OPENING SESSION
1st Vice President Charlie Peel opened the 68th Annual FFAM Convention by ringing the bell on Friday, May 17, 2024, at the Lodge of the Four Seasons Hotel in Lake Ozark, MO.
The Southern Stone Fire Protection District Honor Guard posted the colors. 1st Vice President Charlie Peel led the Pledge of Allegiance. Chaplain Brown gave the invocation.
1st Vice President Peel recognized the FFAM Officers and Directors and the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District Chief Marc Carr.
Final announcements were made.
1st Vice President Peel closed the opening session at 8:20 pm.
AWARDS BANQUET
1st Vice President Peel welcomed everyone to the awards banquet on May 18, 2024, at the Lodge of the Four Seasons Hotel in Lake Ozark, MO.
Chaplain Brown gave the invocation followed by the meal. National Volunteer Fire Council Board Chair Steve Hirsch gave a few remarks. Keynote speaker Lee’s Summit Fire Department Chief Mike Snider presented a program.
Scholarship Committee
Chair Larry Eggen announced the scholarship winners and presented certificates to those in attendance. Fayeth Prenger of St. Thomas, Reagan Wright of Mexico and Johnathan Thomas of Madison.
Fire Prevention Committee
Chair Andrew Caldwell announced the 2024 poster contest award winners.
Special Needs Division
1st Place, Bode Addison, Washington FD;
2nd Place, Andrew Deimeke, Little Dixie FPD;
1st and 2nd Grade Division
1st Place, Beckham Rice, Beaufort-Leslie FD; 2nd Place, Karleigh Klekamp, Washington FD; 3rd Place, Mackenzie Peters, Washington FD
3rd and 4th Grade Division
1st Place, Violet Vanboening, Paris Rural FPD; 2nd Place, Presley Wheeler, Paris Rural FPD; 3rd Place, Payton Searcy, Washington FD.
5th and 6th Grade Division
1st Place, Sophia Klekamp, Union FD; 2nd Place, Logan Halmich, Washington FD; 3rd Place, Olivia Struckhoff, Washington FD
Contest Committee
Chair Rob Erdel announced the 2024 convention contest winners.
Firefighter Division Challenge
2 Person Hose Coupling
1st Southern Stone #1; 2nd Little Dixie #2; 3rd Little Dixie #1.
Replace a Section of Hose
1st Southern Stone #1; 2nd Little Dixie #2; 3rd Little Dixie #1.
Extending a Line
1stSouthern Stone #1; 2nd Little Dixie #2; 3rd Southern Stone #2.
Water Barrel Fight
1st Little Dixie #2; 2nd Little Dixie #1; 3rd Southern Stone #1.
Bucket Brigade
1st Little Dixie #1; 2nd Little Dixie #2; 3rd Southern Stone #1.
Overall
Southern Stone #1.
Female Division Challenge
2 Person Hose Coupling
1st Southern Stone #2; 2nd Southern Stone #1.
Replace a Section of Hose
1st Southern Stone #1.
Extending a Line
1st Southern Stone #2; 2nd Southern Stone #1.
Water Barrel Fight
1st Southern Stone #1; 2nd Southern Stone #2.
Bucket Brigade
1st Southern Stone #1.
Overall
Southern Stone #1.
Junior Division Challenge
2 Person Hose Coupling
1st Little Dixie #1; 2nd Southern Stone #2; 3rd Southern Stone #1.
Extending a Line
1st Southern Stone #1; 2nd Southern Stone #2.
Water Barrel Fight
1st Southern Stone #2; 2nd Southern Stone #1.
Overall
Southern Stone #2.
Award Committee
Award Committee member Charlie Peel announced the 2024 award winners:
Life Saving Award
Dylan Summers, Richard Hammon, Chase Goulart, Donald Laughary; West Plains FD.
Life Saving Award
Alex Brooks, Bud McMillan, Christopher Sterner, Donald Laughary, Brett Wilcox; West Plains FD.
Meritorious Award
Alex Brooks, Brett Wilcox, Dylan Summers, Chase Goulart, Bud McMillen, Jacob Barks, Wayne Cormier, Drew Findley; West Plains FD.
Fire Fighter of the Year
Jakob Barks, West Plains FD.
Chief Officer of the Year
Christopher Sterner, West Plains FD.
Junior Program of the Year
Little Dixie FPD.
Phil Sayer Lifetime Achievement Award
Chief Ken Hoover, Little Dixie FPD.
1st Vice President Peel recognized retiring Director Gary Berendzen for his years of service to the Board of Directors.
1st Vice President Peel gave closing remarks. The banquet was followed by the dance.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
1st Vice President Peel called the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Fire Fighters Association of Missouri to order at 9:00 am, Sunday, May 19, 2024, at the Lodge of the Four Seasons hotel in Lake Ozark, MO.
Roll Call of Board of Directors and other officials:
Officers
President Larry Jennings, Johnson County FPD (V); First Vice President, Charlie Peel, Southeastern Randolph Co FPD; Second Vice President Grant Oetting, Higginsville FPD; Secretary-Treasurer Jaime Miller, Johnson County FPD #2; Sergeant-at-Arms Rex Reynolds, Southern FPD of Holt County.
Directors
District 1, Terry Wynne, Galt FPD; District 2, Vernon Cash, Shelbina FD; District 5, Terry Plumb, Southern Stone FPD; District 6, Shawn Ritchie, Holts Summit FPD; District 7, RB Brown, Union FPD; District 10, Greg Brown, Eureka FPD; District 11, Billy Smith, North Central Carroll Co FPD; District 14, Rick Dozier, Southern FPD of Holt County.
Assistant Directors
District 1, Janet Cain, Shoal Creek FPD; District 3, Josh Loyd, Martinsburg Area FPD; District 3, Dale Ransdell, Madison West Monroe FPD; District 4, Jonathan Evans, Lincoln FD; District 5, Shelby Honea, Southern Stone FPD; District 5, Dylan Honea, Southern Stone FPD; District 6, Alan Braun, Cole County FPD; District 7, Andrew Caldwell, Boles FPD; District 14, Kyler Oliver, Rosendale FPD.
*(V) denotes Virtual Attendance
Guests
Tim Bean, Missouri Division of Fire Safety; Gail Hagans, Harry Ward, University of Missouri Extension Fire and Rescue Training Institute; Chris Sterner, West Plains FD; Mike McNeill, Moreau FPD; Rob Schrage, Jefferson R7 FPD; Roger Meyers, Concordia FPD; Kurt Ploch, Boles FPD; Chad Wolfe, Larry Jones, Madison West Monroe FPD; Gary Berendzen, Cole County FPD; Pat Placke, Don Hahne, Washington FD; James Jones, Calhoun FD; Keith Smith, Warrenton FPD; Christina Loyd, Martinsburg Area FPD; David Miller, Johnson County FPD #2; Larry Eggen, Johnson County FPD.
Agenda
1st Vice President Peel asked for additions to the agenda. RB Brown moved to accept the agenda as presented. Terry Wynne seconded the motion and all approved.
Minutes
1st Vice President Peel asked for corrections or additions to the April 7, 2024 board meeting minutes. Rick Dozier moved to accept the minutes as presented. Terry Wynne seconded the motion and all approved. 1st Vice President Peel asked for corrections or additions to the June 2023 convention meeting minutes. RB Brown moved to accept the minutes as presented. Billy Smith seconded the motion and all approved.
Financial Report
1st Vice President Peel asked for a review of the March/April 2024 financial report. Discussion was held and the board advised to file the report for the annual compilation.
Report of Officers and Special Guest(s):
Harry Ward with the University of Missouri Extension Fire and Rescue Training Institute (MU FRTI) reported that Summer Fire School is next week, and current enrollment numbers are low. This will be the 92nd year of the program.
MU FRTI has been busy with lots of classes since January. They have been making necessary repairs to equipment as well. He thanked the instructors for going above and beyond.
They are working on filling one of two part-time positions. Check the website for more information on the positions.
They are working on the end of the budget year and also with the Division of Fire Safety on next year’s classes.
State Fire Marshal Tim Bean with the Division of Fire Safety thanked Lake Ozark FPD for a great convention. He encouraged everyone to educate the fire service on what FFAM does and the legacy of this association.
He reported that the legislative session is over and the budget for the DFS looks good. Firefighter training funds were also allocated. There are new legislators coming in for the new year so get to know them.
Fire Marshal Bean presented a certificate of appreciation to Sergeant-at-Arms Rex Reynolds for his years of service as he prepares to retire from Southern FPD of Holt County.
District reports
District 1
No report given.
District 2
No report given.
District 3
Dale Ransdell reported that he met with Monroe City and they are working on getting their membership in.
District 4
Jonathan Evans reported that he went to a retirement ceremony in Knob Noster and Joe Vaughn attended a retirement ceremony in Warrensburg.
District 5
Shelby Honea reported that she met with a new ambulance district in Stone County.
District 6
Shawn Ritchie reported that we met with several departments at a local chiefs meeting and he attended a retirement ceremony in Gravois.
District 7
RB Brown reported that he is waiting on responses from several departments.
District 9
no report given.
District 10
Greg Brown reported he will be retiring at the end of the year and he is looking for a new director to fill his position.
District 11
Billy Smith reported he stopped at Malta Bend FD and he will be attending the Independence Fire Fest in June.
District 12
No report given.
District 14
Rick Dozier reported that he spoke with all delinquent departments from 2023. Kyler Oliver has met with a few departments in Dekalb County.
Correspondence
No report was given.
Sergeant-at-Arms Rex Reynolds conducted a roll call of the delegates. There are 34 delegates present.
New Business
1st Vice President Peel advised that Kurt Wilbanks has retired from West Plains FD and has resigned as the District 9 Director. Anyone interested in filling this position should contact President Jennings.
Discussion was held on the realignment of district boundaries as presented in February. Discussion followed. Andrew Caldwell moved to redo the district boundaries as presented. Terry Plumb seconded the motion and all approved.
Discussion was held regarding the October meeting as it conflicts with the annual memorial services. The board agreed to move the meeting to September 29.
Secretary Miller presented a proposal to purchase a new copy machine using credit card reward funds and no funds coming from the budget. Terry Wynne moved to authorize Secretary Miller to purchase a copy machine. Grant Oetting seconded the motion and all approved.
Discussion was held on the proposed bylaw changes that were presented in February and posted on the website. Dale Ransdell moved to adopt the bylaw changes as presented. Billy Smith seconded the motion and all approved.
Josh Loyd reported that a letter of intent to host the 2025 convention has been received from the Tri-Lakes Chiefs Association. Dylan Honea advised that the dates for the convention would be May 2-4, 2025 at Chateau on the Lake in Branson. Discussion was held on grants or sponsorships to encourage attendance and grants for contest participants as ways to boost participation. Rob Schrage moved that the Tri-Lakes Chiefs Association host the 2025 convention. RB seconded the motion and all approved.
Election
Keith Smith advised that the following positions were slated for election with no opponents challenging.
- District 4 – Joe Vaughn
- District 5 – Terry Plumb
- District 9 – open
- District 10 – Greg Brown
Kurt Ploch moved to approve all by acclimation. Andrew Caldwell seconded the motion and all approved.
Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Jonathan Evans advised that three directors would be seeking election to fill unexpired terms of retiring directors from their respective districts.
- District 2 – Vernon Cash
- District 3 – Rob Erdel
- District 6 – Shawn Ritchie
Kurt Ploch moved to approve all by acclimation. Andrew Caldwell seconded the motion and all approved.
District 10 Director Greg Brown and Attorney Carl Scarborough gave an update on the Missouri Critical Illness Pool. The Pool has been covering firefighters now for two years and currently has 3500 firefighters and 100 departments. They will be rolling out the behavioral health portion later this year. Discussion was held on the opportunity for FFAM individual members to join the Pool if their department doesn’t. FFAM would be a clearing house and individuals could pay their own premiums. The Pool is working on creating an app to provide help, support, and training to help change the culture of cancer prevention and other issues. RB Brown moved for FFAM to become an affiliate organization with the Missouri Critical Illness Pool. Dale Ransdell seconded the motion and all approved.
Sergeant-at-Arms Rex Reynolds announced that he is retiring from the Southern Fire Protection District of Holt County and will also be retiring as FFAM Sergeant-at-Arms. 1st Vice President Charlie Peel presented Reynolds with a plaque thanking him for his years of service to FFAM.
Committee Reports
Awards Committee
Charlie Peel advised that several awards were presented at the banquet and thanked those who submitted nominations.
Budget Committee
No report was given.
Bylaws Committee
No report was given.
Chaplain Committee
David Hedrick reported that the Fire Chaplains Conference dates have been set for 2024. Missouri Fire Chaplains Corp will be conducting their Annual Conference in Jefferson City on Sept. 9-10, 2024. For more information contact MFCC Secretary Ed Hatcher at edhat@earthlink.net. The Federation of Fire Chaplains will hold its Annual Conference in Annapolis, MD, Oct. 21-24, 2024. For more information see the FFC website.
Contest Committee
Terry Wynne thanked those who helped get the contest set up and advised that the committee is open to any suggestions regarding the contest.
Convention Committee
Josh Loyd thanked everyone who helped with preparing for the convention.
Education Committee
Gail Hagans-Reynolds reported that sixteen people attended the Certified Fire and Ambulance Board class on Friday. The committee is seeking a new member to replace Kurt Wilbanks.
Fire Prevention Committee
Andrew Caldwell reported that the poster winners were announced at the banquet and the poster deadline will be changed back to 7:00 pm on the Friday of the convention.
Legislative Committee
Greg Brown reported the legislative session ended last week. The budget did pass with $4 million allocated to the Missouri Critical Illness Pool. $1.3 million in firefighter training is now a line item in the budget. Departments are encouraged to use this money every year so it keeps getting funded.
The federal reimbursement act for ambulance billing did pass along with SB 754 adding dispatchers and EMS personnel. Funding for LEPCs did not pass. Very few bills made it through.
For the next session, half of all legislators and senators will be new. Get to know your local representatives. Senator Huff has put $14 million in firefighter funding in the last five years and has been a huge supporter of the fire service in Missouri. Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe has also been a very strong advocate for the Missouri Fire Service. Both are running for higher offices.
Membership Committee
Grant Oetting reported the following membership numbers: 338 departments; 6482 active; 16 associates; 7 sustaining; 427 retired; 154 juniors; 504 directors; 6 Ems departments; 183 Ems individuals; 3 educational institutions; 9 educational individuals, 16 corporate.
Oetting will be attending the Missouri Association of Fire Districts conference in June and the JeffCo Engine Rally in September. Billy Smith and Keith Smith will be attending the Independence Fire Fest in June.
Imagemark is working on the recruitment and retention video.
Nomination Committee
No report was given.
NVFC Committee
Keith Smith reported that preparations for the NVFC fall conference in Kansas City continue and FFAM will be assisting with transportation.
New OSHA proposed requirements are rolling out and will have a huge impact on the fire service in Missouri. There will be an article in the upcoming magazine on how it will impact Missouri and there is now a landing page on the FFAM website regarding the proposals and updates. Fire departments need to flood OSHA with comments and concerns.
Scholarship Committee
Larry Eggen reported that three scholarships were awarded.
State Fair Committee
RB Brown reported that the State Fair is August 8-18. Applications are due at the end of May and work weekends are June 21-23, July 26-28, and August 2-4.
They are still in the planning stages with a project manager and architect regarding the construction/remodel at the fire station.
Website Committee
No report was given.
Newsletter
Secretary Miller reported the deadline for the next newsletter will be June 28.
Historian report
No report was given.
Fire Funeral Team report
The Team provided mutual aid to Wichita, KS for a LODD. $20k was put in as a line item in the state budget for the team.
EMS Funeral Team report
No report was given.
Foundation report
Keith Smith reported that the foundation now has its own website and email. The mailing address will also be changed to the museum building.
May 23 Melissa Old will assume the treasurer duties of the foundation replacing retired treasurer Greg Wright.
The next foundation meeting is June 9, and they will begin memorial preparations. There will be 100+ non-LODD recognized at this year’s service. Operation BBQ Relief will be providing a free lunch to attendees on Sunday after the service. They have also contracted with Truscape for lawn maintenance.
Kurt Ploch addressed the board regarding the status of the Phil Sayer Lifetime Achievement Award statue that was approved at the 2022 convention. He was advised that the Awards Committee is working on pricing and design details.
2ndVice President Grant Oetting presented a resolution to Lake Ozark Fire Protection District Chief Marc Carr thanking them for hosting the convention.
Members of the Southern Stone Fire Protection District Honor Guard retired the colors.
1st Vice President Peel adjourned the meeting at 11:21 am.
FFAM
