Question & Answers

Here is what they said: w Melanie Colvin, Lexington: Pickup Trucks! You use to be able to get one for a decent price. Now their price is astronomical! w Keith Bryant, Ret. OKC: I would say funerals are way too expensive. w Jim Ed Nimmo, Tulsa: Influence. Real influence. It’s not just measured in dollars, but the price is high to get people to do the right thing. I suppose the exact opposite argument could be made, but that isn’t the case in my experience. w Kendra Engle, OSFA Women’s Aux: Insurance. w Bryan West, OSU-FST: This is an easy one because I just had to purchase them. WIPER BLADES! Every vehicle needs them, every vehicle needs at least two of them yet they are only sold as singles and cost over $60 per blade, and that’s not the most expensive ones available. w Jacob Stangl, Edmond: Bottled water! w Eric Carranza, Springer: Our apparatus are out of control and it’s going to keep going up! w B.J. Baker, Tahlequah: Commercial beef. w Tom Marcum, Mooreland: Insurance! Both auto and home. If you don’t have any claims, you should get some free time from both and still be covered. w Greg Roberts, Ret. Norman: Gasoline and Diesel. w Michael Baker, Tulsa: The basics of life – food, housing, utilities. Many in our community cannot afford these essentials and they go without the items that help with their mental and physical well-being. w Troy Calvert, Clinton: Health Care. I understand the circumstances that have made it so costly, but it shouldn’t be. w Greg Lindsay, OKC: Education is way too expensive. w Donnie Bennett, OKC: Internet service.

WHEREAS The Constitution and By-Laws of the Oklahoma Retired Firefighters Association (ORFA) have been under review over the past year and;

WHEREAS at the request of the Executive Board of the ORFA the Committee has several times since the 2022 Conference to review the Constitutions and By-Laws of the Association to determine any proposed changes beneficial to the membership and;

WHEREAS in the current constitution there is no Article to address Executive Board Meetings and;

WHEREAS there is a need to ensure transparency and information sharing with the members of the Association. The Executive Board proposes the addition of Sections 4, 5 and 6 to Article IV.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Article IV be changed to include the following:

Section 4. All regular meetings conducted by the Executive Board of the Association shall be posted on the ORFA website two weeks prior to the meeting.

Section 5. All agendas and meeting minutes shall be posted on the ORFA website.

Section 6. All items should be discussed in open session other than items that require confidential communications between Executive Board Members and the Executive Director. Items to be discussed in executive session shall be stated on the agenda and no action shall be made concerning executive session items. All items requiring action shall be made in open session. Items appropriate for discussion in executive session shall include:

A. Discussion concerning the employment and/ or compensation of the Executive Director and/or any other employee(s).

B. Discussion regarding items that would violate the confidentiality of any individual or organization.

C. Discussion concerning any legal actions that would impair the organization’s ability to investigate and/or litigate any pending action.

Respectfully submitted: ORFA Board w Mike “Rookie” Billingsley, Ret. Nichols Hills: Funerals … Gasoline … Food … Vehicles … Medicine … College … Health Care … Insurance … Clothes … What A Burger. w Darren Alexander, Cedar Country: Mattresses. I have always said nobody can justify 8-10k on a new mattress. Unless it is made out of gold and takes away every muscle pain we all get as we get older, there is no reason. w Kara Owens, Piedmont: Health insurance! w Marshall Dunnam, Ret. OKC: Electric vehicles. w Ray Hammons, Ret. Tahlequah: There are so many things but medicine, particularly Insulin! It’s a shame that we have allowed big pharmaceutical and politicians to create an atmosphere of marketing and targeting the sick the poor and the elderly!

We firefighters are allowed to hand out lifesaving Narcan because it’s politically correct, while others have to choose between food, utilities and medicine!

WHEREAS the Oklahoma Retired Firefighters Association is a Century old institution created with the intent of offering an opportunity for retired firefighters or their surviving spouse to offer support and assistance to both active and retired firefighters when needed and work to protect and improve the Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System.

WHEREAS the ORFA is governed by a Constitution Approved by the membership and;

WHEREAS the Association Constitution is much like our nation’s constitution in that there may occasionally arise different interpretations of the same written document and;

WHEREAS the Association has created a resolutions and constitution committee to research and propose any needed changes to keep our Constitution current, clear in intent and content and;

WHEREAS the Resolutions and Constitution Committee has met numerous times since our last convention and has drafted and approved a proposed new version of our Constitution with clarifications and simplifications without changing the intent of the document and;

WHEREAS the items listed in Article II-Objective are all of equal importance, it was inferred by some that the order of said items determines their priority. It doesn’t, but we reworded the objectives to clarify our focus.

WHEREAS the Constitution needed some additional clarification and simplification and we believe we have done just that in our attached draft proposed constitution.

WHEREAS the modifications to our constitution in the attached draft have been reviewed and approved by the ORFA Constitution and Resolutions Committee as well as the Executive Board of the Oklahoma Retired Firefighters Association.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Resolutions and Constitution Committee recommends a Do-Pass on ORFA Constitutional Resolution 23-02.

Respectfully submitted: ORFA Resolutions & Constitution Committee, Chair Phil Ostrander