New York Fire District Officers’ Guide

Ensure Proper Administration Without Breaking the Budget

New York Fire District Officers’ Guide tells you how to remain in compliance while performing all your management duties.  With more than 260 forms and resolutions, this helpful guide gives you quick answers to your day-to-day operating and legal questions.

OSHA requirements … Bond issuance regulations … Reserve fund rules … Election procedures and forms … Audits of fixed asset inventory … Random drug testing … Reimbursement of expenses … Budget preparation — any one of these requirements could cause you legal trouble. But who can afford to consult an attorney every time a legal question arises?

Here is a less expensive solution. New York Fire District Officers’ Guide tells you how to remain in compliance while performing all your management duties:

• Organization
• Election
• Functions & Duties
• Operation
• Alcohol & Drugs
• Service Awards
• Budget Preparation
• Bond Issues
• Public Bidding
• ADA Compliance
• Contracts
• Claims & Vouchers
• Record Keeping
• Volunteer Membership
• Motivation & Management
• Constitution & Bylaws
• Emergency Rescue & Relief
• Ambulance Service
• Public Relations
• Labor Relations
• Discipline
• Insurance
• Volunteers’ Benefits
• Paid Firefighters
• Fire Protection Districts

You may refer to this helpful guide for: (1) quick answers to your day-to-day operating and legal questions, and (2) forms and resolutions. Why incur high hourly legal billing rates? Turn to Fire District Officers’ Guide when you need help with:

• Officers’ functions and duties. Expenditure of funds, financial reporting, investment policy, duties of chief, code of ethics, financial disclosure.
• Formation and operation. Media notification, organizational meetings, election requirements, annual meeting conduct, executive sessions, conventions and conference attendance, disaster preparedness, training, mutual aid plan, SEQRA compliance, public relations, insurance, creation of districts.
• Personnel. Substance abuse policy, privacy considerations, ADA compliance, membership committee, hiring considerations, personnel records, union organizing, disciplinary procedures, benefits, Fair Labor Standards Act compliance, military leave.
• Financial. Spending limitation, exceptions, bond issues, bond anticipation notes, capital and other reserve funds, record keeping, audits.
• Contracts. Bidding requirements, installment purchase requirements, procurement policies and procedures, contract cancellation.

Save legal fees with more than 260 forms–all of which are easily accessible via an emailed zip file.  Some forms include:

• Oaths of Office, Resolution for Defense and Indemnification of Fire District Officers, Sample Code of Ethics, Acknowledgment of Receipt of Code of Ethics, Annual Financial Disclosure
• Notification to Media of Organizational Meeting, Organizational Meeting Checklist, Notice of Annual Election, Resolution for the Use of Absentee Ballots, Notice of Permissive Referendum, Absentee Ballot, Application for Absentee Ballot
• Sample Investment Policy, Notice of Regular Meetings, Sample Rules and Regulations, Resolution for the Chief to Investigate, Resolution Authorizing Participation in Funerals
• Drug Policy Checklist, Sample Drug Policy, Reasonable Suspicion Testing
• Expenditures Worksheet, Estimated Revenues Worksheet, Summary of Expenditures, Summary of Estimated Revenues, Worksheet for Exception to Spending Limitations
• Resolution to Establish a Capital Reserve Fund for a Specific Object or Purpose, Suggested Resolution to Establish a Capital Reserve Fund for a Type of Equipment or Improvement
• Resolution Dealing with Procurement Policies, Second Sample of Procurement Policy Resolution, Notice to Bidders – Public Improvement, Notice to Bidders – Fire Apparatus, Quotations Register, Abstract of Audited Vouchers
• Public Access to Records, Application for Public Access to Records, Notice of Intention to Examine Public Employment Records, Itemized Voucher for Audit or Allowance of Claim Against District
• Resolution to Employ Paid Firefighters, Paid Officers, and a Paid Chief, Notice of Public Hearing

Administering a fire district continues to grow more difficult. This guide leads you step-by-step through the administrative pitfalls, and will help your fire district run efficiently, solve management problems, and meet its legal obligations.

REVISION 22 HIGHLIGHTS

THE 2019-2020 EDITION ADDS NEW SECTIONS AND UPDATES ON:

• Defense and indemnification (Chapter 1)
• Texting during public meetings (Chapter 2)
• Free speech and the fire service, including a detailed case study (Chapter 5)
• New York State Emergency Loan Fund (Chapter 7)
• Workers’ compensation reserve funds and insurance and unemployment insurance reserve funds (Chapter 7)
• Payments of Public Works Projects ( Chapter 8)
• Lemon Law for emergency fire vehicles (Chapter 8)
• Inventory of fixed assets (Chapter 11)
• Volunteer fire fighter membership applications for residents and non-residents (Chapter 12)
• New rules and considerations for hiring paid firefighters and a paid fire chief (Chapter 22)

AND INCLUDES THESE NEW AND UPDATED FORMS:

• Form 1-4 Resolution for Defense and Indemnification (UPDATED)
• Form 7-28 Resolution Authorizing Application for Borrowing (NEW)
• Form 7-29 Treasurer Certificate – Borrowing from Emergency Services Revolving Loan Account (NEW)
• Form 7-30 Treasurer Certification Regarding Money Received from Emergency Services Revolving Loan Account (NEW)
• Form 7-31 Letter to New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (NEW)
• Form 22-1 Resolution to Employ Paid Firefighters, Paid Officers and a Paid Chief (UPDATED)
• Form 22-2 Notice of Public Hearing (UPDATED)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In addition to authoring New York Fire District Officers’ Guide updates, Mr. DiRaddo practices municipal law in Western and Central New York and represents numerous fire districts and fire departments. These districts oversee full-paid, combination and all-volunteer fire departments.

Mr. DiRaddo is the monitor and a speaker at the Western New York Fire District Officers’ Association Mini Conference. As monitor and speaker at this conference for Fire District Commissioners in the Western New York area, timely legal and legislative issues affecting fire districts in New York State are discussed. He also speaks at the annual meeting of the Association of Fire District of the State of New York and is an instructor for the mandatory six-hour training for fire district commissioners.

Mr. DiRaddo is the former Town Attorney for the Town of Greece, a town of over 90,000 people where he oversaw a staff of three attorneys and several outside law firms representing the town. He was responsible, like fire attorneys, for the legal representation of the town in all contract, litigation, and compliance matters.

Mr. DiRaddo is also a former Monroe County Legislator who represented an area comprising the northern part of the City of Rochester and the eastern part of the Town of Greece, and has also served eight years as Town of Greece Councilman.

In addition, Mr. DiRaddo is a former Town Justice. There he was responsible for the administration of justice within the town of Greece on all matters within the jurisdiction of the New York Town Courts. This included arraignment and preliminary hearing jurisdiction of all original felony matters, and trial jurisdiction of all misdemeanors, traffic violations, small claims, and local ordinance violations occurring within the town of Greece. He was also the Vice-President of the Monroe County Magistrates Association.

Mr. DiRaddo received his Juris Doctorate at the St. Louis University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics from the Saint John Fisher College in Rochester, New York.