# Form - Program Team Charter > Fire Service Safety Management System, version 0.3.3 (2026-10-25). The Human Factor. Document FSSMS-FRM-09. > > Canonical: https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-program-team-charter > > Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 with the Adopting Agency Grant (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) > > General information only, not legal, medical or other professional advice. Verify every requirement against the current official text of the law, standards and manufacturer instructions that apply to you. Obtain your own legal review and consult your joint health and safety committee before adopting anything. You adopt, adapt, implement and rely on this material entirely at your own risk and on your own responsibility. Full terms: Terms of Use, thehumanfactor.ca. One charter per Program Improvement Team, built from the terms of reference shell in [06 Program Improvement Teams](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/program-improvement-teams) section 12. The charter is the written basis for line ownership of a program: it names the accountable program manager, the lead and understudy, the members and their terms, the standing consultants including the JOHSC’s designated member, the outcome the program exists for, what the team may decide itself, what goes to the JOHSC for formal consultation, and the deliverables and dates for the year. It is the evidence that responsibility for the program is assigned to specific persons and that succession is planned with mentoring [(CPSE, 2019, criteria 11A.1 and 7D.6)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-program-team-charter#ref-cpse-2019), and that workers participate in the decisions that affect them (ISO 45001:2018, cl. 5.4; CSA Z45001:19, deviations on worker participation). Drafted by the program manager, consulted with the JOHSC, approved by the fire chief, reviewed annually with the appraisal. In a department too small for standing teams, the named officer completes the same charter with “team” read as “the officer and the members who assist”. ## The form | Field | Entry | |:---|:---| | Team name | {{Team}} | | Charter version and date | | | Programs owned (links to the program chapters in Part 5) | | | Program manager (line role, accountable) | | | Team lead (role) and understudy (role); date the understudy last acted in the role | | | Members: role, station, career or volunteer, date joined, term ends (three years, renewable once) | 1\. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. | | At least one member from a volunteer or composite station (yes, or reason) | | | Standing consultant: JOHSC member (designated by the committee on date; minute reference) | | | Standing consultant: safety division officer | | | Standing consultant: training officer assigned by the training division | | | Standing consultant: {{Union}} representative (required on the Equipment Standards team; invited to others) | | | Standing consultant: {{Volunteer Association}} representative | | | Standing consultant: workplace culture and equity adviser | | | Standing consultant: clinician or medical adviser (required for Health, Wellness and Rehab; Respiratory Protection; Psychological Health; Medical First Response) | | | Outcome statement: in one paragraph, what “working” looks like for this program | | | Scope: what is in, what is out, and the teams this program touches (joint session at least annually) | | | Meeting cadence: monthly minimum; learning-team sessions as scheduled; joint sessions | | | Decision authority: what the team decides itself (procedure drafts, trial design, training content proposals) | | | Decision authority: what goes to the program manager | | | Decision authority: what goes to the senior leadership team | | | Decision authority: what needs formal JOHSC consultation before adoption (new or changed safety-sensitive equipment, PPE, policy, SOG or safe work procedure with safety content, safety-sensitive training) | | | Decision authority: what goes through the Equipment Standards, Apparatus and PPE gate | | | Deliverables and due dates this year: annual work plan (start of fiscal year) | | | Deliverables: monthly briefing at the operations meeting | | | Deliverables: quarterly progress updates (Q1, Q2, Q3 dates; Q4 folded into the appraisal) | | | Deliverables: annual program appraisal (two months before the budget submission) | | | Deliverables: discipline hazard profile and risk assessment update (with the appraisal) | | | Deliverables: standards of cover input, where a specialty program | | | Deliverables: research reviews, field trials, business cases planned this year | | | Deliverables: corrective actions logged within five working days with a priority (P1 to P4); overdue escalation by priority as the [Corrective Action Register](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/corrective-action-register) sets it (P1 to the fire chief at once; P2 to the deputy chief at the due date and the fire chief at 30 days overdue; P3 to the deputy chief at 30 days overdue and the fire chief at 60) | | | Indicators: from the program module, each with definition, baseline, target and data source | 1\. 2. 3. 4. | | Psychological-safety measure for this program | | | Learning-team sessions planned this year (task, quarter, facilitator) | | | Budget envelope: from the approved worksheet ([Form - Program Team Budget Worksheet](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-program-team-budget-worksheet)) | | | Records location: {{Records system}} path for minutes, attendance, work plans, research, trials, correspondence, training and certification, regulator logs | | | Rotation and succession: terms; one-third turnover rule; understudy named; development plans reviewed (date) | | | Recognition: team service recorded for promotional and assignment processes as the collective agreement permits | | | Approved: fire chief (role), signature, date | | | JOHSC consulted: meeting date and minute reference | | | Charter review due (annually, with the appraisal) | | ## Fields | Field | Type | Required | Who completes | |:---|:---|:---|:---| | Team name; charter version and date | Text; date | Yes | Program manager | | Programs owned | Links | Yes | Program manager | | Program manager | Role | Yes; a line officer, never the safety division | Deputy chief | | Team lead and understudy; date understudy acted | Roles; date | Yes | Program manager | | Members with station, status, dates and term end | Text, one row per member | Yes; at least one volunteer or composite station member where the department has them | Program manager | | Standing consultants | Roles and designation dates | JOHSC member, safety division and training officer always; others as applicable | Program manager; JOHSC co-chairs for the designation | | Outcome statement | Paragraph | Yes | Team, in its first meeting | | Scope and interfaces | Text | Yes | Team | | Meeting cadence | Text | Yes | Program manager | | Decision authority (five rows) | Text | Yes, every row | Program manager with the deputy chief | | Deliverables and dates (eight rows) | Dates and text | Yes, every row | Program manager | | Indicators with baseline and target | Text and numbers | Yes; at least one leading, one lagging, one psychological-safety measure | Team lead with the health and safety officer | | Learning-team sessions planned | Text | Yes, at least one | Team lead | | Budget envelope | Amount | Yes | Program manager from the approved worksheet | | Records location | Path | Yes | Program manager | | Rotation and succession | Text and dates | Yes | Program manager | | Recognition | Text | Yes | Program manager | | Fire chief approval | Signature and date | Yes | Fire chief | | JOHSC consultation reference | Date and minute | Yes | Program manager from the minutes | | Charter review due | Date | Yes | Program manager | **Retention.** Every version of the charter is kept for the life of the program plus 10 years, with the team’s records ([Policy - Records, Privacy and Health Information](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-records-privacy-and-health-information)). **Privacy.** Members are listed by role and station; the records system copy may carry names for scheduling and honoraria, and any published copy uses roles only. ## Jurisdiction requirements This chapter relies on the following legal requirements, which differ by province and territory. Check your jurisdiction’s section on each topic page before adopting it. | Topic | What to check in your jurisdiction | Page | |:---|:---|:---| | Joint Committee and Health and Safety Representative | The committee’s statutory functions (advising on policies and programs, keeping minutes), how its members are designated, and their entitlement to paid time for committee duties, which covers the JOHSC standing consultant’s attendance | [J05 Joint Committee and Health and Safety Representative](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j05-joint-committee-and-health-and-safety-representative) | | Written Procedures and Committee Consultation | The duty to consult the committee on written policies, procedures, plans and codes of practice, and to develop written procedures in consultation with it (the formal consultation row) | [J06 Written Procedures and Committee Consultation](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j06-written-procedures-and-committee-consultation) | ## References Center for Public Safety Excellence \[CPSE\]. (2019). *Fire and emergency service self-assessment manual* (10th ed.). Commission on Fire Accreditation International. CSA Group. (2019). *CSA Z45001:19 (R2023), Occupational health and safety management systems: Requirements with guidance for use* (adopts ISO 45001:2018 with Canadian deviations). International Organization for Standardization. (2018). *ISO 45001:2018, Occupational health and safety management systems: Requirements with guidance for use*.