1. Top Ten Mistakes Made by Fire Boards Facilitated By Jeff Dyar jeffdyar@skywerx.com 2 The Far View Group, LLC All Rights Reserved 2010

3. Upper Pine River Fire Protection District formed in November 1974 covers 265 square miles La Plata County urban interface fire protection district We mutual aid with the forest service and surrounding fire districts.

4. …a little about me 39 Years in EMS/fire service EMS and Health & Safety Programs, NFA (ret.) Recent Opportunities: FEMA Ops Chief Littleton Report WTC Response 2002 Olympics Mesa Verde fires PRVFPD Board Member LPFPD Member Author

6. One night you were dreaming about being a Board Member …..

7. Warning! The following activity is considered dangerous by some adults… Proceed under Caution and at Your Own Risk!

8. Who Are You People? Where are you from? What do you do? What do you want from this session? …. Two Minute Drill!

9. A Reality Check New Member Training/mentoring Background Check for new Board Members Position/duties description for Members Agreement on Roles and Responsibilities Human Resources/policy Guide – legally reviewed Conflict Management Plan

10. Conflict of Interest any situation in which an individual or corporation (either private or governmental) is in a position to exploit a professional or official capacity in some way for their personal or corporate benefit. A director or executive of a corporation will be subject to legal liability if a conflict of interest breaches his Duty of LoyaltyDuty of Loyalty

11. Nepotism Nepotism - noun : favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship Merriam-Webster Online DictionaryMerriam-Webster Online Dictionary Cannot Discriminate Based on Nepotism District Policy/ethics should guide actions

12. Accounting/Auditing 29-1-603 CRS Annual Audit $500K - $100K Exemption Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted

13. Conflict Management Plan Conflict is inevitable, normal, guaranteed Behavioral Expectations Conflict Resolution

14. What are your expectations for behavior? Just do your job! Can’t we all just get along? Read the Personnel Manual Define it, coach it, measure it!

15. Insurance Professional -error or omission, a mistake, which causes financial harm to another, can occur on almost any transaction in any profession Bond – Surety minimum $1000 – Individual director Corporate Fidelity minimum $5K – Entire board Required – Workers Comp, Health Care, Capital Investment, Investment

16. Role Ambiguity – Board and Chief

17. The Job of a Board Member or Elected Official Fiduciary Responsibilities Oversight of the Organization Support of the Organizational Leadership Coordinate with Neighboring Organizations Keep Current on State and Federal Issues Set Budget and Administrative Parameters

18. Job of the Fire Chief Administer the Budget approved by the board Manage the Day to Day Activities Manage Human Resources Manage Operations, Prevention and Planning Inform and Educate the Board/EF

19. Role Ambiguity – Board and Members Duty of Loyalty a term used in corporate law to describe a fiduciaries' "conflicts of interest and requires fiduciaries to put the corporation's interests ahead of their own.”

20. CRS Violations Meetings Elections Bylaws Auditing Tabor Fiduciary Requirements

21. Hiring Processes For a Chief – Have a Process Credentialing – Work Experience For Firefighter – Validated Testing Validated Test – Written Agility – CPAT Top Two for Litigation

22. HR Management Legally Reviewed Policies and Procedures SDA has a sample set - Don’t Copy Beware of Legally Required Policies Training for ALL MEMBERS, STAFF, DIRECTORS

23. Training 95% of New Members don’t receive Training 95% of Established Members don’t receive Training Most Boards don’t do Strategic Planning Most Boards don’t manage Conflict 50% of Districts have no HR policies

24. HOUSE BILL 09-1199 24-33.5-1212. Training for directors of fire protection districts - pilot program - advisory board - training fund - repeal. (5) (a) The division shall offer courses to directors of fire protection districts in accordance with this section at no charge ….. Tentative Curriculum – 4 hours, 8 deliveries across State - Wildland-Urban Interface Planning - Strategic Planning – Fire District - Roles/Responsibilities – Fiduciary Delivery before June 2011

25. What to Do Now! Get Training for new Directors, recurrent for ALL Directors Don’t forget Admin and Chief Officers HB 1199 Review the “Top Ten” and conduct a Vulnerability Assessment Get Outside Help

26. Thanks for Attending! For Information on this presentation, a copy of the presentation or help with District issues, Contact: Jeffdyar@skywerx.com Jeffdyar@skywerx.com (970) 769-0788