MSFA Announcements Amid COVID-19
Due to recent health concerns regarding COVID-19 and subsequent orders from Governor Hogan regarding this national emergency, I wanted to keep all of the members of the Maryland State Firemen’s Association and our partners informed of decisions that have been made regarding MSFA operations.
On the evening of Monday March 16, 2020, a conference call was held with the MSFA leadership, Executive Committee members, President of the LAMSFA, and two partner agencies. After much discussion, the decision was made to postpone the March Executive Committee Meeting at Level VFC. This comes as a response to the Governor’s order that there are no meetings or events with groups of more than 50 people allowed at this time. We are looking at potential dates to hold the meeting later and will announce our plans as soon as we can. This also means that Committee and
partner reports do not have to be sent in at this time. I would however like to remind everyone that any proposed by-law changes must still be submitted by a member department by the date noted in the bylaws.
During the call, LAMSFA President Lori Denbow stated that, as of this meeting, they have not made a decision regarding the Ladies Spring Conference. She plans to make the announcement in early April.
We also discussed the upcoming Convention. Chairman Ron Siarnicki reported that there has not been a decision made at this time regarding the postponement of the 2020 Convention in Ocean City. We will continue to move forward “as planned” as it relates to overall planning, vendors and student registration, as well as the submission of annual reports for the Convention program book. Those annual reports must be emailed to Ginny Wilhite at gwilhite231@aol.com no later than April 10, 2020. Additionally, please also make sure your department submits credentials on time as well as any award and memorial submissions. Please see the Convention website at convention.msfa.org for specific deadlines and any updates.
There are a couple of other important items that I would like to mention.
First, as of 5pm Tuesday March 17, 2020, the MSFA Crofton office will be closed for 15 days. This decision came from NFFF leadership with whom we share the office space. During this time, the office will be disinfected and no one will be allowed to enter the office until the staff resumes normal office operations. MSFA staff will continue to operate and communicate via telephone and email and we do not feel that there will be any disruption to normal office business. Regular mail will be collected several times a week and will be distributed as needed.
Second, the MSFA has suspended the processing of all MSFA tag applications at the MVA’s request due to minimal staffing at the Glen Burnie facility. Also, expect longer than usual processing times for those applications already submitted to the MVA. MSFA Executive Director Kate Tomanelli will announce when this service resumes.
We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding at this time. The Presidents, Officers, Executive Committee members, and Partners will remain in communication as we move into the days ahead and will keep everyone informed of any changes or updates as best we can.
Please check MSFA.org as well as our social media pages for updates.
Stay safe and be well,
Michael R. Faust
President
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