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Classification of Acts |
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Hereafter following meritorious awards will be awarded to deserving members for certain meritorious acts. These awards are recognized by North Hudson regional Fire & Rescue and are acceptable for attachment to a member’s dress uniform jacket. Any awards received by members prior to the (1/11/99) Regionalization will also be recognized by this Department. Class A ( Medal of Honor) Two(2) Compensatory Days To entitle a member to a rating in this class, the act under consideration should involve a degree of danger properly characterized as “Extreme Personal Risk” for performing above and beyond the call duty, which had been instrumental in rescuing and saving another from death. Class B ( Commendation ) One(1) Compensatory Day To entitle a member to a rating in this class, the act under consideration should involve a degree of danger properly characterized as “Great Personal risk” that had been instrumental in rescuing and saving another from possible death. Class C (Citation) To entitle a member to a rating in this class, the act under consideration should involve a degree of danger properly characterized as “Unusual Personal Risk” an act of bravery. Unit citation To entitle a member to a rating in this class, the act under consideration should involve an “Outstanding Company Operation”, dependent upon teamwork and cooperation. The Chief Officer shall cite specific reasons. Individual Unit Citation Members involved in the recommendations for a Unit Citation who have performed individually to a degree conforming to the requirements of Meritorious Acts shall in addition to the merits accruing to such citation, be subject of separate reports of Meritorious Acts (Form MA-1) in accordance with the provision of this general Order. Honorable Service Award
To entitle a member to a rating in this class, the act under
consideration should involve a “Creditable Act” which meets some of the
requirements for other awards, with some degree of hazard involved, or
and act which is highly unusual in nature showing initiative and
accomplishment. Rescue Non-Fire Award To entitle a member to a rating in this class, the act under consideration should involve a “Creditable Act” which meets some of the requirements for other awards, with some degree of hazard involved, or and act which is highly unusual in nature showing initiative and accomplishment. All Non-Fire Emergencies. Medical Service Award To entitle a member to a rating in this class, the act under consideration should involve “Under Unusual or Extraordinary Circumstances” that have been instrumental in saving another from severe injury or death, during a Medical Emergency or First Responder Call. Team Effort award To entitle a unit to this award, the act under consideration should involve an “Exceptional Company(s) Operation, dependent upon teamwork and cooperation. The Chief Officer shall cite specific reasons. Command Award To be awarded to a Incident Commander from the chief of the Department for his professional decision making, in bringing a complex incident to a safe and timely end. Years of Service Award Awarded to those members, in acknowledgement of their years of service to the Department, and the Townships in which they serve, at intervals of 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years. Charter Member Award Awarded to those members who were the “Charter Members” of this Department and were members of their respective towns of North Bergen, West New York, Union City, Weehawken and Guttenberg prior to January 11, 1999 Regionalization, and are now members of the North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue. Civilian service Award Awarded for personal assistance by a civilian at a fire or fire department operation or extending oneself beyond ones own safety to provide prompt action to aid people who ere in need. Fire Control Service Award Awarded to Fire Department at the discretion of an Incident Commander for professional actions that exemplifies the performance of their duties. Other Recognized Awards: These awards are recognized by the North Hudson Regional fire & Rescue and are acceptable for attachment to a member’s dress uniform jacket.
Fire Chief, Company Officer & Firefighter Awarded two(2) compensatory days and recorded and entered into personnel file. Awarded to one Fire Chief, one Company Officer, and one Fire Fighter chosen by the department and Locals 24 & 26 FMBA, Locals 3950 & 3951 IAFF. FMBA Award Awarded to those members of the FMBA, as chosen by the FMBA IAFF Award Awarded to those members of the IAFF, as chosen by the IAFF. 200 Club Award Awarded to those members, as recommended by the 200 Club. American Legion Award Awarded to those members, as recommended by the American Legion. VFW Award Awarded to those members, as recommended by the VFW. Knights of Columbus Award Awarded to those members, as recommended by the Knights of Columbus. Multi-Agency Award Awarded to those members, as recommended by Kwanis, Korena Vets, etc.. Saint Barnabas Heroism Award Awarded to those members who have been recognized by the Saint Barnabas Burn Foundation for meritorious acts, to include “Valor Award” and “ Special Recognition Awards”. Department/Community Service Award (George welsh Award) Awarded to those members chosen by the Department and Locals 24 & 26 FMBA, Locals 3950 & 3951 IAFF. Metro Fire Photo Award Awarded to those members, as recommended by the Metro Fire Photo. Vietnam Service Award Awarded to any member who served in the military during the Vietnam War. Desert Storm Award Awarded to any member who served in the military during the Persian Gulf War. Other wars and Conflicts Award Awarded to any member who served in military during any other War or Conflict not already mentioned. The 9-11-01 Remembrance Can be worn by any member of the Department Submission of Reports Forms MA-1 (Report of Meritorious Act) shall be utilized when recommending awards for Meritorious Acts or Units Citations. A copy of the Incident Report where the Meritorious Acts was performed should be forwarded along with Form MA-1 to facilitate processing. Company Officers on duty at the time of performance by a member of their unit of an act which may be classified as a Meritorious Act, and which act they have witnessed or have been alerted to, shall be responsible for notifying, as soon as practical, the Incident Commander. Meritorious Acts not reported at the scene may not receive consideration for an award. Any officer or member present who is cognizant of the facts shall likewise promptly call Meritorious Acts by Company Officers and Battalion Chiefs to the attention of the Incident Commander. When any member performs duty under conditions outlined above, such duty shall be brought to the attention of the I.C. or Operations Chief who shall obtain from the member all relevant facts pertaining to such service. If deemed worthy of official recognition, the officer so notified shall be responsible for preparation and forwarding of the Meritorious Act Report. The Incident Commander of Operations Chief of the member who performed an act, which may be classified as a meritorious act, must submit the “ Report of Meritorious Act (Form MA-1). Meritorious Acts performed by Firefighters shall be submitted by the Company Officer. Meritorious Acts performed by Company Officers shall be submitted by the I.C. Operations Chief responsible for the Incident Report. Meritorious Acts performed by the Battalion Chiefs shall be submitted by the Deputy Chief (I.C.). Meritorious Acts performed by Deputy Chiefs shall be submitted by the Chief of the Department. Firefighters may refer superior officers for meritorious acts, however, the superior of the individual (I.C./ Operations Chief) must submit the paperwork after an investigation. Company Officers shall not recommend companies for Unit Citations. Unit Citations recommendations must be submitted by the Incident Commander or Operations Chief. Only superior officers (I.C./Operations Chief ) on the group that the act occurred shall sign and forward endorsements. Endorsements that do not contain statements of fact or investigation results will be returned without action. Upon return to quarters, a Report of Meritorious Act (Form MA-1) embracing all pertinent information, shall be promptly prepared, signed and forwarded. All Meritorious Act and Unit Citation Reports should be forwarded to the Valor Awards Committee no later than thirty (30) days from date of the act. To receive consideration for an award all reports of Meritorious Acts for the same operation shall be forwarded in one package. When a member or members are involved in the rescue of another member, the Incident Commander / Operations Chief involved shall interview those rescued and those who performed the rescue to ascertain full particulars. The results of this investigation shall be included in their endorsement on the Meritorious Act Report (Form MA-1). When any member performs duty at a location where no officer of the Department is present, and to which there was no subsequent Fire Department response, and which act, under specifications of this General Order, may be classified as a Meritorious Act, all pertinent details of actions taken shall be conveyed, as soon as practicable to the officer on duty with the member’s assigned unit. Complete data relative to such acts shall be made available to the member’s Commanding Officer, who will, to the best of his ability, obtain corroboration of the member’s statement and, if in keeping with provisions of this General Order submit a Meritorious Act Report. Meritorious Acts at fires or emergencies involving more than one member, which cannot be classified as a Unit Citation, shall be submitted by forwarding individual Meritorious Act Reports (Form MA-1) citing outstanding acts and corroborating information pertaining to each member. All reports for the same operation are to be forwarded at one time. Valor Awards Committee Recommendation It shall be the responsibility of the Valor Awards Committee to recommend the awarding of an award for Meritorious Act or Unit Citation and for the degree of award of meritorious act, and this General Order shall guide them. The Valor Awards Committee shall determine the amount of personal risk, if any, taken by an individual in performing the meritorious act and classify them accordingly. When, in the opinion or the Incident Commander, an operation of an entire unit is deserving an award, he shall recommend a Unit Citation to the Valor Awards Committee. To entitle a unit to this citation, the act under consideration must involve an outstanding company operation, dependent upon teamwork and cooperation. In his recommendation to the Valor Awards Committee, the Incident Commander shall cite specific reasons indicating why the company operations were so outstanding that a Unit Citation was warranted. Members of a company that have been recommended for a unit citation who have individually performed an act of valor meeting the requirements of a meritorious act shall be recommended for the higher award only. The Valor Awards Committee shall take into account, both the mental and physical state of the individual being rescued from an incident. An act where a Fire Department member walked a victim out of a building shall not be given the same weight as a victim being dragged or carried from an incident. The Valor Awards Committee reviews all Meritorious Acts submitted by Officers and submits their decision to the Chief of the Department. The time frame in which a Meritorious Act will be considered is between February 1st through January 31st. Awards will be announced on a biannual basis, in August and February. The Valor Awards Committee is represented by the FMBA Locals 24 & 26, and IAFF Locals 3950 and 3951. Appeals Appeals of awards of meritorious acts shall be considered unless the appeal clearly discloses new evidence or additional facts relative to the Meritorious Act, which was not included in the original Report of Meritorious Act (Form MA-1). Appeals of findings for awards, of meritorious acts shall not be considered unless submitted within thirty (30) days after official promulgation of awards. All appeals shall be addressed in writing to the Chief of the Department. Reports Include the following, if applicable: Any unusual circumstances. Fire conditions – severity of heat-smoke-gas (heavy-medium-light). Weight and height of person rescued if it has a bearing on the act. Meritorious Act involving Police Action –age of perpetrator (actor). Were any other civilians or members in the vicinity of the rescue? Indicate if act performed without waiting for orders (initiative). The report of a Unit Award shall include the name, rank an unit of all members working in the unit and/or at the operation for which the citation is recommended. Include all details of the unit’s performance. The report shall contain only information that is pertinent toward the member (s) being recommended for a meritorious act. Award Ribbons The following is a list that contains a description of the Meritorious Act ribbons. They are recognized by the North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue and are to be worn in the following order. Award and Description 1- Class A Medal of Honor (Officer) Solid Red Bar w/ 12 Gold StarsClass A Medal of Honor (Firefighter) Solid Blue Bar w/ 12 Gold StarsClass A Medal of Honor (Posthumous) Solid Black Bar w/ 12 Gold Stars2- Class B Commendation White Edges – Red Bar 3- Class C Citation Red – White 4- Unit Citation White-Red –White w/ Yellow Stripes 5- Individual Unit Citation Lt. Blue – Dark Blue – Lt. Blue w/ Red Stripes 6- Rescue Non-Fire Award Blue / White / Blue 7- Medical Service Award Lt. Green – White Blue 8- Team Effort Award Yellow w/ green Stripes 9- Command Award Solid White w/ 3 Gold Star Appurtenance 10- Years of Service Award Solid Blue w/ Number of Years Service 11- Charter Member Award Red w/ White Stripes & 1 Gold Appurtenance 12- Civilian Service Award Red – White – Red 13- Fire Officer of the Year Blue – Red – Blue w/ Red Edges & Yellow Stripes 14- Firefighter of the Year Green w/ Yellow Stripes 15- FMBA Award Red – White - Green 16- IAFF Award Red – White – Blue 17- St. Barnabas Award Red Bar w/ Initials SBBF 18- 200 Club Award Red – White – Blue w/ Triangle in the Center Red – White – Blue w/ Triangle in the Center 19- American Legion Award Lt. Blue – Red – lt. Blue w/ Red & White Edges 20- VFW Award Lt. Blue w/ Dark Blue Stripes 21- Knights of Columbus Award Solid Red Bar 22- Multi-Agency Award Solid Lt. green Bar w/ 13 Gold Stars 23- Departmental / Community Service Award Green – White 24- Metro Fire Photo Club Award Red – Blue – Red w/ White edges 25- Vietnam Veteran Award Yellow w/ Green Edges & Red Stripes 26- Desert Storm Award Replica of the American Flag w/ the word “Desert Storm” above it 27- Other Wars & Conflicts Award Replica of the American Flag 28- The 9-11-01 Remembrance Replica of the American Flag 29- Fire Control Service Award Solid Orange Bar 30- George Welsh Award / Comm. Serv. Solid White w/2 Gold Stripes 31- Hispanic Firefighters Assn. Red, White, & Blue Stripes Appurtenance devices may be worn on Citation Bars to indicate additional award of the same type. Only one bar for each type may be worn. If a member is awarded multiple awards of same type, the Citation Bar designating the multiple awards is to be worn.
Silver Star: worn in lieu of second award Oak Leaf: worn in lieu of third award Gold Star: worn in lieu of fourth award Maltese Cross: worn in lieu of fifth award Numerals: worn to designate years of service
The Following is the proper arrangement of award ribbons. Award ribbons are to be worn as illustrated below. Although only 6 ribbon positions are indicated, a total of 20 ribbons may be worn. Note: These bars are to be worn on the left breast centered approximately 61/2” below the corner of the lapel. The higher awards are to be worn on the right of the first row or on the higher row if more than one row is worn. |
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NORTH HUDSON REGIONAL FIRE & RESCUE |
