the executive board is elected by the membership. positions are filled by election each april, and vacancies are filled by appointment, except in the case of president and chief, in which case the vice president and deputy chief which take over the respective positions. the only member of the operations staff that is directly elected by the membership is the chief of operations. the chief is then responsible for appointing well-qualified personnel to the operations staff, including the deputy chief, captains, training director, and equipment director. members then vote to ratify these appointments at the next monthly membership meeting.