Mission & Goals
The mission of the Officer Section of the Association is to provide information, education, services and representation to both volunteer and career officers. Section membership is available to those individuals who are at the rank of Lieutenant and above and are Regular, Affiliate or Associate members of the SC State Firefighters’ Association.
The goal of the Section is to enhance professionalism and service to the community by distributing training and networking information such as fire service legal considerations for volunteer and career officers, budgeting process and procedures, legislative updates, One Percent procedures and issues, recruitment and retention, diversity, grant applications, apparatus specifications and purchase, and more.
Access Officers Only Leadership Webinars & Videos
Officers Section Bylaw Change
The Officers Section Leadership is proposing changes to the current bylaws. This will go to the Section membership for a vote in April. Areas of emphasis of these changes included an update to the mission statement, electronic voting capabilities, membership criteria, the Annual meeting, and a general refresh to help the Section and its leadership meet the Section membership's needs. To review the changes, CLICK HERE.
Fire Officer Academy
The Fire Officer Academy: The Company Officer is an intense program not designed for the complacent. The Company Officer tests students in ways they haven’t been tested since they joined the fire service, leaving a lasting impression on the trajectory of their career and the camaraderie between students creates a lifelong family. The Company Officer takes you back to the basics while addressing the issues you face as a leader, figuratively and literally, in your department.
Every detail about every day is intentional. This program is designed specifically to develop the decision-making, time-management and leadership skills that separate good company officers from great company officers.
The hard conversations that happen in private in your department happen out loud during classroom sessions; the informal bay sessions with fire service leaders purposefully remind you why you were selected to participate in the program. From the morning physical training sessions to mealtime, The Fire Officer Academy: The Company Officer is calculated in its approach as it aims to uplift, test, and challenge the leaders of the South Carolina fire service.
Participants must be Fire Officer I certified prior to enrolling in the program.
The next Officer Academy is September 29 - October 4, 2024. The October class application period will open in June 1.
Section Officers
- Section Chair – Mat Tidwell - Greer Fire
- Section 1st VC - Doug Cline - Horry County Fire
- Section 2nd VC – Ben Williams - Clemson Fire
- Section Secretary – Tian Griffieth - North Charleston Fire
- Section Treasurer - Drew Padgett - Pelham-Batesville Fire
- Past Section Chair –Chris Kip, Columbia Fire
Join the Officers Section
Section membership is available to those individuals who are at the rank of Lieutenant and above and are Regular, Affiliate or Associate members of the SC State Firefighters’ Association.
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