All posts by OKIAAI

Date: May 19, 2022
Time: 10:08 a.m.
Location:  Grand Casino – Shawnee, OK

Call to Order

Made by President Chris Woodall

Roll Call

Present at Meeting: Chris Woodall (Pres.), Ashley Stephens (1st VP), Todd DeSmet (2nd VP), Steve Rhodes (2nd yr.), Gina Coleman (1st yr.), Renee Southerland (Secretary), Jonathan Wilk (Treasurer),

Bill Hollander (Past Pres.) – by phone

Absent at Meeting: Nick Nadeau (3rd yr.), Tim Reeves (3rd yr.), Marc Sutphin (1st yr.), Jesse Benne (2nd yr.)

Reading and Approval of Minutes

Steve Rhodes made a motion to forego the reading and approval of the April minutes, seconded by Ashley Stephens, motion carried and approved.

Membership

One new member reported – Steve Davis, Captain at Del City Fire Department – Membership approved.

Treasurer’s Report

Jonathan Wilk advised the balance last month was $18,129.04 and then checks were written to Steve Rhodes and Bill Hollander for reimbursement of attending the national conference, which totaled approximately $5,000.00.  There was also a service charge of $5.00, and Midwest Trophy cost was $119.00 for two awards for this upcoming conference, leaving a current balance of $13,102.04.  Renee Southerland then provided a check to Jonathan Wilk from Stephens Engineering in the amount of $500.00 ($300 as a vendor fee and $200 as a sponsorship donation) and also two checks in the amount of $40.00 for dues payments from two members. 

A discussion was had with all board members concerning the cost of going to the national conference each year and whether or not it would be more beneficial to only send one person instead of two since cost could be a factor.  Renee Southerland suggested maybe providing up to a certain amount for two people to go, such as $1,000 each, and that amount would go towards their expenses but not pay the full price of attending the conference.  

A motion was made by Chris Woodall to accept the Treasurer’s Report, seconded by Ashley Stephens, motion carried and approved. 

CFI

No CFIs to report.

WEBSITE

Dan VanBuskirk added the correct 2022 sponsor and vendor forms to the website, so those are now available if any board member needs to send those out to anyone.

Annual Conference

• Chris Woodall advised that two people want to sponsor at our conference and one of those is Analytical Forensics, a private fire investigation company, but he could not recall the other company at the moment.  Bill Hollander advised he sent the form to AF as well.  
• Renee Southerland will be sending the blast to Danny Wells and Integrity Forensics in Texas. 
• Ashley Stephens advised the agenda should be done by June.
• Todd DeSmet advised he needs the speaking materials to turn in to OID no later than August 1^st.
• Jonathan Wilk advised he talked with the Department of Corrections and apparently there was some confusion when he placed his order last December that they thought we wanted the items “donated”.  He confirmed we would be paying and that we had paid $1,000 last year.  She advised Jonathan she would try to keep the cost at $1,000 this year and that the order for the grill, fire ring, and glider have now been placed.  
• Bill Hollander had also spoken with her and helped get the ball moving in getting our order placed as well.
• Renee Southerland asked if it was okay to order additional stickers since all of them were given away last year and everyone agreed.
• Marc Sutphin’s email stated that he could order flashlights as giveaways to the members for $46.00 each and a discussion was had regarding conference and giveaway costs.  Bill Hollander made a motion to have Marc Sutphin order the flashlights, seconded by Todd DeSmet, motion carried and approved.  Jonathan will get with him to go ahead and have those ordered and Chris Woodall can bring him a check since he works near Marc Sutphin’s office.  
• A discussion was had as to whether Billy Magalassi was paid in 2021 and Chris Woodall advised he would check the records since he had the past bank statements.  If not paid, we will need to send a check for $1,000 to that fund.  Todd DeSmet advised he had checked with Curtis Ozment about that and Curtis Ozment advised Billy Magalassi had not been paid.
• Renee Southerland advised she received payment from Stephens Engineering as a vendor and they also provided $200 towards sponsorship, Blackmon Mooring will be sending $300 to be a vendor, and Rimkus paid last year as a vendor but could not attend so they will be attending instead this year since we kept that money and agreed with them to do so.  
• Krystle advised that she needed a contract signed which confirmed a conference cost for the room of $500 for Wednesday, $500 for Thursday, and $250 for Friday, plus 20% gratuity.  We can set up Tuesday at noon for no additional fee.  She advised food trucks are not an option, but if the food court was not ready, then she would honor doing buffets like she did last year for two days at $12.95 a person plus tax which would end up being about $15 total per person.  She stated coffee was $35 a gallon and she would advise what we consumed last year.  She also confirmed that we would receive one free room for all three nights for every 35 rooms that are booked.  
• Chris Woodall advised that Dr. Albano would need one night.
• A discussion was had concerning the board hosting a hospitality night, and Krystle advised the bartender would be $75 and we could do the hospitality by the pool or on the balcony if there’s inclement weather.  There would be no cost for the hospitality room, only the bartender.  She advised that if got a keg it would be $300 per keg.  We then toured the conference room and hospitality areas and decided the pool are would be fine unless there was inclement weather. 
• A contract was signed and then provided to Krystle and she will email a copy to Renee Southerland, along with the coffee usage from last year.  
• Jonathan Wilk suggested to lay out a bowl for donations for hospitality night for drinks.
• Ashley Stephens advised that Jeff Pauley would need to be reimbursed his expenses after the conference.

501(c)3

Jonathan Wilk advised that Chris Woodall has provided all of the documents needed to give to the tax firm and they will now file taxes for the last three years.  We will then have to wait to get our 501(c)3 reinstated and will need to file tax returns each year going forward.

Old Business

Renee Southerland advised that Bill Cathcart has yet to provide his changes to the Bylaws and he will have those ready by the next meeting.  

New Business

None.

Next Meeting

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 23, 2020, at 10:00 a.m.  at Oklahoma Farm Bureau located at 10777 South Memorial Road in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Gina Coleman made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Bill Hollander, motion carried and approved.

Date: April 21, 2022
Time: 10:10 a.m.
Location:  Oklahoma Farm Bureau – Tulsa, OK

Call to Order

Made by President Chris Woodall

Roll Call

Absent at Meeting: Nick Nadeau (3rd yr.)

Present at Meeting: Chris Woodall (Pres.), Ashley Stephens (1st VP), Todd DeSmet (2nd VP), Tim Reeves (3rd yr.), Steve Rhodes (2nd yr.), Jesse Benne (2nd yr.), Marc Sutphin (1st yr.), Gina Coleman (1st yr.), Renee Southerland (Secretary), Jonathan Wilk (Treasurer), Bill Hollander (Past Pres.) – by phone

Reading and Approval of Minutes

Ashley Stephens made a motion to forego the reading and approval of the minutes from March 9^th, seconded by Todd DeSmet, motion carried and approved.

Membership

No new members.

Treasurer’s Report

Jonathan Wilk advised since last month there had been no expenses or additions to the account other than a $5.00 service fee from the bank.  The current balance is $18,129.04.  Tim Reeves made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report, seconded by Gina Coleman, motion carried and approved.

CFI

Jesse Benne is still working on his CFI.  Johnny Sawyer from Tulsa Fire Department received his CSI.

Website

Renee Southerland advised that IT Dan VanBuskirk fixed the spam problem that we were having in our Gmail account. 

Annual Conference

• There was a lengthy discussion concerning the agenda and speakers, and Ashley Stephens advised that the ATF guys that will be speaking will not charge to speak.  He will check on other speakers regarding whether or not they need to be paid or have a room for attending.  At this time, it was discussed to just list the topics and case studies in the “Save the Date email blast” that is being sent out in April.  

• Bill Hollander advised that a board member from the International Board will come to our conference and that if we needed him to speak regarding 921, he would.  

• There was a discussion concerning all speakers’ documentation and outlines that need to be turned in to CLEET, ODI, and OBA and their deadlines.  

• Ashley Stephens advised he would have the agenda completed by July as the second blast needs to be sent out by the beginning of August. 

• Todd DeSmet advised he would turn in all of the documentation to the ODI for CLE, and Ashley Stephens advised he would turn in the paperwork to OBA and CLEET, and that he would get his information to Todd DeSmet by July. 

• Gina Coleman advised she went to the PLRB conference in San Antonio recently and obtained several vendor cards and will send out a vendor/sponsor email to those that attended that conference to see if they would be interested in being a vendor or sponsor at our conference.  

• Bill Hollander advised Laurel Mason might want to be a vendor as well and he will send her a vendor form.  She is with Analytical Forensic Associates in Georgia. 

• There was a discussion had concerning who would do opening remarks, and Marc Sutphin advised he would check with the Lawton Pipe and Drum Corp. to see if they would be willing to attend and if any payment or donation would be needed.  

• There was a discussion had concerning awards and investigator of the year.  Renee Southerland advised that request would be added in the email blast for nominations to be sent in as well as photo of the year nominations.  

• Jonathan Wilk advised he drove to the Department of Corrections facility and still did not receive any answers concerning the status of our order. Jonathan Wilks advised he had not received a call back from the Department of Corrections concerning the items he ordered back in December for the conference raffle.  Bill Hollander advised he would pull out his paperwork and call the corrections department concerning his order as he received the items, he ordered personally within 60 days after placing his order in December.  

• Todd DeSmet advised that Travis Rider from Farm Bureau has his federal license and can do the gun order and run the background check if we want to give a gun away.  A discussion was had concerning the cost of an over/under shotgun, a tote shotgun and an AR in the price range of $400 each.  Todd DeSmet will check with Travis on the pricing of those guns to be sure.  

• Marc Sutphin received a text back from the Lawton Fire Department and Pipe and Drum Corp. and they agreed to do the honor guard ceremonies at the conference, and he will check with them concerning what kind of donation, if any, would be needed and that there is a possibility they might need to stay the night at the casino and us pay for their hotel since they would have to be ready to go by 8:00 a.m. the day of the conference.  

• It was decided to table any discussion regarding any room payment or donation for Lawton Pipe and Drum until they advise Marc Sutphin what they will actually need.  But Jonathan Wilk made a motion to pay for their room for one night and a donation to the Lawton Pipe and Drum for a total of both not to exceed $500.00, Tim Reeves seconded the motion, motion carried and approved. 

• Bill Hollander advised when he attended the International Conference, there was an electrical engineer that spoke concerning a Kansas City fatality fire about pulling the meter when the fire was in progress.  He wants to provide an investigator tip with the email blast concerning the valuable knowledge obtained from pulling the meter with that type of fire situation. 

• Todd DeSmet advised that Batteries Plus has flashlights with 400 lumen at $26.90 each which are the Slyde brand.  He advised the guy at Batteries Plus will see if we can get a bulk discount as we need 120 of them.  

501(c)3

Chris Woodall advised he is getting the bank statements from Stillwater National Bank, our past banking facility, and will be submitting those to the tax firm to work on past tax statements to get our 501©3 reinstated.  He also needs the minutes signed by Jonathan Wilk where he took over as Treasurer from Neil Moore as we will have to submit that as well to bank to confirm we are allowed to get the bank statements needed since we have a new Treasurer.

Old Business

Bill Cathcart advised he wants to revise other areas of our Bylaws besides the membership changes we had discussed at the last meeting.  He will advise of those changes for our May meeting.

New Business

Steve Rhodes attended the International Conference and advised his reimbursement amounts were $739.40 for the hotel, $800.00 for the conference fee, $488.00 for his flight, $60.00 for his luggage and $354.00 for the per diem, for a total reimbursement amount of $2,441.64.

Bill Hollander advised he had not added up his expenses but would get those to Jonathan Wilk for reimbursement.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on Thursday, May 19, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. in the Bears Room at the Grand Casino located at 777 Grand Casino Boulevard, Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Bill Hollander made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Steve Rhodes, motion carried and approved. 

Date:  March 9, 2022
Time: 10:09 am
Location:  Cathcart & Dooley Law Firm, OKC, OK

Call to Order

Made by President Chris Woodall

Roll Call

Absent at Meeting: Tim Reeves (3rd yr.), Nick Nadeau (3rd yr.) 

Present at Meeting: Chris Woodall (Pres.), Ashley Stephens (1st VP), Todd DeSmet (2nd VP), Tim Reeves (3rd yr.), Steve Rhodes (2nd yr.), Jesse Benne (2nd yr.), Marc Sutphin (1st yr.), Gina Coleman (1st yr.), Renee Southerland (Secretary), Jonathan Wilk (Treasurer), Bill Hollander (Past Pres.) – by phone

Reading and Approval of Minutes

Chris Woodall made a motion to forego the reading of the January minutes, seconded by Todd DeSmet, motion carried and approved.

Membership

 Two prospects had requested membership:  David Craig from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, and Jamie DuBose from Bethany Fire Dept.  Todd DeSmet made a motion to accept Mr. Craig’s membership, seconded by Gina Coleman, motion carried and approved.  Jesse Benne made a motion to accept Ms. DuBose’s membership, seconded by Todd DeSmet, motion carried and approved.

Treasurer’s Report

Jonathan Wilk advised we had $18,139.04 in the bank account but nothing had been transferred over from PayPal (if anything in PayPal) since the January meeting, but he will check and see if anything needs to be transferred over.  Jesse Benne made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report, seconded by Marc Sutphin, motion carried and approved.

CFI

Jesse Benne is working on his CFI

Website

Renee Southerland advised that Dan VanBuskirk made a few changes to the website to make it easier in paying for the conference and dues.  It is now easier for department heads or the accounting dept to identify if they are paying for more than one individual to come to the conference and to identify the names of those attending instead of just a lump-sum payment being made for, say, five people without knowing who those five people are.  There is still an error on one of the web pages which Dan VanBuskirk had advised was fixed but Renee will get with him to correct the error.

Annual Conference

• Chris Woodall and Jonathan Wilk went to the New Mexico IAAI Conference and there were about 40 people that attended.  This conference was Monday through Friday with food and a banquet provided as well as a Top Golf outing.  It was approximately $350 for the whole week.  
• A discussion was had concerning Teresa Rigby doing her wildland FI210 class which could be hosted here in 2022 or 2023. 
• A discussion was had concerning the ticket cost for a gun giveaway.  Ashley Stephens advised we could give them a certificate to FFL but they would need to pass the background check. In the past, our organization has given a gun away with the stock off.  Another option is to engrave our logo on the stock.
• Todd DeSmet will check with Travis Rider at Farm Bureau regarding an AR or Remington 870 giveaway.
• Renee Southerland suggested that besides board members trying to secure items to give away during the raffle for the burn camp, that she be allowed to go ahead and spend $200 of the organization’s money and buy items from Sam’s, Academy, etc., for additional items to be given away during the raffle.  Bill Hollander made a motion for Renee Southerland to spend $300 instead of $200, Ashley Stephens seconded, motion carried and approved.  
• Jonathan Wilk advised that he has not yet received a return call from the Department of Corrections on our grill, fire ring and glider order.  Bill Hollander advised he had ordered a grill and it was ready within 60 days.  Jonathan Wilk advised he would travel to the corrections department to check on our order in person prior to the next meeting.
• Jesse Benne advised he would check with his dad regarding the cost of a couple of fire pits as he can make those as well.
• Ashley Stephens advised that the agenda right now will include social media exploitation at 4 hours, riots/civil unrest/fires at 4 hours, IAAI health and safety committee by Jeff Pauley also at 4 hours, a case study at 2 hours, and a case study being done by Dave Hollman at 2 hours, and mental health by Dr. Albano on Friday for 2 hours.  A discussion and explanation of each of these topics was then had.
• Todd DeSmet will check with the OCA regarding us having a vendor booth. 
• There was a discussion had concerning having a hospitality night on Thursday night during our conference from 5:00 p.m. to ?  Renee Southerland will call Krystal concerning how to get that scheduled.  
• It was discussed that Stephanie from Blackmon Mooring would like to be a vendor at this year’s conference and Renee Southerland will call her. 
• Chris Woodall will check with Dr. Albano regarding this cost and attendance at the conference.  
• A discussion was had about the coffee that would be ordered at the conference and this discussion was tabled until it gets closer to the conference.
• Renee Southerland advised that the Casino will let us have our board meeting there in May or June so that we can see the new conference meeting room which has been built and decide if we want the new room for our conference or to keep the room we used for the conference in 2021.
• It was discussed again that every board member needs to check with businesses or people they know that might be willing to give something away at the conference.  
• Renee Southerland advised that she needed to send the email blast out by at least the end of April or beginning of May and would need the full agenda by then.  

501(c)3

Chris Woodall advised his wife stated her firm (Michael Doyle, CPA) will be working on our paperwork for reinstatement and they will do the last three years of tax returns in hopes of getting our 501(c)3 reinstated.

Jesse Benne suggested possibly using the Burn Camp’s 501(c)3 to get donations but doing so might muddy the waters since any donations we get go back to the Burn Camp anyway.  Chris Woodall will check with the tax firm for their recommendation on this request.

Old Business

At this time the board discussed several changes in the wording to our Oklahoma chapter bylaws from review of the International bylaws regarding classifications of memberships.  Those changes will be made by Jesse Benne and will then be forwarded to Renee Southerland for Bill Cathcart to review.

New Business

Jonathan Wilk stated since Fred was retired he would like to nominate him for the Lifetime Award and the nomination was made.  Seconded by Todd DeSmet.  Motion carried and approved.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on Thursday, April 21, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at the offices of Farm Bureau, located at 1077 South Memorial Drive, Tulsa, Oklahoma.  

A motion was made by Bill Hollander to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Marc Sutphin, motion carried and approved.

Date:  January 20, 2022
Time: 10:01 a.m.
Location:  Oklahoma Farm Bureau – Tulsa, OK

Call to Order

Made by President Chris Woodall

Roll Call

Present at Meeting: Chris Woodall (Pres.), Ashley Stephens (1st VP), Todd DeSmet (2nd VP), Tim Reeves (3rd yr.), Nick Nodeau (3rd yr.), Steve Rhodes (2nd yr.), Jesse Benne (2nd yr.), Marc Sutphin (1st yr.), Renee Southerland (Secretary), Jonathan Wilk (Treasurer)

Absent at Meeting: Bill Hollander (Past Pres.), Gina Coleman (1st yr.)

Reading and Approval of Minutes

Chris made a motion to forgo the reading and approval of the December minutes.  Ashley seconded, motion carried and approved.

Membership

Three new members had applied. 1) Matthew Meredith – of which some of the board members already knew.  Tim made the motion to accept his membership, seconded by Todd, motion carried and approved. 2) Nicholas Compala – Todd called David VanBuskirk regarding his credentials since David lived next to Kaw City.  The discussion was tabled until David could call back. David then called back and advised the chief stated Mr. Compala would be an excellent choice for membership. It was also discussed whether he should be an associate member or regular member. A motion was made by Todd to accept his membership, seconded by Tim, motion carried and approved. 3) Rodney Mullinax – of which some of the board members already knew.  Jonathan made a motion to accept his membership, seconded by Steve, motion carried and approved.

A discussion was then had regarding new members as it related to the National membership language that we had adopted concerning active versus associate.  This discussion was tabled until “old business.”

Treasurer’s Report

Jonathan had sent the bank statement by email to the board the day prior to the meeting but it did not have a total.  He advised the total we have in the bank is $18,719.04, which did include the checks that were received from the last meeting as those have now been deposited.  Jonathan advised he has not yet paid ODI for the items that we want to give away at the next conference as he has not yet received a return call from them.

CFI

• Tim Reeves advised that Joey Applegate received his CFI in December of 2021.  

Website 

• Renee provided Jonathan with an invoice in the amount of $575.00 from Dan VanBuskirk for website changes.  
• There was a discussion of Dan’s work and what he has done so far and what he did last year. 
• Marc advised there were issues with the “learn more” tab on the main page as it gives an error if you click on it.  Renee will have Dan check on this.  
• Jonathan provided a check for Renee to give to Dan in the amount of $575.00.
• Now that all of the new board members’ information has been provided, Renee will have Dan add that to the website.

Annual Conference  

• A discussion was had concerning Krystal’s information that the food court has not yet been completed, but she is adding 10 additional rooms for our conference and can delay the date that reservations are made.  She advised that their employment capacity is only at 47% right now due to vaccine requirements.  
• Jonathan advised that prior to our last conference we only $13,000.00 in the bank and now that we have $18,000.00 in the account, he would like to provide funding for lunches and possibly pay for a hospitality room.
• Ashley advised that the surveys reflected that the Grand Casino was a good location for the conference.
• Renee advised that everyone also liked Hallman’s display and the members wanted to see more of those case studies.
• Ashley advised he would reach out to some of his co-workers to do case studies and that we already have someone from Social Media Exploration Branch to do a case study.
• Jonathan advised he wanted a google warrant discussion at the conference.
• A discussion was had if the conference could meet the yearly goal of 24 hours plus two hours of mental health, but if so, then the conference would have to be three full days or add a mini conference through the year sometime.
• Renee handed out business cards for board members to pass out to prospective members for the next conference as the business cards identify our organization and our website.
• Jonathan advised in reference to the giveaways, there was an issue with the 511 shirts as the extremely large sizes can’t be obtained unless it’s for a business.  A discussion was had to possibly get a different kind of shirt or sweatshirt that would come in the larger sizes to get away from the business issue.
• Renee advised she would request Midwest Trophy to provide two pullover sweatshirt samples for the next meeting.  
• Todd discussed possibly having other items to be given away such as flashlights from 511, and Jonathan will check with 511 on those. 
• Renee advised that she had received the updated Fire Chief e-mail list from the State Fire Marshal’s office and will compare to the last list received in 2017 to make any updates.

501(c)3

Jonathan brought all of the records he could find in the brown folder and provided those to Chris including the 2020 and 2021 bank statements.  Chris advised he needed to get the tax returns caught up and is not sure what that cost will be but believes we had approved $500.00 in the past.  He may need a Power of Attorney for his wife’s tax firm.  Chris will have his wife do a spreadsheet of all past years to give to the tax firm so that we can get our 501(c)3 reinstated.

Old Business

• A discussion was had concerning member types, voting, and board rights.  Membership requirements were read in the Bylaws for both the Oklahoma Chapter and International Chapter.
• A discussion was had concerning “fire officer” and that a fire officer is first making the determination and then they may punt to an O&C or an additional fire investigator.
• It was discussed that the membership wording needs to be changed on the website and that copies of the International Bylaws should be handed out to the board members to look through and make our changes regarding membership status so that our Bylaws can reflect what the national IAAI says. 
• Jonathan advised that he had a discussion with Bill Cathcart on the first day of the conference as to how to approach the membership discussion concerning the changes and about the voting that would take place by the members on the last day of the conference.  
• Chris re-read the motion from the October minutes regarding the membership change and a discussion was then had about making our Bylaws changed to be limited to the types of membership.
• Todd suggested we ask Bill Cathcart what his recommendation is as to how to make the Bylaws change on the website concerning membership based on IAAI membership.
• Ashley advised we want to make “retired” fire investigators or firefighters have the ability to keep their membership and Chris advised as well as corporate companies and marketers such as Rimkus.  
• Ashley advised to decide on the wording we want to use from the International and send out the wording to the membership in an email blast.  Advise that we have not taken any action yet to make the language change but that this would be the language we want to use and request their input.  It could then be discussed again at the next annual meeting.  
• Todd suggested we needed to follow the Roberts Rules of Order.
• Jonathan stated he felt as though we had already adopted language to reflect what the International Bylaws state but was open for discussion at the next conference concerning Ashley’s suggestion.  
• Chris advised it would be okay to send an independent email regarding what the board had proposed concerning the language change for membership and then vote on “exact” language at the conference in October of 2022.  In this e-mail to the members, we can request comments be sent back to us to discuss.  
• It was discussed that no motion was needed to make the new bylaws language change, but it was requested for Bill Cathcart to review it first.  And at this time, it was requested all board members review Article II to be discussed at the next meeting.  
• Ashley advised we would need to add “retirement and corporate” wording and that the members need to agree to this wording.  
• Chris advised at the next meeting we would focus only on the membership language so that we could get this out to the members.

New Business

• Renee reminded everyone to pay their International dues of $100.00 because as a board member for the Oklahoma Chapter you have to be a member of the National organization.
• She also advised that she submitted the photos to the International Association and they would advise if a winner was in our group.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on Thursday, March 3, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at the offices of Cathcart & Dooley, located at 2807 North Classen Boulevard, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Jonathan made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Nick, motion carried and approved.

Date:  December 9, 2021
Time: 10:02 a.m.
Location:  Oklahoma Farm Bureau – Tulsa, OK

Call to Order

Made by President Chris Woodall

Roll Call

Present at Meeting: Chris Woodall (Pres.), Bill Hollander (Past Pres.), Steve Rhodes (2nd yr.), Jim Wilhelm (2nd yr.), Marc Sutphin (1st yr.), Gina Coleman (1st yr.), Renee Southerland (Secretary), Jonathan Wilk (Treasurer)

Absent at Meeting: Ashley Stephens (1st VP), Todd DeSmet (2nd VP), Tim Reeves (3rd yr.), Nick Nodeau (3rd yr.)

Reading and Approval of Minutes

Jonathan made a motion to forego the reading of the October conference minutes, seconded by Bill Hollander, motion carried and approved.

Membership

A request for membership was received from Nick Kelley, Assistant Fire Marshal of Moore Fire Department.  Bill Hollander made the motion to accept his membership, seconded by Steve Rhodes, motion carried and approved.

Treasurer’s Report

As of October 15, the Arvest bank account balance was $13,578.32.  More deposits were made after the conference as well as a PayPal transfer to now total $17,569.57.  Additional checks have been received at this meeting for late conference payments in the amount of $1,320.00 which will be deposited making the total in the bank account to be $18,889.57.  Steve Rhodes made the motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report, seconded by Marc Sutphin, motion carried and approved. 

Gina Coleman suggested using Zelle as a possible option for bank transfers instead of Square because no fees are charged.  Bill Hollander also suggested Venmo and CashApp.  Any further discussion was tabled. 

The Treasurer stated we are now in a financial position to explore hosting and providing additional services to the members for the upcoming conference in October 2022.

CFI

None. A discussion was had with Marc Sutphin regarding the credentials for CFI and the procedure for him applying.

Website

Bill Hollander requested that we change the photo award deadline date from October 1^st to September 1^st in order to have time to get all of the photographs in, frames purchased, and plates made.

Renee Southerland discussed when payments come in for the conference that some of the members are not filling out the membership form and bypassing it just to pay directly.  It was discussed that it was okay to get with Dan VanBuskirk, our IT person, to change the payment format on the website so that members have to fill out the membership form first before payment can be made.

Annual Conference

• The 1^st Vice President, Ashley Stephens, was not able to make the conference but had sent an email stating he would be working on the agenda as some of his ATF co-workers would be speaking at the conference.  He also stated his vote would be to have the conference at the Grand Casino again in Shawnee as it appeared the surveys Bill Hollander sent out were all favorable with that venue.
• Renee Southerland had a conference call with Krystle prior to the board meeting and she advised that the dates we had requested for her to reserve the ballroom for the conference, October 19-21, 2022, were still on her books.  We can also have Tuesday the 18^th free for set-up if it was voted on by the board to keep the conference at that venue.  She said the cost would remain the same at $500 for Wednesday, $500 for Thursday, and $225.00 for Friday.  Even though she had cut the cost for Wednesday and Thursday in half at this past conference (because we had to order buffet lunches and a lot of snacks since the food court was not open), she stated she could not cut the conference cost in half this coming year.  She advised that all of the coffee we had ordered at this past conference was free because catering did not turn in their invoice in to her until a week after we had paid for the conference and she was not going to request additional money from us.  She advised that food court would definitely be open by October 2022 as it was supposed to be open in February 2022.  She further explained that since the food court would be open, no buffet lunches could be ordered for this next conference since a lot of food options would now be available for lunch.  Hotel rooms were not discussed at this time.
• Since less than 30 surveys were turned in at this past conference, a suggestion was made to have everyone turn in the surveys at the end of the day on Thursday and possibly get a free ticket to use for one of the bigger giveaway items that would be raffled off at the end of Thursday.  At least this would ensure that maybe more surveys could get turned in instead of waiting until Friday when a lot of members don’t attend and have had to leave the conference early.
• Since the items purchased from OCI (Oklahoma Correctional Industries) were such a big hit for this past conference, it was discussed to go ahead and order those items from them again to ensure that enough time is given for these items to be made.  Jonathan advised the three items that we gave away only cost our organization $1,000.00 even though the cost should have been $1,100.00 as OCI ate the additional $100.00 and gave us that discount. 
• At this time, the OCI pamphlet for outdoor furniture was passed out and reviewed and a motion was made by Gina Coleman to order the same items, seconded by Bill Hollander, motion carried and approved.  
• As for the giveaway items for the members when they attend the conference, David VanBuskirk (past board member) had suggested during this past conference to go ahead and get 511 hoodies as those had never been given away, only the sweatshirts.  Jonathan advised he would contact his rep at 511 and send an email to everyone concerning the hoodies available and the cost. 
• Marc Sutphin requested an explanation about the monies that go to the burn camp from the raffle, and it was advised that 100% goes to that organization.
• Renee Southerland advised that the burn camp will attend the next conference in October 2022 as they already have the dates on their calendar.
• A discussion was had to encourage all board members to get raffle giveaway items starting now since the members really enjoy a chance to win these items since the money goes to the burn camp.

501(c)3

• Chris Woodall advised that he will meet with Jonathan Wilk to get the past bank records for the last three years as the accountant needs this in order to start the process to reinstate our 501(c)3 status.
• Bill Hollander then had a discussion with the new board members stating that our 501(c)3 had expired and that we were trying to get it reinstated.

New Business

• Chris Woodall suggested doing a one-day class in the spring, and Jonathan Wilk suggested possibly using a class from the National organization.  Bill Hollander advised he was involved in one of those classes that Mr. Magalassi had done in the past.  
• Marc Sutphin advised that the FMAO hours versus OKIAAI hours are about the same and that we should possibly squeeze in more CLEET hours.  He advised the Department of Agriculture has a class we could use.  Jonathan Wilk advised he attended that Ag class in the past, and it was also discussed about the Arson for Prosecutors Class which is a two-day class that the ATF would conduct.  Jonathan Wilk advised that ATF hosted his class for free and they did a live burn as well.  
• Chris Woodall has suggested that we go ahead and pay for a venue and do a class and form a committee but it was suggested to wait until Ashley Stephens was at the next meeting to discuss further.
• Board positions were discussed and how current positions were filled based on certain vacancies. 
• At this time Jim Wilhelm submitted his resignation to the board which Chris Woodall read to the board and thanked Jim Wilhelm for his conference help these past few years.  At this time a new 2^nd year appointee needed to be nominated.  Renee Southerland nominated David VanBuskirk, and Bill Hollander advised that he had spoken with David the week prior and he was okay to be back on the board but would be out of attending any meetings during the summer due to his sprinkler business.  Jonathan Wilk advised that Fred Henderson would fill any vacancy until a permanent replacement was found.  Jim Wilhelm also advised if he was needed for a vote he could be available until a permanent replacement can be determined because he does need to resign.  He also let his EMT, Hazmat and CLEET certifications expire.  
• Chris Woodall suggested if we called one of the other potential nominees that did not get voted in to see if they would be willing to be a board member at this time, we could do that.  Jonathan Wilk advised that Jesse Benne ran the last two years and really wants to get involved and would be a good resource going further.  His supervisor also advised that Jesse Benne could make the meetings whenever they were scheduled. 
• At this time, Chris Woodall appointed Jesse Benne a 2^nd year board member as Jim Wilhelm’s replacement.  Jonathan advised he would call Jesse Benne and advise him of his new appointment.  Renee Southerland will add him into the letterhead, email chain, and website for the board members going forward starting January 2022.  
• Renee Southerland had Chris Woodall sign a new W-9 for the 2022 year.

Old Business:

• At our conference annual meeting, it was voted on that the language in our Bylaws be changed to reflect the membership language used by the International Association.  Jonathan Wilk will extract that language and add it into our Bylaws and present it at the next meeting.  Gina Coleman questioned why Hugh Graham had a dissention vote and it was because he thought the board needed to be addressed sixty (60) days prior, but Jonathan Wilk had spoken with Bill Cathcart, our legal counsel, prior to the conference concerning eligibility status and he stated that we needed to address it in our Bylaws.  Bill Cathcart advised it was okay to take a vote during the Annual meeting.  It was discussed concerning associate membership and student membership, and what eligibility was needed to be on the board, and that the word “International” would be redacted when applying their language to our Bylaws. 
• Bill Hollander advised that he still had plane credits from the last International meeting that was cancelled in April of 2021, and it was discussed that it was okay for Bill Hollander to go to the International conference this year since he did not get to go last year.  
• Steve Rhodes had also been on the schedule to go last year and would like to go this year, so that discussion was had and he will be attending also.
• It was further discussed that those board members attending the International conference will be reimbursed at the government per diem rate, and their hotel and flight will also be reimbursed.  A motion was made by Jonathan Wilk to accept this, seconded by Bill Hollander, motion carried and approved.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be on Thursday, January 20, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at Oklahoma Farm Bureau located at 10777 S. Memorial Drive in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Bill Hollander made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Jonathan Wilk, motion carried and approved. 

Date:  October 22, 2021
Time: 10:35 a.m.
Location:  Grand Casino, Shawnee, Oklahoma

Call to Order

Made by President, Chris Woodall

Roll Call

Absent at Meeting: Tim Reeves (3rd yr.), Steve Rhodes (2nd yr.)

Present at Meeting: Chris Woodall (Pres.), Bill Hollander (Past Pres.), Jonathan Wilk (Treasurer), Ashley Stephens (1st VP), Todd DeSmet (2nd VP), Nick Nadeau (3rd yr.), Jim Wilhelm (2nd yr.), Gina Coleman (1st yr.), Marc Sutphin (1st yr.), Renee Southerland (Secretary)

Reading and Approval of Minutes

A motion was made by Bill Hollander to forego the reading of the September minutes, seconded by Todd, motion carried and approved.

Membership

For this conference, we had 106 paid members, 12 of those were new members, and 96 attended the conference.  In 2020, we did not have a conference due to the pandemic but had 108 paid members, and 12 of those were new members.

Treasurer’s Report

Jonathan Wilk advised the current balance was $23,324.93 but we needed to pay the Grand Casino for their conference facilities which would be $6,000 – 7,000, but we have yet to receive the final billing.  The burn camp raised $2,737.00 in the raffle.

CFI

None – Chris Woodall advised we needed more CFIs for the State of Oklahoma.

Annual Conference

It was requested that all of the surveys be turned in for this conference.  It was announced that First VP Ashley Stephens would be heading the conference next year.  Ashley made a motion for our organization to add $1,000.00 from our funds to the raffle amount raised, therefore, a check in the amount of $3737 would be given to the Burn Camp.  Bill seconded the motion.  Motion carried and approved.  A check will be written today to the burn camp for $3.737.00.

New Business

Ashley made a motion to destroy the ballots concerning the nominations.  Bill Hollander seconded the motion, motion carried and approved. 

Chris Woodall then discussed membership status concerning associate members, retired members, and the like.  This had been discussed with the board’s legal counsel who advised it was okay for our organization to adopt the International’s language about membership. At this time, it was requested to entertain any motions concerning this subject.  Ashley made a motion to change our Bylaws to adopt and reflect what the International says regarding membership which would allow retired members to be part of the organization and keep their credentials.  As of right now, we only have “Active” and “Lifetime” member status and we need 2/3rds vote to add different types of members (retired, organizations, associate).  A discussion was had with the membership and Hugh Graham stated he thought it had to be published for 60 days before voting but this could not be located in our Bylaws.  Legal counsel had reviewed and said it was okay not to publish for 60 days as we are separate from International and have separate Bylaws.  This was now seconded by Jonathan Wilk.  A vote was taken to adopt the language from the International Bylaws, and there was well over 2/3rds majority and only one no vote.  The motion was carried and approved.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be determined at a later date with the new board members being advised of such.  A motion was made by Bill Hollander to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Marc Sutphin, motion carried and approved. 

Date: September 30, 2021
Time: 10:08 a.m.
Location: Grand Casino, Shawnee, Oklahoma

Call to Order

Made by President Bill Hollander

Roll Call

Present at Meeting: Bill Hollander (Pres.), Jonathan Wilk (Treasurer), Chris Woodall (1st VP), Jeremy Robbins (3rd yr.), Fred Henderson (3rd yr.), Tim Reeves (2nd yr.), Rodd DeSmet (2nd yr.), Steve Rhodes (1st yr.), Jim Wilhelm (P1 yr.), Renee Southerland (Secretary)

Absent at Meeting: Ashley Stephens (2nd VP), David VanBuskirk (Past Pres.)

Reading and Approval of Minutes

August minutes were read by the president. Chris made a motion to accept, seconded by Jonathan, motion carried and approved.

Membership

Three new members applied: Doug Monty, Anthony Garibay and Heather Schafstall. A motion was made by Jeremy Robbins to approve these three memberships, seconded by Chris Woodall, motion carried and approved.

Treasurer’s Report

Jonathan Wilk gave the Treasurer’s Report stating the current balance was $14,800.81, which included $289.35 in a PayPal transfer transaction, $5.00 service fee, another PayPal deposit of $2,750.00, reimbursement of $128.03 for flowers for Dave Hallman’s mom’s funeral, and $574.00 to Dan VanBuskirk for website updates. There is an additional $2,450.43 in PayPal that will need to be transferred and a $1,000.00 check will need to be made to the Department of Corrections for the raffle items that will be purchased from that facility. Renee provided a check in the amount of $600.00 from the State Fire Marshal’s office and a check will need to be written to Ashley Stephens in the amount of $50.00 for the speaker materials he provided to MCLE. This will be paid to Ashley at the conference since he missed the meeting. Jonathan will also refund $300.00 to RIMKUS if they request a refund since they cannot make it to the conference as a vendor. So, there is roughly $16,850.00 in the account after these transactions. Renee advised the amount of the conference invoice right now without any changes was $3,924.80. Motion was made by Jeremy to accept the Treasurer’s Report, seconded by Chris, motion carried and approved.

CFI

None.

Annual Conference

• Todd DeSmet – wanted to make sure thank-you notes got sent to vendors and that 17 hours was approved by the insurance department for credits during the conference. 
• Chris advised that Dan Gottuk and Bill Cathcart’s presentation is being worked on. He also advised that Mike Abraham is receiving an award from another organization during the time of our conference and requested to change his speaking date to Friday, but since that could not occur he is still going to speak as scheduled. 
• A discussion was also had concerning credits and the sign-in sheets and how they will be set out every morning. 
• A discussion was had by Chris as to whether or not board members paid for the conference and he advised they do not. 
• Bill Hollander will call David VanBuskirk regarding a keynote speaker. If David cannot get one, Bill will try to find a keynote speaker. 
• Renee advised there will not be an Arson Advisory Council presentation as the person who wanted to do that presentation to The Burn Camp will not be able to attend. The presentation should be made in 2022 if that’s what they elect to do. 
• Jonathan advised he needed The Burn Camp money separated from the merchandise and membership payment money, and Renee advised she had two bank bags and would bring those to the conference. 
• At this time all board members met with Krystle Ross with the Grand Casino to go over the layout for the conference room, the vendor tables, and registration tables that were needed. It was also discussed by Krystle that she could provide a buffet lunch solely for the membership on Wednesday and Thursday for $12.95 each and that we would only be responsible for the number of tickets/buffets purchased. Jonathan made a motion to accept her proposal and provide lunch on Wednesday and Thursday along with keeping our same snack schedule, it was seconded by Jeremy, motion carried and approved. 
• Jeremy then discussed providing coffee during each of the conference days. Motion was then made by Jeremy to provide coffee with no limits each day, seconded by Tim, motion carried and approved.
• Renee passed out the photos from the photo contest, and arson was voted on for 1^st and 2^nd place and accidental was voted on for 1^st and 2^nd place.
• Bill Hollander will get the ink and paper for the printer and will bring the printer to the conference.
• Renee will check with David VanBuskirk as to whether or not he has any evidence cans for the raffle give-aways.
• Chris advised that we needed some extension cords so if anyone had some they needed to bring them. 

• Krystle advised that we could use her ticket spinner for our raffle give-aways and that she would revise the banquet event order to reflect that lunches would also be provided on Wednesday and Thursday during the conference.

Old Business

Renee advised that Dan VanBuskirk stated it would cost $50-$200 for him to place an ad-type banner on our website if a business wanted to advertise for the year. That discussion was tabled.

Next Meeting

Next meeting will be Friday, October 22, 2021, at 11:30 a.m. at the end of the conference. A motion was made by Jeremy to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Todd, motion carried and approved.