. The Committee, including the outside appointments shall be appointed annually at the Annual General Meeting of Council. 5.4. The members of Council who are appointed to the Committee shall membership for a period of one (1) year from the date of their appointment. Citizen members who are appointed to the committee shall hold office for a period of two (2) years from the date of their appointment. 5.5. Any member of the committee is eligible for reappointment. 5.6. The person who holds the position of Fire Chief or their designate of each of the eight (8) fire departments within the Municipality shall be a member of the Committee and shall advise the Municipal Clerk of any changes of the person who holds the position of the Fire Chief or their designate. 5.7. Committee members are eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses associated with meetings. Claims may be made from their place of residence to the meeting location at the set municipal rate. Reporting requirements as per the Municipality of the District of St. Mary's Mileage Expense Policy shall be followed. 5.8. A member of the Committee who, without permission of the Committee, is absent from three (3) consecutive committee meetings shall cease to be qualified to serve as a member of the Committee. 5.9. The meetings of the Fire Services Advisory Committee are open to the public. Members should be aware that their names will be in the public realm and a list of members may be provided Municipality of the District of St. Mary's Fire Services Committee Policy Page 3 | 6 when requested. Member information other than their name and/or municipality will be kept confidential in accordance with Provincial legislation. 6. Chair and Vice Chair Responsibilities 6.1. The Chair and Vice-Chair will be appointed annually by the Committee and only voting members are eligible for these positions. 6.2. The regular responsibilities of the Committee Chair and Vice Chair are as per Section 2.4 of the Council Procedural Policy. 7. Committee Member Responsibilities 7.1. Understand the scope of the committee. 7.2. Committee members will follow the rules of order and debate as outlined in section 6 of the Council Procedural Policy. 7.3. Committee members will follow the voting process as outlined in section 9 of the Council Procedural Policy. 7.4. Committee Members must advise the Chair if they are unable to attend a meeting at least 24 hours in advance, this is to ensure a quorum will be met. 7.5. A Committee Member may resign at any time but must provide the Chair or CAO with written notice in advance of resignation. The Chair, CAO, and or the exiting Committee Member may request an exit meeting to receive feedback that may improve the function or direction of the committee. 7.6. From time to time, Committee Members may be privy to information that must remain confidential and, as such, will be subject to Appendix A- Municipal Confidentiality Agreement Form. 7.7. Committee Members have no direct financial responsibilities or ability to authorize payments or other expenditures on behalf of the Municipality. 8. Administration Responsibilities 8.1. Set the agenda for each meeting in consultation with the Committee. 8.2. Provide Administrative support where required. Municipality of the District of St. Mary's Fire Services Committee Policy Page 4 | 6 8.3. Record meeting minutes, distribute minutes and information as required and any other tasks deemed necessary. 9. Rules of Engagement 9.1. The Committee shall meet six (6) times per year, or otherwise as required to fulfill the duties as outlined. 9.2. Meeting will be held in the Council Chambers of the Municipality at 7:00 pm on the last Wednesday of the month, not conflicting with the Fire Association of St. Mary's meetings. 9.3. A majority of the voting members of the committee constitute a quorum. 9.4. Special Meetings of the Committee may be called on 24 hours' notice by the Chair and shall be called if requested by the majority of the Committee. 9.5. The Committee may receive presentations from the public upon approval of the chair, as per the Municipality of the District of St. Mary's Presentation to Council Policy. 9.6. Committee Members may meet virtually following the municipal Virtual Meeting Policy. 10. Policy Review This policy shall be reviewed at least once every four (4) years or as requested by the Committee, and where necessary, revised. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Municipal Clerk Date Municipality of the District of St. Mary's Fire Services Committee Policy Page 5 | 6 SCHEDULE A- POLICY AMMENDMENTS Version # Amendment Description Approved By Approval Date 1 Adoption of Policy Council May 15, 2023 APPENDIX A- Municipal Confidentiality Agreement Municipality of the District of St. Mary's Fire Services Committee Policy Page 6 | 6 NAME & POSITION TITLE DATE DISCLOSURE I acknowledge that in the course of carrying out my duties and responsibilities with the Municipality of St. Mary's, I may gain knowledge to information concerning the business of the Municipality, its employees, clients and Municipal Council. The disclosure of any information could potentially be highly detrimental to their interests. Accordingly, I hereby agree to treat all confidential information which I may have access to during the course of my employment with the Municipality, neither will I take possession of, make a copy of or allow another party access to any information or receive a copy. Furthermore, upon termination of employment with the Municipality of St. Mary's, I hereby agree to keep all confidential information in which I may have had access to during my employment with the Municipality. SIGNATURE _________________________________ _______________________________________ Name Printed Signature