BYLAWS OF THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION ELECTRICAL INSPECTOR SECTION
ARTICLE 1. NAME, MISSION STATEMENT, AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING NFPA SECTIONS
1.1 The name of the Section shall be the Electrical Inspector Section (EIS) of the National Fire Protection Association.
1.2 Mission Statement: The NFPA EIS exists to serve electrical inspectors by providing: quality/affordable education, influence and harmony in the development and application of effective codes and standards and a forum for information exchange.
1.3 The Section and these Bylaws are subject to the NFPA’s Regulations Governing NFPA Sections and any standing rules or other relevant policies or procedures of the NFPA Board of Directors. To the extent that any section of these Bylaws is inconsistent with the Regulations Governing NFPA Sections or such rules, policies or procedures, such regulations shall govern.
ARTICLE 2. PURPOSES AND POWERS
2.1 This Section is established to serve electrical inspectors and shall have only such powers as are authorized by the Regulations Governing NFPA Sections.
2.2 To encourage and facilitate contribution to assist in the development and application of NFPA Standards.
2.3 To develop understanding of electrical inspection best practices, emerging trends in electrical inspection practices and the importance of the role electrical inspectors have in the fire and life safety ecosystem.
2.4 Increase opportunities for exchange of information, education and experience in electrical inspection and related matters.
ARTICLE 3. MEMBERSHIP
3.1 Each member of the section shall be an individual Member of the National Fire Protection Association.
3.2 Membership in the section shall be open to individual Members of the NFPA who:
(a) are directly employed by or contracted to a public agency or governmental authority that promulgates and/or enforces codes and standards; and
(b) performs or is responsible for at least one of the following activities on behalf of such governmental entity: (i) field electrical inspections, (ii) electrical plans review, or (iii) supervises personnel performing the activities identified in subsections 3.2(b) (i) or (ii).
3.3. Eligibility for membership shall be determined by the Executive Secretary of the section under direction of the Executive Board.
3.4 Following admission to the Section, EIS members are required to notify the Executive Secretary of any change in employment. Upon such notification or upon the Executive Secretary or Executive Board becoming aware of a change in employment of any Section member, the Executive Secretary will make a determination of continuing eligibility for membership in accordance with Section 3.3.
ARTICLE 4. OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE BOARD
4.1 The Officers of this Section shall be a Chair, 1st Vice Chair, 2nd Vice Chair, immediate past Chair if available to serve, Secretary and Executive Secretary.
4.2 There shall be an Executive Board which shall have general charge of the affairs of the Section and shall consist of the Officers of the Section (excluding the Executive Secretary) and three other Section members. The initial non-Officer members of the Section’s Executive Board shall be appointed by the NFPA Board of Directors and serve until the first Annual Meeting of the Section. Thereafter, the non-Officer members of the Executive Board shall be elected by the Section membership at the Annual Meeting of the Section to serve a term of two years and until their respective successors are elected and take office.
4.3 The Executive Secretary shall be that member of the staff of the National Fire Protection Association whose service is authorized by the President of the National Fire Protection Association to support the EIS.
4.4 The Officers (excluding the Executive Secretary) shall be members of the EIS. The initial Officers of the Section shall be appointed by the NFPA Board of Directors and serve until the first Annual Meeting of the Section. Thereafter, the Officer members of the Executive Board shall be elected by the members of the Section at the Annual Meeting to serve a term of two years and until their respective successors are elected and take office.
4.5 The Officers of the Section (excluding the Executive Secretary) shall each be limited to two two-year terms of office to which he/she has been elected. Re-election as Chair shall be permitted after four years of service break. In no event, however, shall any individual serve more than eight years in any single officer role.
4.6 The Executive Board may, at its discretion, form such committees as it deems necessary. Such committees have membership, structure, tenure, power and duties as determined by the Executive Board.
4.7 The Chair of the Section with the approval of the Executive Board may appoint individuals to fill vacancies in an office or in the membership of the Executive Board, other than that of Executive Secretary, to serve the balance of the term of the departing officeholder. Any such vacancy appointment shall not count toward the term limits set forth in Section 4.5. A vacancy in the office of Executive Secretary shall be filled by the appointment of a member of the staff of the National Fire Protection Association by the President of the National Fire Protection Association.
ARTICLE 5. SECTION MEETINGS
5.1 Annual Meetings: There shall be an Annual Meeting of the Section held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the National Fire Protection Association for the purpose of hearing reports from Section officers and committees, for the election of Officers and members of the Executive Board and for such other business as may come before the Annual Meeting.
5.1.1 Notice of the Annual Meeting shall be published on the NFPA website at least 30 days in advance of the meeting stating the business to be transacted.
5.1.2 Any member that does not have access to the NFPA web site can contact the Executive Secretary of the Section by calling NFPA and requesting a copy of the Section activities.
5.1.3 Any business not included in the published agenda may be considered only by approval of a two-thirds majority of all Section members present and voting.
5.2 Special Meetings: Special meetings of the Section may be called by majority vote of the Executive Board of the Section.
5.3 Any member of the Section shall be permitted to attend any Annual Meeting or Special Meeting of the Section.
5.4 Each member of the Section shall have one vote in the affairs of the Section, said vote to be exercised personally by the member. Voting by proxy, substitute, or by any employee or associate of a member shall not be allowed.
5.5 Except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws, or as may be provided in the Regulations for NFPA Sections, Roberts Rules of Order shall serve as a guide for the transaction of business at all meetings.
5.6 The Executive Secretary of the Section shall serve as Parliamentarian at all Annual or Special Meetings of the Section. In absence of the Executive Secretary, the Secretary shall serve as Parliamentarian. In the absence of the Executive Secretary or Secretary, NFPA may appoint a replacement for the meeting.
5.7 Any position taken, on behalf of the Section, at any Association Technical meeting must be made in accordance with the Regulations Governing NFPA Sections and made by an Executive Board member or an authorized Section representative.
5.8 Any Section member may be authorized to make motions and/or take actions, on behalf of the Section in accordance with the Regulations Governing NFPA Sections, by a majority vote of the Executive Board.
5.9 No Section member shall hold him or herself as representing the position of the Section or any Technical Committee in connection with NFPA standards development activity except as may be allowed or authorized in the Regulations for NFPA Sections. Section members should take appropriate steps to ensure that any public statement, either oral or written, which is not an official statement or position of the Section, is properly portrayed as the opinion or position of the individual making the statement.
ARTICLE 6. EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS
6.1 Meetings of the Executive Board shall be called by the EIS Chair as is necessary for the proper conduct of business or as requested in writing by three or more Executive Board members not less than 30-days prior to the first day of such a meeting, except that in unusual circumstances requiring immediate action, a voice vote of not less than two-thirds of all Executive Board members shall be sufficient to call a meeting of the Executive Board on less than 30 days’ notice. Executive Board meetings shall be permitted to be conducted face-to-face or by conference call or other electronic means provided that every member can hear every other member.
6.2 The Chair of the Section shall preside at all Executive Board meetings and shall be an ex-officio non-voting member of all the Section committees.
6.3 The Executive Board shall meet at least annually.
6.4 Members or guests shall be approved by the Chair to be present at Executive Board Meetings but shall not participate in the meeting unless first recognized by the Chair. The Executive Board may elect by a majority vote to conduct its business in executive session and any such executive session will be conducted in the presence of only members of the Executive Board.
6.5 A quorum for the conduct of business at an Executive Board shall consist of at least four Executive Board members (excluding the Executive Secretary).
6.6 The Section Chair or 1st Vice Chair, as well as the Executive Secretary shall be present at all Executive Board meetings. In absence of the Executive Secretary, NFPA may appoint a replacement for the meeting of the Executive Board Secretary.
6.7 Any action taken at an Executive Board meeting that will represent the section as a whole must be approved by the voting membership either by electronic vote or in person vote at a Section Meeting in accordance with the Regulations Governing NFPA Sections.
6.8 The business of the Executive Board shall be reflected in minutes of the meeting and reported and announced at the next Executive Board meeting.
6.9 The Executive Board has the right to remove any member of the Executive Board or Committee member for non-performance or non-attendance by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE 7. NOMINATING COMMITTEE
7.1 There shall be a Nominating Committee consisting of at least three (3) Section members appointed by the Chair of the Section.
7.2 The Chair will immediately appoint the Nominating Committee following the Chair’s election to office, with the approval of the Executive Board.
7.3 The Section Chair shall appoint at least one (1) past Chair of the Section to serve on the Nominating Committee. Other members of the Nominating Committee shall be members in good standing of the EIS.
7.4 The Nominating Committee shall have the duty of preparing a list of nominations by naming one candidate for each of the open Officer and Executive Board positions (excluding the Executive Secretary position).
ARTICLE 8. ELECTIONS
8.1 Elections held at the Annual Meeting for the Executive Board position shall be by hand vote of those Section members in attendance. When there is no contest for office, the Chair of the Nominating Committee or the Executive Secretary shall present the slate nominated for a single vote.
ARTICLE 9. DUTIES
9.1 The Executive Board shall establish and enforce all policies of the Section.
9.2 The Chair of the Section shall preside at Section Meetings and Executive Board meetings. The Chair shall enforce all regulations relating to the Administration of the Section.
9.3 With the approval of the Executive Board, the Chair shall appoint special or standing committees and shall fill all vacancies on the Executive Board or Nominating Committee for the balance of the term of an elected officeholder.
9.4 The 1st Vice Chair shall serve as Chair should the Chair not be available and shall have all the powers and prerogatives of the Chair in his/her absence. The 1st Vice Chair shall perform such other duties as assigned by the Chair of the Executive Board.
9.5 The 2nd Vice Chair shall serve as Chair should the 1st Vice Chair not be available and shall have all the powers and prerogatives of the Chair in his/her absence. The 2nd Vice Chair shall perform such other duties as assigned by the Chair of the Executive Board
9.6 The Section Secretary shall perform such secretarial duties as not performed by the Executive Secretary and such other duties as directed by the Chair or the Executive Board.
9.7 In the absence of the Executive Secretary from any meeting, the Section Secretary shall record the minutes of the meeting and transmit them promptly to the Executive Secretary.
9.8 The Section Secretary shall review all Section publications, prior to posting on the Section web site.
9.9 Minutes of all meetings shall be available for all Section members.
9.10 The Executive Secretary shall conduct such correspondence and distribute such notices as may be required by the Chair of the Executive Board.
9.11 The Executive Secretary shall publish periodically and distribute to members bulletins, newsletters, etc. containing items of professional interest and value regarding significant developments in the affairs of the Section and its members as authorized by the Executive Board.
9.12 The Executive Secretary shall keep and maintain an up-to-date list of members of the Section.
ARTICLE 10. AMENDMENTS
10.1 Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed in writing by not less than ten Section members or may be proposed by the Executive Board. Changes proposed by the membership shall be submitted to the Executive Secretary and Chair of the Section not less than 120 days prior to a Section meeting at which time the proposed amendment is to be considered. Changes proposed by the Executive Board shall be submitted to the Executive Secretary and Chair of the Section not less than 90 days prior to a Section meeting at which time the proposed amendment is to be considered.
10.2 A copy of a summary of any proposed amendment shall be posted on the NFPA web site at least 60 days prior to the date of the Section meeting at which time the proposed amendment is to be considered.
10.3 Adoption of any proposed amendments to the Bylaws shall require a vote of two-thirds of Section members present and voting, and approval by the Board of Directors of the National Fire Protection Association. The Section member vote maybe either by voice or ballot at the discretion of the Section Chair.