Code of Regulation
OFFICERS
6.01 Elected Officers. The elected officers of this Association shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and District Directors, the number of which shall be determined in accordance with the procedures as stated herein.
6.02 Board of Directors. There shall be a Board of Directors, which shall consist of the elected officers and the immediate Past President. All members of the Board of Directors shall be residents of the designated Districts that they represent and voting members in good standing of the Association. It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to oversee all business of the Association transacted between regular General Business Meetings. The Board of Directors shall meet at the call of the President, or upon written request of a majority of the Directors. The membership shall be given a report by the Recording Secretary of the business conducted by the Board of Directors. Six (6) voting Directors shall constitute a quorum at a Board meeting. All members of the Board of Directors shall serve without rumination, except for expenses actually incurred in the performance of duties of their offices. Such expenses must be approved by a majority of the Board of Directors present and voting.
There will be a binding agreement, signed by all board members, employees, and agents of the Ohio Association of Emergency Medical Services, stating that only the President and the Treasurer may enter into a financial contract: i.e., oral, written or implied; in or for the Ohio Association of Emergency Medical Services. This contract must be signed by the President and Treasurer to be valid. Any person entering into a contract without the approval of the President shall be held personally responsible for the entire amount of the contract all obligations as stated in said contract.
If a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Board of Directors vote for a financial obligation, the President and Treasurer are required to sign for that financial obligation. However, the President and/or Treasurer may voice his/her concerns about how the contract may negatively influence the Association. These concerns must be documented in the minutes and the President and/or Treasurer may no longer be held liable for that particular contract.
6.03 District Directors. The elected District Directors shall represent the designated territories within their assigned District. All District Directors shall serve on the Membership Committee and shall promote the objectives of the Association throughout their respective Districts. They shall act as delegates to welcome all members of their respective Districts to the General Business Meetings and the State Educational Conference Business Meetings and State Educational Conferences and may call and preside over meetings of said members. District Directors may appoint County or Territorial Representatives within their respective Districts. District Directors shall serve as active members of the Board of Directors, and shall accept a fair share of the workload of the Board of Directors. The number of Districts shall be established by the Board with the approval of a majority of the members present and voting at a General Business Meeting.
To be elected to and hold the position of District Director, an individual must reside in the District to which the position designates. If said person moves to another District during current term of office, a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Board of Directors is required to continue status of this office. This vote must take place at the next scheduled Executive Board Meeting.
6.04 Election. All elected officers shall be elected by ballot for a three year term at the Annual State Conference Meeting as follows:
(1) President, District Director #4, and the Recording Secretary as of this date will hold office until the year 2003. A new election shall be held every three years after the year 2003 for these offices.
(2) Vice-President, District Director #3, and District #5 will be voted on in the year 2004. A new election shall be held every third year after the year 2004 for these offices.
(3) District Director #1, District Director #2, and Treasurer will be voted on in the year 2002. A new election shall be held every third year after the year 2002 for these offices.
6.05 Election Criteria. No member shall be eligible to hold office unless that member is an individual voting member in good standing. In addition, candidates shall qualify for such offices according to the following criteria:
1. Any candidate for President must have held an Individual voting membership for the past three (3) consecutive years, and also must have served one (1) year on the Board of Directors.
2. Any candidate for Vice-President must have held an Individual voting membership for the past three (3) years, and also must have served one (1) year on the Board of Directors.
3. Any candidate for District Director, Treasurer, or Recording Secretary must have held an Individual voting membership for the past consecutive twelve (12) months.
In the event any elective office is vacated by resignation or inability of the officer to serve for any reason, the President, with the approval of two-thirds (2/3) of the Board of Directors present and voting, may fill such vacancy by appointment of a person having the required qualifications. Service time requirement may be waived for vacant elected offices filled in this manner. Any person so appointed shall hold office for the unexpired term of the officer being replaced, and may have the service time waived in order to stand for re-election to that office at the end of the unexpired term.
6.06 President. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and of the Board of Directors. The President shall appoint all committees not otherwise provided for, and perform such other duties as may be required by the Association or by the Board of Directors. The President shall have general supervision over the affairs of the Association, shall be ex-officio, and a member of all committees, except as restricted in the Code of Regulations. The President shall have signature on file with the Association’s banking establishment. The President may sign checks in the absence of the Treasurer. The President shall not execute any single disbursement in the excess of five hundred dollars ($500.00) without prior approval of the Board of Directors. The President shall receive and review the membership applications for appropriateness of category. If, in the opinion of the President, a membership should not be accepted for any reason, the President shall present the application to the Board of Directors for approval or denial. Appropriate records of all procedures pertinent to the application for membership must be maintained and forwarded to the President.
6.07 Vice-President. In the absence of, or the inability of, the President; the Vice-President, shall perform all the duties of the office. The Vice-President shall be in charge of publicity, public relations, and shall be responsible for research and standardization of all emergency medical care, rescue and first aid training. The Vice-President shall, when called upon by the President, assist in conducting the affairs of the Association.
6.08 Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary shall keep a complete and accurate record of the proceedings of all meetings of the Association and the Board of Directors and shall perform such other duties as the President or Board of Directors may require.
6.09 Administrative Assistant. The Administrative Assistant shall be appointed by the President with the approval of two-thirds (2/3) of the Board of Directors present and voting, and shall hold office until a successor has been appointed. The Administrative Assistant shall handle all correspondence relative to the Association, and perform all other duties assigned by the President or the Board of Directors.
The Administrative Assistant shall prepare and present at each meeting, and at such other times as the President and the Board of Directors may require, a complete and accurate written report of the activities concerning membership, correspondence, and any other pertinent report needed to be presented to the Association or the Board of Directors. The Administrative Assistant shall take inventory of all tangible assets, equipment, and property of the Association as of June 30 of each year and shall present this report at the first meeting of the Board of Directors thereafter. All members of the Board of Directors must submit their report of inventory, equipment, and property belonging to the Association in their possession by June 15 of each year to the Administrative Assistant.
6.10 Editor. The Editor shall be appointed in accordance with the policy established for that position. The Editor of the official publication of the Association shall be responsible for editing all material published to insure that such material shall be in good taste and shall reflect the purposes of the Association. The name of this official publication of the Association shall be named The Voice of Ohio EMS. The Editor shall keep complete records of the official publication and accurate written accounts of the cost of the official publication. The Treasurer must be given copies of these written accounts.
6.11 Legislative Agent. The Legislative Agent shall be an Individual voting member in good standing, appointed by the President with the majority approval of the Board of Directors present and voting. It shall be the duty of the Legislative Agent to act as liaison between the Association and the State Legislature for the purpose of establishing meaningful laws pertaining to the intent of this Association as written herein.
6.12 Parliamentarian(s). Parliamentarian(s) shall be a voting member(s) in good standing, appointed by the President with a majority approval of the Board of Directors present and voting. It shall be the duty of the Parliamentarian(s) to assist the President in the interpretation of parliamentary procedures.
6.13 Inactive Officers. An officer of the Association may be determined inactive if there is substantial failure to perform the duties of that office. A member of the board shall be deemed inactive if said officer is unexcused for more than fifty percent of all official board meetings in one-year period. The dates being 1 July to 30 June of each year. Absences may be deemed excusable upon written explanation subject to board approval. The President may at a formal meeting of the Board of Directors, declare that office vacant. In the event the President becomes inactive, the Board of Directors in a like manner may determine that office vacant.
6.14 Annual Retreat. All official Board Members are required to attend the annual retreat. An unexcused absence from the annual retreat shall deem that officer inactive.
6.15 Removing of elected officers from office. Any officer may be recommended for removal from office with a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the officers present at a regular, a special Board of Directors, or the Annual Board Retreat meeting. Attendance at this meeting must meet a quorum as described in this Code of Regulations.
An officer may also be recommended for removal by the membership at the regular General Business meeting. This meeting must be certified as having quorum as described in this Code of Regulations. This action shall require a vote of the membership called by the President and counted from a show of hands and requires a two-thirds (2/3) majority of those present.
The vote on removal shall take place at the next regularly scheduled General Business meeting. This office shall be held in escrow between these meetings. Any office in escrow will have no authority to perform any duties in the organization. The decision to remove an officer will require a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the quorum of members present.
The Board of Directors must then assure that a violation of the Code of Regulations has occurred and thoroughly documented in the Recording Secretary’s minutes.
If the President is the officer under accusation, the Vice-President shall assume control of the meeting and count the vote. In the absence of the Vice-President, a member of the Board shall be named to assume the role of counting said votes and conduct said meeting.
To be removed from office under this provision an officer must have violated the Association’s Code of Regulations in one of the following manners:
a) An officer can only perform the duties assigned to their office by the Board of Directors, the President, or the Code of Regulations. Failure to perform these duties or performing duties that are inappropriate to their office without the Board of Directors or President’s approval shall constitute a violation.
b) Violating the financial responsibility agreement as specified in the Code of Regulations.
c) Any violation of Ohio or United States law that would result in a conviction of a felony.
d) Any violation of Ohio law that would cause an EMT or higher certification to lose their certification as a result of criminal activity.
e) Preventing an employee of OAEMS from doing the job, they were hired to do.
f) Loss of their personal membership in the Association.
Any member or officer can initiate this action.
A terminated officer can appeal the termination to the Board of Directors. Their office shall be held in escrow until the appeal is satisfied. The appeal will be satisfied at the next regular Board of Directors meeting or a special Board of Directors meeting called for this purpose. Any office in escrow will have no authority to perform any duties in the Association. The final decision will require a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the quorum of officers present and shall be final.
6.16 Treasurer. The Treasurer shall conduct all financial matters and act as custodian of all Association funds. The Treasurer shall receive all money due the Association, deposit these monies in the name of the Association in a bank or Savings and Loan approved by the Board of Directors, make all disbursements upon receipts of warrants approved by the proper officers and keep a detailed and accurate record of all funds received and disbursed. The Treasurer shall prepare and present at each meeting, and at such times the Board of Directors may require, a complete and accurate written report of the financial activity of the Association. All checks shall be signed by the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall not execute any single disbursement in the excess of five hundred dollars ($500.00) without prior approval of the Board of Directors.
6.17 Immediate Past President The Immediate Past President shall serve on the Board of Directors with full voting privileges. The position of Immediate Past President shall be limited to one (1) three (3) year term. The Immediate Past President shall perform duties as assigned by the President. In the absence of the most recent Immediate Past President, any Past President may be appointed to fill the position for the balance of the current term with the Board of Directors approval.