board of directors

[fireman2321]

when a fire department starts out dont hey have to have a board of directors to rule over the chief and set guide lines in a volunteer fire depart.

and can the chief fire the bod

[Chris Harrison]

when a fire department starts out dont hey have to have a board of directors to rule over the chief and set guide lines in a volunteer fire depart.

RONR doesn't require this.

and can the chief fire the bod

RONR doesn't grant him this authority.

However, the devil is in the details and those details should be found in the bylaws.

[fireman2321]

what and how does one get the chief to abide by the rules of roberts when members wont go against him

[Trina]

Does this organization have bylaws? If so, what do they say about the authority of the chief? Is the chief a member of the organization, or is he an employee?

In general Robert's Rules are enforced via the will and action of the majority; the rules will not enforce themselves.

[Guest Edgar]

what and how does one get the chief to abide by the rules of roberts when members wont go against him

If the members won't enforce the rules you'll need to look outside the membership for support. This fire department is no doubt subject to some sort of municipal oversight. You can start there.

[sMargaret]

When any association is first established, there needs to be rules set. A volunteer fire department would organize itself with a constitution and bylaws, and may or may not be subject to local government rules and other laws in the area that it is in.

If your fire department has a constitution and bylaws, then your job is to read them and determine what they say. If they say that your association uses Roberts Rules of Order, then you're in luck - that's what this discussion board is here to assist with.

Keep in mind, though, that first comes laws, then comes your constitution and bylaws, and after that comes the rules of order - so your bylaws take precedence over whatever the rules of order say.

The Rules of Order are a profoundly democratic system - the majority rules, with attention paid to the rights of the minority. Your chief may have bylaws that give him the right to make decisions without asking the board. If not, if the board does not stand up and work at enforcing their rights and responsibilities as a board, then they are making that choice to not live up to their responsibilities.

[Gary Novosielski]

what and how does one get the chief to abide by the rules of roberts when members wont go against him

Many times members won't go against someone in a leadership role because they think they don't have the right to do so. And that's because they often don't know what the rules are. Making them aware of what the bylaws actually say is an important step. They may realize that they have not only the right, but the duty to make sure the chief obeys the rules.

If people realize that he's breaking the rules, he will lose some of their respect, and ultimately may lose their support, at least as far as acting without authority goes.