By-Laws

ARTICLE I
NAME

SECTION 1 This organization shall be known as the MON-YOUGH FIRE DEFENSE COUNCIL, INC., and be hereinafter referred to as the MYFDC or the Council. We are a non-discriminatory to race, creed, color, sex, national origin or age.
SECTION 1 A Compliance with Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (43 P.S. Section 951-963) shall constitute compliance with paragraph.

ARTICLE II
OBJECT
SECTION 1 The object of this council shall be to generally improve the services of companies within the MON-YOUGH FIRE DEFENSE COUNCIL, INC., to generally improve the protection of life and property of our citizens, to open discussion upon the best manner and means of all members. We are a mutual - aid organization.

ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1               The membership of this council shall consist of:
*            Chartered Non-Profit Fire/EMS/Rescue Organizations
*            Municipal Fire/EMS/Rescue Departments
*            Industrial Fire/EMS/Rescue Departments
whose main purpose for existence is not for profit. The organization shall be located within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the individual member in good standing of said affiliated companies and organizations that will benefit the Council in saving of life and property.
SECTION 2               Application for membership shall be presented in writing at any regular meeting. To be considered for membership company has to have a not for profit status, and application must be accompanied by a written recommendation from two (2) member companies in good standing in our Council. To be accepted, applications must have a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the companies present at the meeting.
SECTION 3               Honorary membership may be granted to persons who the Council wishes to recognize for some meritorious act of service in the interest of the council or the saving of life and property in general; he or she shall have no rights as a member company or individual member.
SECTION 4               All members shall abide by the MYFDC BY-LAWS, the previously established policies of the Council and any new policies or procedures approved at future meetings of the Council, Failure to abide by the aforementioned will result in immediate termination of member company.

ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
SECTION 1               The elected officers of this Council shall consist of President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Financial Secretary, Treasure, Chaplain. The Board of Directors shall elect one of the Board of Directors who shall be responsible for the safe keeping of the duplicated minutes of the Council meetings and at the expiration of his/her term of office shall deliver them to his/ her successor.
SECTION 2               Elected officers, with the exception of the Board of Directors, shall be elected for a term of two (2) years or when their successors are installed in office with exceptions that an officer appointed to fill a vacancy in an elective office shall serve for the unexpired term of that office.
SECTION 3               Directors, at the first election, shall be elected for terms of two (2) , four (4), six (6) years. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall serve the six (6) year term, the second highest number of votes a four (4) year term. After the first election, a director shall be elected ever two (2) years for a two(2) year term.
SECTION 4               No person shall hold more than one (1) elective office at the same time.

ARTICLE V
NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS
SECTION 1               Nominations for elective officers within the council shall take place at the regular meeting of the Council in October of each year. Election of Officers shall take place at the regular meeting of the Council in November of each year. The winner in these elections shall be installed into office at the January banquet.
SECTION 2               No one shall be nominated for, or be elected to office, or be a member of any committee, unless he/she is a member of a member company and is in good standing in the Council.
SECTION 3               All balloting for elective officers within the council shall be by secret ballot on official ballots prepared by the Secretary as nominated from the floor. Each ballot shall contain the names of the members nominated at the October meeting with spaces for write -ins equal to the number to them be elected for each office.
SECTION 4               Any officer who fails to fill the office to the satisfaction of the council may be removed from office by a three fourth (3/4) vote of the companies present at any council meeting. Also, any officer of this Council who is absent , without proper cause, for two (2) meetings will be replaced, by the President, with the approval of a majority of the Board of Directors.
SECTION 5               The President shall appoint an election committee from the members present at the meeting at which the election is to held who have not been nominated for the election to any office. This committee shall consist of the judge and two (2) tellers who shall count the ballots cast and report the results of the election to the council meeting as soon as the count is completed.
SECTION 6               Each member company shall be entitled to on (1) vote at the election of elected officers, individual member voting must have proof of identification of membership of said company, and there shall be no proxy voting.
SECTION 7               The person receiving the most votes for each office by the member companies present at the election meeting shall be declared elected to the office and shall fill their respective office until their successors are elected and installed in office. In the event of a tie for any office, the winner shall be determined by run-off ballot of the nominees which are tied for the office.
SECTION 8               In the event a vacancy occurs in any elective office, except the office of President or First Vice President, the President shall appoint an acting officer with the approval of a majority vote of the Board of Directors, to the fill the vacancy until the office is filled at the next regular election in November. The First Vice President shall assume the office of President and the Second Vice President shall assume the office of the First Vice President, and a vacancy shall occur in the office of Second Vice President. In the event of a vacancy in the First Vice President's office, the Second Vice President shall assume the duties of the First Vice President. An officers, to fill a vacancy, shall be appointed for the unexpired term of that office.
SECTION 9               President must be a member in good standing of a member company, must have attended at least five (5) MYFDC regular meetings per year for three (3) years and be able to be bonded.
SECTION 10             First Vice President must be a member in good standing of his/her company for three (3) years, must have attended at least five(5) MYFDC regular meetings each year for the last three (3) years and must be bondable. Second Vice President must be a member in good standing of his/her company for two(2) years, and must have attended at least three (3) MYFDC regular meetings each year for the last two (2) years.
SECTION 11             Secretary and Assistant Secretary must be a member in good standing of his / her company for one (1) year and must have attended at least three (3) MYFDC meetings in the preceding year.
SECTION 12             Financial Secretary must be a member in good standing of his/her company for one (1) year, must be bondable, and must have attended at least three (3) MYFDC meetings in the preceding year.
SECTION 13             Treasurer must be a member in good standing of his /her company for three (3) years, must have attended at least five (5) MYFDC meetings every year for three (3) years, be able to be bonded, and should posses some financial background for the benefit of the organization.
SECTION 14             Chaplin (s) must be a member in good standing of his/her company for one (1) year and must have attended at least three (3) MYFDC meetings in the proceeding year.

ARTICLE VI
MEETINGS
SECTION 1               The regular monthly meeting of the council shall be held on the fourth Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at such place as may be decided upon by the Council at a regular meeting. There shall be no meetings for the months of June, July, August and December.
SECTION 2               Eight (8) members, representing the eight (8) different member companies, shall constitute a quorum for any regular, annual or special meeting.
SECTION 3               The President may call a special meeting of the Council as he/she may deem necessary and shall call a special meeting of the Council on a written request of eight (8) or more members from eight (8) or more MON-YOUGH companies. Calls for special meetings shall clearly state the business to be transacted and no other business shall be in order.
SECTION 4               Notice of all regular and special meetings shall be given to each member company not less the forty -eight (48 ) hours prior to such meeting.

ARTICLE VII
OFFICERS DUTIES
SECTION 1               The President shall preside at all meetings of the Council, preserve order, countersign all orders upon the Council's treasury for payment of all bills properly approved by the members present at any regular or special meeting of the Council and shall perform such other duties incidental to his/her office under parliamentary usage. The President shall be exofficio chairman of all committees and shall appoint all standing committees at the first meeting of the Council after his/her installation, and any other committees as need occurs.
SECTION 2               In the absence of the President, the First Vice President shall perform the duties of the President, except that he/she not sign warrants on the Treasury of the Council. In the absence of the First Vice President , the Second Vice President shall perform the duties of the President. The Second Vice President shall be chairman of the By-Laws Committee and have the up-to-date copy of the By-Laws at each Council meeting.
SECTION 3               The Secretary shall keep accurate minutes of all meetings of the Council and furnish a copy of such minutes to the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall conduct all correspondence of the Council and notify all companies, by mail, at their last known address, of all regular or special meetings of the Council not less than forty-eight (48) hours prior to such meetings. The Secretary shall have sol custody of all corporate seals of the Council and all permanent records of the Council, which however, shall be subject to inspection by any council member, accompanied by the Board of Directors, upon reasonable demand. The Secretary shall prepare printed ballots for all elections of elected officers of the Council. Such ballots shall contain the names of members, in order of the nomination nominated for the various officers with space for write-ins equal to the number to be elected to each office. the Secretary shall deliver to the Financial Secretary all funds, bills or other matters relating to finances received by him/her.
SECTION 4               The Assistant Secretary will assist the Secretary of any of the Secretary duties listed in Section 3.
SECTION 5               The Financial Secretary shall receive all finances due to the Council, record them and deliver them to the Treasurer, taking the Treasurer's receipts, therefore. The Financial Secretary shall keep detailed account of all receipts and expenditures, including a list of bills payable, at each regular meeting of the Council. The Financial Secretary shall be bonded in an amount to be set by the Council at a regular or special meeting and the premium on said bond shall be paid by the Council. The amounts of the Financial Secretary shall be subject to audit as provided for in Article VII, Board of Directors, Section 7 A. At the expiration of his/her term of office, the Financial Secretary shall deliver to his/her successor all books and papers pertaining to the office of Financial Secretary. The records of the Financial Secretary shall be subject to inspection by any member of the Council, accompanied by the Board of Directors, upon reasonable demand. the Financial Secretary shall sign all checks drawn by the Treasurer, attesting that such expenditures have been authorized.
SECTION 6               The Treasurer shall keep a true and accurate account of all moneys received by him/her and belonging to the Council and all disbursements of the same and make reports of the condition of the treasury at each regular meeting of the Council. The Treasurer shall disburse moneys of the Council only upon an order by the President and approved by a majority of the members present at a regular or special meeting of the Council. The records of the Treasurer shall be subject to inspection by any member of the Council, accompanied by the Board of Directors, upon reasonable demand. The Treasurer shall deposit all moneys of the Council in the of the Council's choice in the name of the MON-YOUGH FIRE DEFENSE COUNCIL, INC., to be subject to withdrawal only upon the check of the Treasurer, signed by the President, Financial Secretary and Treasurer, and attested to by the Secretary. The Treasurer shall be bonded in an amount determined by the Council at a regular meeting of the Council and the premium of said bond shall be paid by the Council. The books of the Treasurer shall be subject to audit as set forth in Article VII, Board of Directors, Section 7 a. The Treasurer shall perform such other duties as may be incident to his/her office and at the expiration of his/her term of office, deliver to his/her successor, all moneys, books, paper and other property in his/her possession belonging to his/her office.
SECTION 6 A                       The MON-YOUGH FIRE DEFENSE COUNCIL INC., CORPORATION.   Address shall be the Treasurer Home Residence.
SECTION 7               The Board of Directors shall be responsible for the property and affairs of the Council, take charge of all grievances and charges that have been referred to them and investigate the same. Their opinions of said grievances and charges shall be presented to the Council for final action. The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall be responsible for the safekeeping of the duplicate copies of all the minutes of the Council meetings and at the expiration of his/her term of office shall deliver said copies of the minutes to his/her successor.
SECTION 7 a                        The Board of Directors shall be the standing audit committee and shall audit the books of the Financial Secretary and the Treasurer at the end of the fiscal year in January. the Board of Directors, in making their audit, shall follow the procedure herein stated:
a.         Have all bank statements and cancelled checks for the audit period on hand at the time of the audit, plus all bills.
b.         Have the minute book of all Council meetings held during the period of the audit on hand at the time of the audit. The Board of Directors shall sign the report of their audit and present it at the meeting of the Council following the close of the audit period.
c.         In lieu of the above, the Council may hire the services of outside professional accountants to conduct the audit.
SECTION 8               Chaplain (s) shall conduct prayer, reading of deceased members and conduct funeral services at the family's request.
SECTION 9               Water Safety Officials shall be responsible for training and operations when called up pond, and answer to the President with the supervision of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VIII
GRATUITIES
SECTION 1. No salaries shall be paid to any officer or member of the Council. Unless approved by the Board of Directors and with 3/4 member company vote.

ARTICLE IX
VOTING
SECTION 1 All individual members in good standing of an affiliated organization within the Council shall be entitled to vote on any and all questions of the floor. However, only one (1) vote per member company shall be cast during elections of officers.
SECTION 2 Any member may protest the vote on a motion. This protest shall be decided by a roll call of member companies present with each company entitled to one (1) vote.

ARTICLE X
POLITICS
SECTION 1 This Council shall in no way be connected with politics, as pertaining to any party or candidate, provide this Section shall not be construed as prohibiting the support of any legislation in the interest of the member companies or their individual members.

ARTICLE XI
COMMITTEES
SECTION 1 The following shall be standing committees of this Council. Their term of office will extend from the date of their appointment until their successors are chosen or the committee is dismissed by the President. The committee to be named be vested in the President and shall be announced by the first regular meeting of the Council following the elections and installation of officers.
SECTION 2 The committees shall be know as : Laws and Legislation Committee, Publicity Committee, Fire Prevention Committee, Water Safety Committee, Banquet Committee, Ways and Means Committee, By-Laws Committee, Scholarship Committee, Website Committee, Meeting Topics Committee, Advisory Board Committee, Training Committee and Roster Book Committee.

ARTICLE XII
DUTIES OF COMMITTEES
SECTION 1               The Law and Legislation Committee shall report all matters pertaining to federal, state, county, and district legislation of interest to the Council. They shall make a report of their proceedings and will be subservient to the Council at all times.
SECTION 2               The Publicity Committee shall publicize any and all activities and meetings, regular annual or special, of the Council and keep them before the public.
SECTION 3               The Training Committee shall be responsible for conduction of annual fire training to promote and encourage the membership of member fire companies within the Council in saving lives and property and the testing and utilization of modern fire fighting methods. The Training Committee shall also perform other such duties as relative to the school's location, date, course, instructors, registration fees and other incidental's as may be required by the Committee.
SECTION 4               The Fire Prevention Committee shall conduct programs, directed to the public regarding safety against fire in the homes, school, etc., and plan actives for the participation of the Council in observation of National Fire Prevention Week in October.
SECTION 5               The Water Safety Committee shall open discussion upon preplanning and coordination or river units wherein such problems may be related to the safeguarding and protection of life.
SECTION 6               The Roster Book Committee shall solicit or cause to be solicited in the name of MON-YOUGH FIRE DEFENSE COUNCIL, INC., advertising and advertisement for the printing and publication of the Roster Book and shall forward to each company member of this Council, additional books will be given to member companies who purchase or sell advertisements, as deemed by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE XIII
DUES
SECTION 1 The annual dues of the member companies shall be set by the elected officers, payable to the Council January 1.
SECTION 2 Dues must be paid by the February meeting to receive yearly roster books or to be able to cast a vote on any issue. Failure to pay dues and/or any moneys due by the December meeting will result in company dismissal from the Council.

ARTICLE XIV
RULES OF ORDER
SECTION 1 The Rules and Regulations provided for in the Robert's Rule of Order shall be the rules and regulations for conducting the business of this Council unless otherwise provided.
SECTION 2 The regular order of business shall be as follows:

1. CALL TO ORDER
                                                2. SALUTE TO THE FLAG
                                                3. INTRODUCE HOST CHIEF
                                                4. INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS
                                                5. ROLL CALL
                                                6. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
                                                7. DECEASED MEMBERS
                                                8. FINANCIAL SECRETARY READING OF
                                                     BILLS
                                                9. TREASURER'S REPORT
                                               10. READING OF COMMUNICATIONS
                                               11. REPORT OF COMMITTEES
                                               12. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
                                               13. NEW BUSINESS
                                               14. NOMINATION OF OFFICERS IN OCTOBER
                                                15. DISCUSSION OF TOPICS
                                                16. PLACE OF NEXT MEETING
                                                17. GOOD OF THE ORDER
                                                18. ADJOURNMENT

ARTICLE XV
AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1 These By-Laws may be amended or revised by introducing a resolution in writing at the regular meeting of September Council meeting. The resolution shall be read twice at the next regular meeting only be a majority vote of the companies present at this meeting. One the third and final reading at the next meeting of the Council, the resolution must receive a two-thirds (2/3) roll call vote of the member companies represented at the meeting. Each company shall have one (1) vote, and there shall be no proxy voting.