The Fire Department of the Borough of Chatham, referred to herein
as the "Fire Department," as heretofore established, is hereby continued.
No member shall be eligible for appointment as Fire Chief unless
he shall at the time of his appointment:
A. Be a resident of the Borough or resident in a municipality whose
boundary is contiguous with the Borough and be a citizen of the United
States.
B. Have received a Firefighter II certificate issued by the New Jersey
Division of Fire Safety.
C. Hold an exempt firemen's certificate pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:14-55
et seq.
D. Have previously served a minimum of four years as Fire Chief, Deputy
Chief or Battalion Chief in the Fire Department.
E. Have obtained a valid Incident Management Level 3 certificate issued
by the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:73-6.1.
F. Be physically fit to perform the duties of Fire Chief, as evidenced
by a certificate to that effect by the Fire Department medical officer
or the member's own physician after physical examination.
G. Have satisfied any other requirements for appointment in accordance
with the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter.
No member shall be eligible for appointment as Deputy Fire Chief
unless he shall at the time of his appointment:
A. Be a resident of the Borough or reside within a contiguous municipality
and be a citizen of the United States.
B. Have received a Firefighter I certificate issued by the New Jersey
Division of Fire Safety.
C. Hold an exempt firemen's certificate pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:14-55
et seq.
D. Have previously served a minimum of two years as Fire Chief, Deputy
Chief, or Battalion Chief in the Fire Department.
E. Have obtained or within six months of appointment shall have obtained
a valid Incident Management Level 3 certificate issued by the New
Jersey Division of Fire Safety pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:73-6.1.
F. Have satisfied any other requirements for appointment in accordance
with the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter.
No member shall be eligible for appointment as Battalion Fire
Chief unless he shall at the time of his appointment:
A. Be a resident of the Borough or reside within a contiguous municipality
and be a citizen of the United States.
B. Have received a Firefighter I certificate issued by the New Jersey
Division of Fire Safety.
C. Hold an exempt firemen's certificate pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:14-55
et seq.
D. Have previously served a minimum of two years as Fire Chief, Deputy
Chief, Battalion Chief or Captain in the Fire Department.
E. Have obtained or within six months of appointment shall have obtained
a valid Incident Management Level 2 certificate issued by the New
Jersey Division of Fire Safety pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:73-6.1.
F. Have satisfied any other requirements for appointment in accordance
with the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter.
No member shall be eligible for appointment as Fire Captain
unless he shall at the time of his appointment:
A. Be a resident of the Borough or reside within a contiguous municipality
and be a citizen of the United States.
B. Have received a Firefighter I certificate issued by the New Jersey
Division of Fire Safety.
C. Have previously served as Fire Chief, Deputy Chief, Battalion Chief,
Captain or a Company Lieutenant in the Fire Department.
D. Have obtained a valid Incident Management Level 1 certificate issued
by the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5.73-6.1.
E. Have satisfied any other requirements for appointment in accordance
with the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter.
No member shall be eligible for appointment as Company Lieutenant
unless he shall at the time of his appointment:
A. Be a resident of the Borough or reside within a contiguous municipality
and be a citizen of the United States.
B. Have received a Firefighter I certificate issued by the New Jersey
Division of Fire Safety.
C. Have obtained a valid Incident Management Level 1 certificate issued
by the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5.73-6.1.
D. Have satisfied any other requirements for appointment in accordance
with the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter.
Any line officer, other than the Fire Chief, shall be subject
to removal from office for just cause upon charges brought by the
Fire Chief or his designee. The line officer charged may request a
hearing within 10 days of receiving the charges. The Borough Council
shall designate a hearing officer who shall consider the sworn testimony
of all witnesses and other evidence presented. Hearings may be conducted
informally and the formal rules of evidence need not apply. At the
conclusion of the hearing, the hearing officer shall make his written
report and recommendations to the Borough Council. The decision of
the Borough Council shall be final.
Upon the recommendation of the Fire Chief, the Mayor may nominate,
with the advice and consent of the Council, and appoint such medical
officers, chaplains and other staff officers as hereinafter provided,
who need not be members of the Fire Department, but who shall possess
special skills, training, experiences, licenses and expertise that
the Fire Chief may find necessary or beneficial to the efficient administration
of the Fire Department, all in accordance with the Fire Department
rules and regulations established pursuant to this chapter.
No salary or other compensation shall be paid to the Deputy
Fire Chiefs, Battalion Chief, Captains and Lieutenants, other staff
officers and members of the Fire Department except that each may receive
such stipends and clothing allowances as made available by appropriations
of the Borough Council for those purposes.
In accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 43:12-28 et seq.,
the Borough Council, shall by resolution, determine the eligibility
for a survivor's pension of the widow, widower, children or parent
of an officer or member of the Fire Department who has died as the
result of injuries sustained in the course of performance of duty,
and not as a result of willful negligence. The amount of the pension
and manner of payment of the pension shall be determined by the State
of New Jersey, Division of Pensions and Benefits, in accordance with
applicable law.
Any Fire Department officer or member who has performed qualifying
fire duty in accordance with the requirements of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-55
et seq. shall be entitled to an exempt firemen's certificate,
to be issued by the Borough Clerk and signed by the Mayor, within
90 days of the date of qualification thereof, and shall be provided
with all the rights, privileges and immunities provided by law for
the holder of such certificate.
The Borough Administrator or his designee may promulgate such
rules and regulations as necessary for the proper and efficient conduct
of the Fire Department. The Borough Administrator shall seek the review
and recommendation of the Fire Chief and the Fire Department Coordinator,
as appropriate, in promulgating such rules and regulations. The rules
and regulations so promulgated shall be maintained in the Fire Department
and in the office of the Borough Clerk.