SM_Sec300_3.pdf - Fire Service Awards and Procedures PDF

Chapter III General Policies And Procedures outstanding act which is clearly beyond the call of duty. In addition, the deed cited must be one which, had it not been performed, would in no way subject such individuals to any justifiable criticism. Any Division member who is killed while on duty, or...

Chapter III General Policies And Procedures outstanding act which is clearly beyond the call of duty. In addition, the deed cited must be one which, had it not been performed, would in no way subject such individuals to any justifiable criticism. Any Division member who is killed while on duty, or who dies as a result of injuries received in the line of duty, should be considered for this award. 330.06 BRONZE MALTESE (Third highest award) - Awarded to active members of the Division of Fire who, acting in the highest traditions of the fire service, bring distinction upon themselves and the Division by exhibiting extraordinary bravery or courage in the performance of acts or duties, the level of which exceeds that normally required or expected of such members. QUALIFYING CONSIDERATIONS: To qualify for this award, individuals nominated must render themselves conspicuous in the performance of acts or duties, under hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions, setting them above and apart from those performing comparable duties. In addition, the deed cited must be one which, had it not been performed, would in no way subject the individual to any justifiable criticism. Any Division member who is killed while on duty, or who dies as a result of injuries received in the line of duty, should be considered for this award. 330.08 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD - Awarded to individual members of the fire service for the commendable performance of acts or duties, or for efforts expended in materially contributing to the success of fire safety, fire prevention, or community relations programs. QUALIFYING CONSIDERATIONS: To qualify for this award the person or persons nominated must have performed distinguishing acts or duties in a manner deemed to be above that normally required or expected, and sufficient to set them apart from those performing comparable duties. Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter III General Policies And Procedures 330.10 FIRE CHIEF’S AWARD - This award may be presented to fire service individuals, groups, or companies, who, in the opinion of the Fire Chief, have performed in a manner which the Fire Chief feels is beyond that which is normally expected of them. This award may be presented in conjunction with, or in the absence of, a nomination for another award. Companies, groups, or individuals failing to garner the majority approval of the Awards Screening Committee as a result of being nominated for any of the previously listed awards would remain eligible for the presentation of this award as recommended by the Fire Chief. 330.12 FIRE SERVICE AWARD OF MERIT - This award may be presented to fire service individuals, groups, or companies, who, in the opinion of an Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief or Battalion Chief, have performed in a manner which such Chief feels is beyond that which is normally expected of them. This award may be presented in conjunction with, or in the absence of, a nomination for another award. Companies, groups, or individuals failing to garner the majority approval of the Awards Screening Committee as a result of being nominated for any of the previously listed awards would remain eligible for the presentation of this award as recommended by the involved Chief Officer. The nominating Chief shall be notified by the Awards Committee when the award is ready to be presented. 330.16 Two weeks prior to the presentation, the Awards Committee must be notified by the involved Chief of the time, date, and place where the award is to be conferred. The Committee shall then notify the Public Information Office and Division Photographer of such time and place. Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter III General Policies And Procedures 330.18 FIREFIGHTER’S CROSS - Awarded posthumously to members of the Division of Fire who are killed while on duty, or who die as a result of injuries received in the line of duty. 330.20 CITIZEN’S AWARD FOR BRAVERY - Awarded to citizens, other than members of the fire service, who distinguish themselves by performing heroic acts involving hazard to life or great personal danger, while saving or attempting to save a life. 330.22 CITIZEN’S AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE Awarded to citizens, other than members of the fire service, who have distinguished themselves by performing acts or duties in a manner deemed to be above that normally required or expected, and sufficient to set them apart from their peers. AWARDS SCREENING COMMITTEE 330.24 The Division of Fire Awards Screening Committee shall be composed of nine (9) members of the uniformed Division who represent a cross section of the various bureaus and ranks within the Division. Committee members shall be chosen according to the following guidelines: 1. The chairman shall be appointed by the Fire Chief. 2. The Bureau heads of Fire Prevention Bureau, Support Services Bureau, and Training Bureau shall appoint one (1) member each from their respective bureaus to this committee. 3. Deputy Chiefs assigned to the Emergency Services Bureau shall each appoint one (1) member of their respective units to serve on the committee. 4. The President of Local #67 IAFF may appoint one member of this body to serve on this committee. 5. One additional committee member shall be appointed at large by the Fire Chief. Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter III General Policies And Procedures 6. The Awards Committee Chairperson shall appoint a Banquet Subcommittee from the members of the Awards Committee. This subcommittee shall be responsible for all arrangements concerning the presentations of awards, subject to the approval of the Chief. They shall keep the Public Information Office informed of all details pertaining to the banquet and the presentation of the awards. NOTE: No individual will serve in a dual capacity by filling more than one of the above stated committee positions (a through e) at one time. (Revised 12/31/15) 330.26 Each appointment to the Awards Screening Committee shall ordinarily be for a term of three (3) years and at the end of such period may be considered for one (1) reappointment. The terms of the committee representatives will commence as follows and continue on a three (3) year rotation: 1. January 1 of 1998 Emergency Services Bureau (3 unit) Training Bureau Member at Large 2. January 1 of 1999 Emergency Services Bureau (1 unit) Fire Prevention Bureau 3. January 1 of 2000 Emergency Services Bureau (2 unit) Support Services Bureau 4. The Local 67 representative will be appointed at the discretion of the Union President. NOTE: Committee members who may be unable to complete their appointed terms will be replaced by Division members belonging to the same organizational category, and appointed by the same process as was utilized in making the original appointments. (Revised 12/31/15) Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter III General Policies And Procedures 330.28 Each member of the Awards Screening Committee shall have an equal vote, with the exception of the Chairman, who shall not vote. 330.30 The Awards Screening Committee shall hold quarterly meetings, and may also be convened by the Committee Chairman for special meetings when necessary. 330.32 Whenever committee meetings are held, it shall require the presence of five (5) voting members to constitute a quorum. 330.34 No official recognition shall be accorded Division members, nor shall any awards be conferred upon them for services rendered in the discharge of their duties, until such time as the Awards Screening Committee has officially authorized such recognition or award. 330.36 The Chief of the Division of Fire shall make the actual award presentations. NOMINATION PROCEDURES 330.38 Any member of the Division of Fire may nominate an individual (or individuals) for an award. Normally, this nomination will be initiated by, or through, the immediate superior of the member or person being nominated. Nominations may also be received by persons other than members of the Division of Fire. 330.40 Nominations shall be forwarded through normal channels to the Chief using form PI-49, Recommendation for Commendation. Notification to the Fire Chief may be made through traditional methods of division mail or through electronic mail as an attachment. The use of electronic mail DOES NOT prevent the need to follow the chain of command. The narrative should include a detailed account of the incident and all other pertinent information. Include the names of any witness or other person involved and the extent of any injuries. (Revised 12/31/15) Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter III General Policies And Procedures 330.42 In general, an awards nomination should be initiated and channeled through the chain of command to the Chief as soon after the occurrence as possible, preferably no later than the duty day immediately following that on which the incident occurred. SCREENING COMMITTEE GUIDELINES - EXPLANATIONS AND DEFINITIONS 330.44 MEDAL OF VALOR This is the highest award that can be bestowed upon a member of the Division of Fire. Accordingly, there must be no margin of doubt or possibility of error in awarding this honor. The Awards Screening Committee must thoroughly investigate and carefully review the particular qualifying criteria of members nominated for this prestigious award. In addition, this award should nearly always be reserved for presentation to the individual Division member for an act performed in the presence of others, where verification of the circumstances surrounding the event can be readily obtained and the potential for error is minimized. 330.46 An explanation of the requirements listed in the “Qualifying Considerations” for receipt of this award follows: The phrase “must clearly render themselves conspicuous above their comrades” infers that the act performed be one which was either observed, or was an act the results of which leave little room for speculations to the probable actions taken; it should also have been an act that others in the same position as the nominee had an opportunity to perform, but justifiably declined to undertake, or failed in the attempt to perform. (“CONSPICUOUS” - easily seen or noticed; readily observable; attracting special attention...) 330.48 The phrase “by an act so outstanding that it clearly distinguishes his gallantry...” infers that the act performed must be one which could not be considered as being “routine” or ordinary in any way. (“GALLANTRY” - dashing courage; heroic bravery; valor) (“OUTSTANDING” - prominent, striking) Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter III General Policies And Procedures 330.50 The phrase “beyond the call of duty” is relatively self-explanatory. (“BEYOND” - more than: in excess of...) (“DUTY” - that which one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation; action or task required by one’s position or occupation.) 330.52 The phrase “from lesser forms of bravery” is also fairly easy to interpret. (“LESSER” - small in size; amount; importance) (“BRAVERY” - refers to confident bearing in the face of difficulties or dangers) 330.54 In addition, the act must have been performed in “the face of grave danger or imminent hazard to life, with knowledge of the risks involved”, as defined herein. (“GRAVE” - threatening a seriously bad outcome or involving serious issues) (“DANGER” - liability or exposure to harm; injury; risk; peril) (“IMMINENT” - likely to occur at any moment; impending) (“HAZARD” - danger; peril; expose to risk) (“KNOWLEDGE” - fact or state of knowing; clear and certain mental apprehension) (“RISK” - exposure to the chance of injury or loss) 330.56 To elaborate, the nominee must have been aware of the risks involved in the situation in order to qualify for this award. In addition, this award should usually be reserved for those situations where there actually was grave danger or imminent hazard to life, not for situations where the nominee thought, or even had good reason to believe, that actual danger existed, or where the risks involved were thought to be greater than they actually turned out to be. 330.58 SILVER MALTESE This is the second highest award that can be bestowed upon a member of the Division of Fire. In most cases, an individual awarded this honor will at least have received some consideration as a possible recipient of the “MEDAL OF VALOR”. The difference in the “Qualifying Considerations” between this and the previous (Medal of Valor) award are, for the most part, differences in degree rather than type. Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter III General Policies And Procedures 330.60 This award should usually be reserved for presentation to an individual Division member of an obviously courageous act, decidedly beyond that normally required, and about which the potential for error concerning verification of relevant circumstances is minimized. 330.62 An explanation of the requirements listed in the “Qualifying Considerations” for receipt of this award follows: The key phrases describing the qualifications for this award are much the same as those listed for the Medal of Valor. Note, however, that certain segments included in the preceding qualifications have been omitted from this paragraph. Among the phrases omitted are “when saving or attempting to save a life” and “There must be no margin of doubt or possibility of error in awarding this honor”. While careful investigation procedures are highly encouraged, the intense level of scrutiny demanded of Medal of Valor nominations is not mandatory for this award. In addition, descriptive words have been removed from the remainder of the paragraph, so as to allow for flexibility of choice between these two highly prestigious awards in situations where individual committee members have difficulties in determining which qualifying considerations apply. 330.64 BRONZE MALTESE This is the third highest award that can be bestowed upon a member of the Division. In most cases, an individual awarded this honor will have received at least some consideration as a possible recipient of the Silver Maltese. 330.66 Once again, the basic difference in “Qualifying Considerations” between this and the previous (Silver Maltese) award are, for the most part, differences in degree rather than type. 330.68 This award should be presented to a Division member (or members) performing courageous and selfless acts beyond what is normally required and the circumstances of which can be reliably determined. Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter III General Policies And Procedures 330.70 An explanation of the requirements listed in the award narrative and the “Qualifying Considerations” for receipt of this award follows: “The act should bring distinction upon the member and the Division...” (“Distinction” - distinguishing or treating with special honor, attention or favor) 330.72 The phrase “conspicuous in the performance of acts or duties, under hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions” denotes an extraordinary courageous act, yet not performed “under imminent hazard to life” as is outlined for the Medal of Valor, nor “in the face of great danger: as is outlined for the Silver Maltese. 330.74 Other fairly obvious omissions and revisions serve to make these qualifying considerations sufficiently diminished from those of the higher awards. Still, it should be remembered that none of these awards should be presented to members who do not at least meet the minimum stated requirements for each listed category. 330.76 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD This award was meant to be broader in scope than the first three. 330.78 The committee should exercise its good judgment in applying the admittedly broad criteria of this award, so as not to diminish its importance in the eyes of the various recipients who are presented the award for the many divergent deeds or activities which qualify. 330.80 FIRE CHIEF’S AWARD The basic criteria for this award are fairly broad. The main idea is to allow formal recognition of deserving Fire service individuals, groups or companies from the Fire Chief’s level. 330.82 FIRE SERVICE AWARD OF MERIT The basic criteria for this award are fairly broad. The main idea is to allow formal recognition of deserving Fire service individuals, groups or companies from the Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief and Battalion Chief’s level. Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020 Chapter III General Policies And Procedures 330.86 As with all awards, a copy of the certificate or accompanying letter will become a permanent part of each recipient’s personnel file. 330.88 CITIZEN’S AWARD FOR BRAVERY The criteria for this award are that a hazardous or potentially hazardous condition did occur that required extraordinary courage to perform the act or deed. While the criteria for this award is fairly broad, it is intended to recognize citizens who perform courageous acts or deeds that set them apart from other citizens and would not have brought criticism upon them had they not performed the act or deed. 330.90 CITIZEN’S AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE This award is meant to be broader in scope than the Citizen’s Award for Bravery. Service rather than bravery is emphasized for this award. 330.92 EMS AWARD OF MERIT This award may be presented to a fire service individual, groups, or companies who, in the opinion of an EMS Supervisor but, in collaboration with the Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, or Battalion Chief, have exhibited care and consideration during an emergency medical situation beyond which the nominating Chain of Command feels is normally expected of them. This award may be presented in conjunction with, or in the absence of a nomination for another award. Companies, groups, or individuals, failing to garner the majority approval of the Awards Screening Committee as a result of being nominated for any previously listed awards would remain eligible for the presentation of this award as recommended by the involved EMS Supervisor, but in collaboration with an Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief or Battalion Chief. Two weeks prior to the presentation, the Awards Committee must be notified by the involved Chief, of the time, date, and place where the award is to be conferred. The Committee shall then notify the Public Information Office and Division Photographer of such time and place. (Added 12/31/15) Revised 12.07.2017 Updated as of 2.18.2020