AWARD CRITERIA

 

Two awards will be presented annually; one for Career Fire Chief and one for a Combination/Volunteer Fire Chief. The selected Fire Chiefs of the Year will not be announced prior to the banquet and the awards for Fire Chief of the Year will not be given, until the night of the Fire Chief and Fire Officer of the Year Banquet Annually.

 

• A volunteer fire chief is defined as one who earns his or her principal livelihood by some means other than serving as a fire chief, even if the position of chief carries some compensation.

• A career fire chief is defined as one who earns his or her principal livelihood as a fire chief.

• In each category, the status of the fire department as a whole – paid, volunteer or combination – is not considered.

• Individuals who are eligible for nomination and selection as Fire Chief of the Year are limited to active fire chiefs (organization head) of fire rescue agencies. Previous Fire Chief of the Year winners are not eligible for additional nomination.

• Selection criteria will emphasize leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, service to the public and contributions to the fire service as a whole.

• All of a nominee’s fire service activities and accomplishments will be considered. A nominee’s command role at a major emergency incident alone, while relevant, will not be enough to place that individual into contention for the award.

• Nominees must be a member of the NCAFC to be eligible for this award.  Members of the NCAFC Executive Board are ineligible to be considered for this award.

 

NOMINATING ORGANIZATIONS

 

Nominations for Career and Combination/Volunteer may come any organization in the state.  Each NCSFA – Region will submit for nomination a Career and Combination/Volunteer Fire Chief for consideration. All nominations must comply with process and award criteria.

 

NOMINATION PROCESS

 

Nomination Period

 

The nomination period shall open in October and close in December, annually. Nominations shall be accepted for the current calendar year only. Example: 2024 Fire Chief of the Year nominations shall be accepted October to November 1, 2023.

 

NOMINATION DEADLINE

 

Deadline for nomination packages must be received by the close of business on November 1, 2023.

 

NOMINATION FORMAT (Must be followed completely or the nominee will not be considered – No exceptions)

 

[ONLINE] Three steps to prepare the official nomination form:

 

1. Complete the official online nomination form. Remember, this is a lifetime achievement award, not one specific incident.

2. Obtain a cover letter on the organization’s letterhead, signed by the organization’s chairperson, president or executive director, county or city manager describing in less than 1200 words the nominee’s major accomplishments and why the candidate is being nominated. Upload as an attached file to your online application.

3. Obtain a Digital photo file of the nominee, to be uploaded with online application. [High-resolution digital photo.]

 

[BY MAIL] Three steps to prepare the official nomination form:

 

1. Download & complete the official nomination form. Remember, this is a lifetime achievement award, not one specific incident.

2. Obtain a cover letter on the organization’s letterhead, signed by the organization’s chairperson, president or executive director, county or city manager describing in less than 1200 words the nominee’s major accomplishments and why the candidate is being nominated. 

3. Obtain a Digital photo file (on CD) of the nominee [High-resolution digital photo.]

4. Prepare five complete copies of your nomination package for submission, including five high-resolution printed photos, one for each package.

 

NOMINATION SUBMITTAL (Must be followed completely or the nominee will not be considered – No exceptions)

 

The nomination form and supporting documents comprise the entire documentation for a candidate’s nomination. Neither the nominee nor anyone representing him or her is to contact any member(s) of the Fire Chief of the Year Committee or the NCAFC Board of Directors once the nomination has been made and before the final selection has been made. Any violations of this will subject the nominee to disqualification.

 

To complete an online nomination for a NCAFC Fire Chief of the Year, you must complete the Official Online Nomination Form Below, uploading nomination letter and photo.

 

To complete a nomination for a NCAFC Fire Chief of the Year by mail, five (5) hard copies of the required nomination documents must be mailed to the NCAFC office at P.O. Box 46, Walkertown, NC 27051, by the deadline.

 

The NCAFC Executive Director will then submit all nominations to the NCAFC Fire Chief of the Year Committee by January 5th of each year. Only properly submitted documents will be reviewed for submission, with no exceptions. The NCAFC is not responsible for submissions received past the deadline.

 

FIRE CHIEF OF THE YEAR COMMITTEE

 

The President of the NCAFC will appoint a current NCAFC member to chair the selection committee. The Committee Chair will establish a date and time for the committee to discuss Fire Chief of the Year Candidates. The Committee is comprised of the last three years award winners for Career and Combination/Volunteer Fire Chiefs of the Year and the NCAFC Committee Chair.

 

SELECTION PROCESS

 

Each nomination package will be reviewed by the Fire Chief of the Year Committee. The NCAFC reserves the right to omit any award for just cause. Winners will be announced at the NCAFC Annual Fire Chief of the Banquet at the Mid Winter Conference annually.

 

Failure to read the above policy may result in an incomplete nomination packet which will not comply with the nomination requirements. Please submit your nomination using the nomination form below, in conjunction with the supporting nomination information.

 

It will be the responsibility of the person submitting the nomination to everything possible to ensure that his/her nominee is present at the conference.

 

All nominations by mail must be type-written and postmarked no later than November 1, 2023, to NCAFC, P.O. Box 46, Walkertown, NC 27051.

 

For questions, please contact Wesley Hutchins, Executive Director at 1-888-50-CHIEF (2-4433), opt. 4 or by email at whutchins@ncafc.com. No late nominations will be accepted.