[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council
of the Borough of Old Forge 6-16-1992 by Ord. No. 8-1992 (Ch. 4 of the 1994
Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
A.
The office of Fire Chief is hereby created.
B.
Duties. The duties of the Fire Chief are to take command
of fire scenes, inspect fire stations and equipment, supervise training
of firemen, review the qualifications of firemen and report to the
Borough Council annually as to the activities of the Fire Department.
This list of duties is merely illustrative and does not limit in any
way any additional duties of the Fire Chief.
C.
Qualifications.
(1)
The following are minimum qualifications for the Chief
Officer position. Applicants must:
(a)
Be certified in Fire Fighter I under the Pennsylvania
Voluntary Certification Program within one year's time of being appointed.
This is in order to establish a baseline competency level in structural
fire-fighting knowledge/skill.
(b)
Be a minimum age of 25 years.
(c)
Have a minimum of five years' active service
in the Old Forge Fire Department.
(d)
Be physically able to perform the duties of
the position.
(e)
Possess the necessary training and experience
required to effectively perform the duties as defined in the job description.
(2)
All training/education should be accredited by the
Pennsylvania State Fire Academy through its Resident and Local Level
Program, the National Fire Academy or equivalent agencies in states
other than Pennsylvania and should include, as a minimum:
(a)
One hundred hours in structural fire suppression,
including at least 16 hours of live fire exercises.
(b)
Thirty-two hours of command and officership,
including the sixteen-hour National Fire Academy course Incident Command
System.
(c)
Thirty-two hours of non-fire rescue training,
which may include courses in vehicle rescue, confined space rescue,
high-angle rescue or other topics.
(d)
A combination of training/experience which would
allow the (employer) municipality to certify the individual as the
first responder/operations level and the on-scene incident commander
level as defined in 29 CFR 1910.120(q).
(e)
Thirty-two hours of fire service health and
safety training.
(3)
Applicants should reside within a ten-minute response
time (under normal traffic/weather conditions) and should be employed
in an occupation which does not require their absence from the area
for extended periods of time on a regular basis.
D.
Selection and appointment. The Fire Chief of Old Forge
shall be appointed by the Borough Council after interview and review
of qualifications by a three-person committee selected by the fire
companies. No committee member shall serve as a member of any fire
company within the Borough of Old Forge.
E.
Term of office. The initial term of office for Fire
Chief shall be three years from the date of appointment. The Fire
Chief so appointed could retain office for an additional three three-year
terms (12 years total) on a vote of confidence by the Fire Committee.
Subsequent to the twelve-year term, a selection committee will be
reconvened in order to review the credentials of the Chief and other
candidates.
F.
Removal from office. Upon notice of just cause, the
Fire Chief may be removed from office after a hearing by the Fire
Chief Selection Committee.
