[Adopted 4-14-1958 by Ord. No. 286]
From and after the passage of this article, there shall exist within
the said Borough, for the safety and protection of the citizens and property
thereof, a regular duly organized Fire Department to be appointed by the Council
of said Borough under the conditions and provisions to be set forth by said
Council.
[Amended 2-14-1979 by Ord. No. 441; 6-12-1991
by Ord. No. 495; 10-9-1991 by Ord.
No. 498]
A. Membership. Any person 18 years of age or older shall
be eligible for appointment as a member of the Leetsdale Borough Fire Department.
Residency within the Borough shall not be required to be appointed to or maintain
membership in the Leetsdale Borough Fire Department.
[Amended 8-13-1998 by Ord. No. 555]
B. Appointments. The Council of the said Borough shall appoint
the members and officers of the said Fire Department to act in the capacity
of a Fire Department for said Borough. Each member appointed shall be placed
on a period of probation for 90 days. At the end of the above-described period
of probation, the Leetsdale Fire Department line officers shall review the
performance of the subject fire fighter and thereafter make recommendations
to the Borough Council Fire Committee as to whether or not said subject fire
fighter should be placed on the fully active roster or, in the alternative,
dismissed.
The duties of the Chief of said Fire Department shall be as follows:
A. To take full charge of all fire-fighting apparatus equipment
now owned or that may hereafter be purchased or acquired by said Borough.
B. To assume full charge and direction of the Fire Department
herein organized and to the best of his ability so organize the said Department,
and make such rules and regulations therefor as may be necessary for the full
protection of the citizens and property in said Borough in time of fire.
C. The said Chief of the Fire Department may appoint such
lieutenants and other officers as may be necessary for the proper organization
of the Department herein established, provided that such additional officers
so appointed by the Chief shall receive no compensation other than that herein
provided for regular members.
D. In case of a vacancy among the members of said Department
other than the appointive officers, by reason of death, resignation or like
cause, the Chief of said Department may appoint some person or persons, as
the case may be, to fill said vacancy or vacancies until the said Council
of the Borough regularly fills such vacancy.
The officers and members of said Fire Department herein established
shall receive compensation for their services as such payable out of the general
funds of said Borough, in amounts determined by the Borough Council.
Any person or persons who voluntarily assist the said Fire Department
in any manner in the performance of its regular duties and is not listed as
a member on the rolls of the Fire Department does so at his own risk, and
without compensation for said service and without any liability on the part
of the Borough of Leetsdale for injuries sustained thereby.
Any person or persons, members of the herein designated Fire Department,
who shall willfully turn in a false alarm, knowing it to be such, shall be
subject to immediate discharge from the Department.
[Adopted 2-12-1998 by Ord. No. 548]
The Borough's Fire Department and all members thereof are hereby authorized
by Borough Council to perform the following duties in addition to the normal
fire-fighting and rescue duties:
A. Participation in drills, practices, training sessions and pre-fire
planning activities authorized by the Fire Department's Fire Chief and supervised
by a qualified instructor, or a Fire Department officer.
B. Participation in community celebrations, ceremonial observances
and funerals for deceased fire fighters or other public figures where such
attendance is deemed appropriate by the Fire Chief.
C. Duties necessary to prepare the fire station for use as a distribution
center or a polling place for the primary and general elections. This is extended
to include like services performed at other municipal or School District buildings.
D. Preparation for and responsible participation in parades if said
participation has the prior approval of the Fire Chief and Fire Department.
E. Any public service functions performed for the welfare of the
community, including recovery of animals, as long as these activities are
responsibly supervised and are approved by the Fire Department and Fire Chief.
F. Any and all public safety activities undertaken by Fire Department
members to render care to the injured, prevent loss of life, provide comfort
and security to victims, and limit or prevent damage to or loss of property
as circumstances may dictate.
G. Activities undertaken while rendering assistance to police officers
where such aid is specifically requested or is done without request to protect
the public welfare from imminent danger, including fire duties.
H. Participation in fire prevention activities, post-fire investigations,
bomb searches, evacuation drills, and fire lane enforcement.
I. Participation in public programs to promote health and safety,
to enlist new members, or solicit community support, or conduct fund-raising
activities so long as no compensation is being paid to the member while engaged
in the fund-raising activity, 100% of the proceeds go to the Fire Department,
and so long as each activity is sanctioned by the Fire Chief and the Fire
Department.
J. While safely and responsibly performing repairs, maintenance
and remodeling work on the Fire Department vehicle, buildings, grounds or
equipment.
K. Such other duties necessary for the efficient operation of the
Fire Department as may, from time to time, be assigned by the Borough Council,
along with the officers of the Fire Department, and which are also defined
within the constitution and by-laws of the Fire Department.
The foregoing activities shall be deemed to be authorized only when
the particular fire fighter is actively engaged as a member of the Fire Company.
This article is intended to authorize certain duties for purposes of
the Workers' Compensation Act and will not be construed to make any volunteer
fire fighter a Borough employee for any other purpose.