The first quarter of 2014 was a very busy time for AFSAP!

Our Inaugural AFSAP Summit hosted by the Gila River Indian Community Fire Department was held on February 12th and 13th. It was a resounding success. During those two days your Leadership Team took all the information they had gleaned from the Strategic Planning exercise at last April’s seminar and worked very hard to put your suggestions and vision into practice. Interspersed be-tween work sessions, they were fortunate to have three esteemed speakers from AFCA present to the group. Our host, Chief Tom Knapp joined us for breakfast one morning, gave us a warm welcome and talked about his years working with the Gila River Community. AFCA President, Chief Mary Cameli took time out of her busy schedule to present her “change” speech that she gave at the AFCA Presidential Conference. Chief Paul Bourgeois led a discussion on ways that AFSAP can assist the AZ L.A.S.T. team. At the end of the Summit, Chief Knapp surprised the entire team with two hot

laps in a Corvette at the Bondurant Track. As you can imagine, this was a very productive, informative, and fun experience. It is my hope that this meeting becomes an annual event.

The Annual AFSAP Section Luncheon at the Saddle Ranch Restaurant and Annual Meeting at the University of Phoenix Stadium were held on March 26th. The luncheon was a great time for members to connect and welcome new members. At the Annual Meeting each Committee Chair shared the plans that were developed from the Strategic Plan in the Inaugural Summit meeting for their respective committees. From the support of AFCA our section was afforded an entire day devoted to training at the Desert Southwest Fire & Leadership Conference. Dr. Marcia Smart illustrated the concept of “Informal Leadership” and how to discover the “Brand called YOU!” At the close of the day attendees were individually coached to define their strengths and create their own brand statement.

As you all may already know, these remarkable events cannot happen without the hard work and dedication of your Leader-ship Team. My thanks go out to each one of them. It continues to be an honor and a privilege for me to work with such a group of amazing women. I am so excited about what the future has in store for AFSAP with this team leading the way.

Our second quarter is well underway with elections and a possible fall seminar to plan. During the June annual election of board members there are three positions to be filled. They are Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Secretary. Ballots are due Friday, July 25, 2014.

My best,

Debra Centrella

Volume 1, Issue 2 2014, 2nd Quarter

AFSAP Link

“Partners in Fire Service

Administrative Leadership & Excel l ence”

Message from the Chairperson

Mission Statement

The Arizona Fire Service Administrative Professionals Section serves all administrative fire

professionals and chief fire officers by providing leadership through involvement; professional

development through networking, education and information distribution, and a forum to

improve the services provided by administrative professionals of the Arizona Fire Service.

Linda Leidecker, Planning Chair (2010– Present). Linda has (5) years experience with the fire service as the Administrative Assistant for the Gila River Fire Department. She has an Associate of Arts Degree from Phoenix College and just completed the Certified Public Manager (CPM) program at ASU this past year. She is also a Notary Public and a Certified Car Seat Technician. Linda is a member of the Gila River Indian Community, has lived in Arizona for the past 40 years, and currently resides on the outskirts of Coolidge. Linda and her husband John have two daughters – Jolyn Marie (7) and Jessie Ellen (5). She celebrated her 10th wedding anniversary on April 10th. Two little girls take up a lot of her time with dance, gymnastics, and cheerleading. Linda loves working for Fire Administration and learning all that she can. She further enjoys meeting new people and working with the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association.

AFSAP Board of Directors

Chairperson Debra Centrella, Rio Verde Fire District

Past Chairperson

Kim Drabik, Surprise Fire Dept.

Vice-Chairperson Terri Ramirez, Surprise Fire Dept.

Secretary

Tricia Greer, Sedona Fire District

Treasurer Ruth Gloria, Yuma Fire District

Meet your AFSAP Board of Directors and Committee Members

AFSAP Committee Leaders

Planning Linda Leidecker, Gila River Dept.

Membership

Ruth Gloria, Yuma Fire Dept.

Communications Patti Cluff, Sierra Vista Fire Dept.

Deborah Musselman, Sun City Fire Dept.

Professional Development Jasmin Jones, Apache Junction Fire District Rachel Krause, Apache Junction Fire District

Patti Cluff, Communications Co-chair. I am new to the fire service. I worked at the Sierra Vista City Hall front desk for nearly 4 years prior to being promoted to Administrative Secretary for the Fire Department in July 2012. I love the family atmosphere of the fire department. I was encouraged by my fire chief, Randy Redmond (AFCA Fire Chief of the Year) to get involved with AFSAP and I haven’t regretted it. I grew up in Phoenix. I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting. I had the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom for my 2 girls and 2 boys for 17 years before joining the workforce outside of the home in October of 2004. In July 2008, my husband’s job brought us down to Sierra Vista (south of Tucson) and I have really enjoyed living here. We also now have 2 granddaughters and 1 grandson.

My most notable accomplishment over the past year and a half is that I have lost 85 pounds and become more fit. After the first week of working in the fire department, I asked the Chief if I could come in before work and workout. With the convenience of having showers at work, I could shower and get ready and begin work without having to go home after my workout. I quickly made the goal of passing the firefighter fit test—I’m still a long way from achieving that goal but I have a learned a lot along the way. When I began I couldn’t even do one sit up. It took me 2 weeks of trying every day before I could do one sit up. Now I can do 46 sit ups. When I began I couldn’t run even a few steps. In February I participated in the “Run or Dye” 5k run with several of the firefighters. I ran as much as I could although I had to stop and walk several times I finished the race. At the conference in March I reached my goal of running an entire 5K (3.1 miles) on the treadmill. I’m still a long way from my goal weight but with good nutrition, consistent exercise, encouragement from others and determination I know I can reach my goal. I don’t share this to brag, but hopefully to inspire whether it’s fitness or another goal. Don’t look at the “whole mountain” - take one “step” at a time. I try to celebrate my little accomplishments (i.e. one more sit up, 3 seconds faster on my mile time or my 5k time.) Thankfully, the guys around here cheer for me as well! September 2012 February 2014

Arizona Fire Chief Association’s

2014 Annual Conference

AFSAP Seminar Leadership Conference

The Hidden Power of Informal Leadership

Informal Leadership: The Untapped Powerhouse in Groups & Organizations.

The Art of Leading Informally: Attaining Power and Influence without Formal Authority.

Self-Marketing – Marketing Your Most Powerful Asset: The Brand Called YOU!

The leadership conference was given by Dr. Marcia Smart who is an exceptional keynote speaker with a diverse international background and broad business experience. Her primary focus is leadership and Organizational Development with specialties in Informal Leadership, Women’s Leadership and Personal Development. If you missed it, you may learn more by visiting her website at ww.informalleadership.com.

On March 26, 2014, Prescott Fire Department AFSAP members Marsha Collier and Karen Cannizzaro presented an appreciation plaque to AFSAP for all the support they received from fellow AFSAP members after the loss of their 19 fallen firefighters on June 30, 2013. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they approach the 1st anniversary of their loss.

Arizona Fire Services Administrative Professionals Section

Who We Are: Our membership is comprised of fire service administrative personnel from the state of Arizona. Our members are from the following Arizona counties: Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai, and Yuma.

Our History In the summer of 2006, the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association approved and welcomed a new section for Administrative Fire Professionals. This section was formed to increase the proficiency of all Fire Service administrative support personnel by establishing a network to share information through various channels of communication in order to maintain and enhance our professionalism. Now, all non-uniformed administrative personnel can be a part of a networking group that expands beyond their department.

Section Objectives To create a network in which to share information through various means in order to maintain and enhance our

professionalism. To identify, develop and maintain educational programs that meet the needs of the membership. To build and maintain resources for Administrative Fire Professionals focusing on relevant job functions. To create an administrative manual that would serve as a resource for administrative job functions.

Attention: AZ Fire Service Administrative Professionals!

AFSAP is looking for members who are interested in joining a committee. Please contact President Debra Centrella at dcentrella@rioverdefire.org or 480/471-2304 for more information on being a part an extraordinary team of Administrative Professionals! Your assistance will be greatly appreciated!

Visit us online at www.azchiefs.org

Workplace Policy Humor

Movie Quote from Office Space :

Mail Room Orienter: "You punch in at

8:30 every morning, except you punch in

at 7:30 following a business holiday,

unless it's a Monday, then you punch in at

8:00. Punch in late and they dock you.

Incoming articles get a voucher, outgoing

articles provide a voucher. Move any article without a voucher

and they dock you. Letter size a green voucher, oversize a

yellow voucher, parcel size a maroon voucher. Wrong color

voucher and they dock you! 6787049A/6. That is your

employee number. It will not be repeated! Without your

employee number you cannot get your paycheck. Inter-office

mail is code 37, intra-office mail 37-3, outside mail is 3-37.

Code it wrong and they dock you! This has been your

orientation. Is there anything you do not understand, is there

anything you understand only partially? If you have not been

fully oriented, you must file a complaint with personnel. File a

faulty complaint and they dock you!"

On Administrative Professional’s Day, the Surprise Fire-Medical Administrative Staff had the honor of having lunch with the Prescott Fire Department’s Administrative Staff members, Marsha & Karen (back right/

left) . The Surprise Fire-Medical Administrate Staff truly appreciates the memorable gifts given by Prescott Fire Charities Captain JP Vicente in honor of their 19 Hot Shots! This is an outstanding example of the teamwork that AFSAP members demonstrate to one another. On behalf of all AFSAP members, we will never forget the loss of your 19 brothers!

Ballots are due

July 25, 2014