Code of Regulation
3.01 General. Membership in the Association shall be open to the general public and/or to any organization or individual supporting and sustaining the objectives set forth in Section 2 of this Code of Regulations and conforming to the requirements herein. Application for membership in this Association shall be made in writing on the regular application form provided by the Association. Approval of all applications shall be as prescribed herein. The Classes of membership are hereinafter set forth.
3.02 Individual Membership “Regular”. Any individual interested in and residing or actively engaged in Emergency Medical Services within the boundaries of the State of Ohio shall be eligible to join the Association as an individual Member - “Regular”. Individual members in good standing shall receive the official publication of the Association and have the privilege of a single vote per issue concerning the business of the Association.
3.03 Individual Membership “Spousal”. A spouse of an individual member in good standing may join as an individual member of the Association at a reduced rate. Spousal members shall have all privileges of an individual membership excluding the official publication of the Association.
3.04 Individual Membership “Senior Citizens”. Any individual member age 55 or over who has been a member of the Association for ten (10) or more consecutive years will be entitled to a reduced membership fee. Proof of age will be the responsibility of the individual.
3.05 Unit Memberships. Single entities such as fire departments, ambulance services, rescue squads, hospitals, industrial or service groups, etc. who are actively engaged or interested in emergency medical and rescue services shall be eligible to join as a Unit Member. Unit Members shall be entitled to one (1) copy of each issue of the official publication of the Association. Unit Members in good standing shall be entitled to two (2) votes in the Annual Election of Officers in the Association. There shall be only one (1) member of a unit privileged to vote on the Unit’s behalf provided a letter of authorization on official letterhead of that unit is signed by an officer of that unit (Chief, Director, President, or Vice-President) and presented to the Credentials Committee. This letter is to be retained by the Credentials Committee as part of their records for not less than a period of two (2) months from the date of election. A single entity eligible to join this class of membership is limited to a department, company, etc. Members of this unit shall not be considered as Individual Members of the Association unless they have joined in accordance with the provisions as forth under Individual Membership - “Regular”. All members of a “Unit Membership” are eligible to attend any OAEMS conference at member’s registration costs
3.06 Young Adult Group. A Young Adult group membership is composed of members who reside within the boundaries of the State of Ohio, are full-time students of a school, college, or university accredited by the State of Ohio, and has not reached their 24th birthday. This category of membership is formed to allow participation in competitions sponsored by the Ohio Association of Emergency Medical Services. A member of this category will have no vote in the Association. Members of the Young Adult category may join as Individual Members- “Regular” of the Association in accordance with the provisions as set forth herein.
3.07 Corporate Membership. Businesses within or outside the State of Ohio who manufacture or distribute emergency medical equipment and/or supplies, or who are interested in supporting the Association shall be eligible to join the Association as a Corporate Member. The Corporate Member shall receive one (1) copy of each official publication of the Association and such other benefits as may be determined by the Board of Directors. This is a non-voting membership category. Any person affiliated with the corporate organization shall be welcome to attend all functions of the Association but shall not be considered an Individual Member -”Regular” of the Association unless the member had complied in accordance with the provisions as set forth herein.
3.08 Fees. Membership fees for all categories of membership shall be established by the Board of Directors and approved by membership at a General Business Meeting. A percentage of all membership fees will be allocated a subscription fee for the official publication of the Association as determined by the Board of Directors. All membership fees are due and payable each year as determined by the Board of Directors.
3.09 Good Standing. A member is considered to be in good standing for each category of membership when the provisions of that particular category have been met. Except for renewal of membership, memberships must be paid by May 1 of each year in order to be eligible to vote or to run for office at the Annual State Conference. Said correspondence must be postmarked, faxed or e-mailed dated with the appropriate date of May 1. Memberships that expire in the calendar month of or immediately preceding the State Educational Conference that are renewed prior or in conjunction with registration at the State Educational Conference shall afford voting privileges.
3.10 Renewal. Any individual must have held an Individual membership “regular” and said membership expired within a year of renewal to constitute renewal status. Any membership expired for over one year shall be considered a new member to the Association in accordance to the rules and regulations of voting and holding office in the Association. All members when renewing shall complete the forms approved by the Executive Office. It is the responsibility of a member to keep his membership fee paid in a timely fashion after completion of the approved forms. All renewal membership fees must be received before the start of the next conference to remain a member in good standing.
3:11 Active Military Service. Association members actively engaged in the military service of the United States of America shall be excused from current dues and assessments during the term of such active engagement and shall be considered members in good standing.
3:12 Lifetime Membership. Awarded to individuals who have served the Association in a high degree, such as serving as a President or other long-standing job for the good of the Association. This membership entitles full membership and privileges associated with the standards of Regular Membership. This honor requires no yearly dues or payment of conference fees. This honorary membership shall be recommended by board and voted on by the General Membership at the Annual State Meeting. Recommendations can come from the membership to a board member for consideration.
3:13 Termination of Membership. Any member of this organization can have his/her membership revoked. This action will require a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Board of Directors at a regular, a special Board of Directors meeting, or the Annual Board Retreat. Attendance at this meeting must meet a quorum as described in the Code of Regulations.
a) Misrepresented their position in the organization.
b) Falsely claimed to hold an office within the organization.
c) Entered into a contract without expressed permission of the Board of Directors.
d) Any violation of Ohio or United States law that would constitute a felony.
e) Any violation of Ohio law that would cause an EMT or higher certification to lose their certification because of criminal activity.
f) Misrepresented the organization with libelous intent.
Any member or officer of this organization can initiate this action. Requests for the termination of a member can be brought to the General Meeting but discussion will be held at the next Board of Directors meeting. Any party wishing to be heard will be invited to speak with a limit of ten (10) minutes. The Board of Directors will have this discussion in executive session to protect all concerned parties. Any action to revoke a membership must be taken the next open meeting of the Board of Directors per this Code of Regulations.
Any member who has been terminated may appeal to the Board of Directors within ninety (90) days after termination. This appeal with the Board of Directors will be a closed session. The final decision will require a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the quorum of the officers present and shall be final.
Any revoked membership will receive no refund of membership dues.
A letter of revocation of membership will be immediately sent to the ex-member by certified mail.