BOCH CERT By Laws

1.1 Name The name of the organization shall be the BOCH Community Emergency Response Team (BOCH CERT).

1.2 Sponsorship BOCH CERT operates under the sponsorship of the BOCH Regional CERT Council, which is composed of the Brewster, Orleans, Chatham, and Harwich’s Emergency Managers, Police & Fire Chiefs, and Police & Fire Deputy Chiefs.

1.3 Management BOCH CERT is self-managed as described in Article 4.

The mission of BOCH CERT is to maintain a trained and motivated volunteer force to serve the BOCH community by providing information and training on disaster preparedness, to support first responders, to provide trained leadership and personnel during natural disasters and other civil emergency incidents.

BOCH CERT will also coordinate volunteers and provide post-emergency assistance to victims, provide support services to local and regional government and communities for both nonemergency and emergency planned events when requested from the sponsoring agencies of the BOCH Regional CERT Council, or by other governmental local and regional emergency agencies.

Regular Member Membership in BOCH CERT as a REGULAR Member is open to all who are 18 years of age or older and have completed and passed the required CERT Basic Training program(s), as required by FEMA and provided by the BOCH CERT certified trainers.

Reserve Member Membership in BOCH CERT as a RESERVE Member is a member who is at least 18 years of age who have successfully completed and passed the CERT Basic Training Program(s) as required by FEMA and provided by the BOCH CERT certified trainers.

Provisional Member Membership in BOCH CERT as a PROVISIONAL Member is open to all who are 18 years of age or older who have: cleared a background check; been approved by BOCH CERT OFFICERS; have taken and completed and passed a PROVISIONAL course of training set forth by BOCH CERT OFFICERS.

Inactive Member Membership in BOCH CERT as an INACTIVE Member is a member who is 18 years of age or older and who have successfully completed and passed the CERT Basic Training Program(s) as required by FEMA and provided by the BOCH CERT certified trainers but has not met the minimum criteria for service, has not participated within the BOCH CERT organization, or shown an ongoing interest in BOCH CERT. This BOCH CERT member has been removed from the BOCH CERT Regular Member roster.

Cadet Member Membership in BOCH CERT as a CADET Member is open to all who are between 16 to 18 years-old and have written parental consent, and a written recommendation of a BOCH Regular Member. A CADET’s membership can be approved or refused by a majority vote of the organization.

BOCH CERT is an equal opportunity organization; accommodations will be made if possible.

To meet mission demands, the BOCH CERT team must maintain its training and discipline. Continued membership is contingent upon being up to date on required training and certification(s). The Regular membership, in conjunction with the officers, will make and maintain a policy specifying what training requirements are required to maintain Regular Membership. See Membership Requirements in Article 3.1

A BOCH CERT Member at any level will not use their BOCH CERT membership for personal gain or engage in any other activities that could be construed as a conflict of interest.

The BOCH CERT Regular Members shall have the right to recommend and to accept, deny, or terminate the membership of an individual based on a failure to meet one or more of the membership requirements as described in Article 3.1 or in violation of policy. The vote must be a majority vote of the Regular Members present.

All BOCH CERT Regular Members must complete the CERT training class.

These records will be maintained by the Secretary.

In order to claim BOCH CERT Reserve Membership, a REGULAR member in good standing must request this status in writing to, and have it accepted by, the BOCH CERT Officers.

The Coordinator is elected as described in Article 4.5. The role of the Coordinator includes:

The Deputy Coordinator(s) are elected as described in Article 4.5. The Deputy Coordinator(s) shall, in the event of the absence or inability of the Coordinator to exercise his or her office, become acting Coordinator(s) with all the rights, privileges, and powers as if he or she had been the duly elected Coordinator until the Coordinator returns to the office or the Coordinator term expires, whichever occurs first.

The Coordinator may delegate tasks to the Deputy Coordinator(s) as reasonable and necessary.

The Regular Membership will vote on the recommendation from the Coordinator on the number of Deputy Coordinators that may be elected, with the minimum of one Deputy Coordinator on the rolls at all times.

The Secretary is elected as described in Article 4.5. The role of the Secretary includes:

No BOCH CERT member for any reason of his or her membership shall receive any salary or material compensation but may be reimbursed for expenses by approval of the members of the BOCH CERT Regional Council with prior approval.

The Coordinator and Secretary positions shall be elected in even years. The Deputy Coordinator(s) shall be elected in odd years when possible. The terms of office for each position shall be for two years. This cycle began in February 2020.

The annual election will take place during the annual meeting unless required by the early departure of an Officer.

If any Officer leaves or resigns before their term expires, a special election will be held per Article 6.1.

A special election will be held as additional officers are needed by Article 6.1

The presence of no fewer than nine (9) Regular Members shall constitute a quorum and shall be necessary to conduct the business of this organization. If a meeting cannot convene in person, an appropriate alternative process shall be instituted by the Coordinator.

PROVISIONAL, CADET, and RESERVE BOCH CERT members are not considered to be REGULAR members and are therefore not permitted to vote.

All votes at regular meetings shall be by voice or hand of Regular Members present. The voting privileges of RESERVE, INACTIVE, and TERMINATED members are rescinded.

Election of officers shall be by ballot and shall be provided in a way that ensures the anonymity of the voter.

At all votes by ballot, three members of the BOCH CERT that are appointed by the membership on the day of the vote, and who are not related to each other or to a candidate, shall at the end of such balloting, count the ballots, notify and record in writing to the membership the results, and the outcome shall be physically affixed and recorded to the minutes of that meeting.

The annual membership meeting of this organization shall be held on the first Thursday in February each year. Any required elections will be held at this time.

The Coordinator shall notify the Regular Members of the date and time of the Annual Meeting and other membership meetings.

There shall be no fewer than six regular meetings held annually.

The presence of no fewer than nine (9) Regular Members shall constitute a quorum and shall be necessary to conduct the business of this organization; a lesser percentage may adjourn the meeting for a period of not more than four weeks from the date scheduled by these Bylaws,and a notice of this scheduled meeting shall be sent to all those Regular Members who were not present at the original monthly meeting.

The Coordinator may call special meetings of this organization whenever he or she deems it in the best interest of the organization and the communities they serve and represent. Notices of such meeting shall be made available to all Regular Members at least ten (10) days before the scheduled date set for such special meeting. Such notice shall state the reason(s) that said meeting has been called, the business to be transacted at said meeting, and the person or persons calling the meeting.

At the request of fifty (50%) percent of the Regular Members of the organization, the Coordinator shall call a special meeting, but such a request must be made in writing at least fifteen (15) days before the requested scheduled date.

No other business but that specified in the notice may be transacted at such special meetings without the unanimous consent of those present at such meetings.

Members must sign in upon arrival at the meeting. When a quorum is established and the posted meeting time has been reached, the Coordinator will call the meeting to order and follow the agenda items:

These Bylaws may be altered, amended, repealed, or added to by an affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the majority of the Regular Members present.

All BOCH CERT Regular Members will be notified via text and/or email of Bylaw changes under consideration one week prior to voting on said Bylaw changes.

These Bylaws shall be updated as needed, and reviewed every three years by an ad-hoc committee of three Regular Members, and any changes in the Bylaws after review must be affirmed by a vote of not less than a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Regular Members present.

Any member found to violate the Code of Conduct is subject to removal from the BOCH CERT Team. Investigations of violations of the Code of Conduct can arise from a complaint filed by:

To be considered, a complaint must be filed in writing with the BOCH CERT organization Officers. If a complaint is filed against a BOCH CERT Officer that Officer or member shall recuse himself or herself from the procedure described in Complaint Adjudication (10.1).

A team member who is the subject of a complaint will be notified in writing of the complaint and has the right to submit a written statement regarding the complaint.

When a complaint is registered, said complaint will be investigated by the Officers and if possible be certified by others.

The proceedings of the Complaint Board will be held in executive session and considered confidential.

The Complaint Board will be made up of the BOCH CERT Officers, a member of the BOCH CERT Regional CERT Council, and a personal representative chosen by the party against whom the complaint was made.

Based on the unanimous vote of the aforementioned body, the subject of the complaint will either be found not in violation of the Code of Conduct, or in violation of the Code of Conduct.

If the subject is found to be in violation of the Code of Conduct, the subject may be removed from BOCH CERT membership and will be notified in writing of such action.

Standing Rules are operational policies that relate to the administration of the organization and may be adapted without a change in By-Laws.

These policies may be adopted by a majority vote of the Membership. Any Standing Rule that restricts or adds obligations to a member must be approved by a majority of the Regular Members voting at the annual meeting.

Precedents are a form of authoritative rule or pattern in similar cases. They can be an act, decision, or serve as a guide or justification for subsequent situations. BOCH CERT will be guided by the following:

Precedents may be adopted by the teams' Officers. The membership will be notified of said precedent at the next regularly scheduled meeting and included in minutes of General Membership meeting.