[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council
of the Borough of North Arlington 6-13-1995 by Ord. No. 1642. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
A.
The Mayor and Borough Council, through the Board of
Fire Officers, shall have primary responsibility for setting the general
policies of the Fire Department. This shall include encouraging general
fire protection activities, provision of necessary funds to operate
the Fire Department, and establishment of the scope and level of service
provided by the Fire Department.
B.
The established rules and regulations of the Department
shall serve to govern the overall operations of the North Arlington
Fire Department.
[Amended 6-27-1997 by Ord. No. 1706]
A.
An applicant for membership in the North Arlington
Fire Department shall meet the following requirements:
(1)
Be a citizen of the United States of America.
(3)
Shall have reached the age of 18.
[Amended 6-21-2012 by Ord. No. 2099]
(4)
Shall possess a valid New Jersey driver's license.
(5)
Shall consent to a criminal record check conducted
by the North Arlington Police Department.
(6)
Shall satisfactorily complete the following examinations:
[Amended 6-21-2012 by Ord. No. 2099]
(a)
Medical-physical.
(7)
Newly appointed members shall be required to serve
a one-year probationary period.
(8)
The following restrictions will apply to members 18 years of age
and still in secondary school:
[Added 6-21-2012 by Ord. No. 2099]
(a)
Applicant
will be required to obtain written permission of parent(s) or guardian.
(b)
Any
student currently attending secondary school shall not be permitted
to attend fires or Department functions during school hours and between
the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.
(c)
Applicant
shall not be appointed any sooner than 90 days prior to posted graduation
date.
B.
Special duty firefighters.
(1)
An applicant for membership as a special duty firefighter
in the North Arlington Fire Department shall meet the following requirements:
(2)
Rights, duties, privileges and restrictions of special
duty firefighter.
(a)
Special duty firefighters will have the rights,
duties and privileges of active members of the Fire Department, except
eligibility for election to the position of Chief, Assistant Chief,
Captain, Lieutenant or Second Lieutenant.
(b)
There will be no more then three special duty
firefighters on each company's roster.
C.
Relocation of firefighters.
[Added 10-14-2010 by Ord. No. 2060]
(1)
Any member who has at least three years of active service with the
North Arlington Fire Department may relocate to the Town of Kearny,
the Township of Belleville or the Township of Lyndhurst.
(2)
A relocating member shall be entitled to all benefits of an active
member, including service as a Department Officer.
(3)
A request for relocation must be approved by the relocating member's
company. Upon approval by the company, the company shall forward the
request to the Board of Fire Officers for approval. Upon approval
of the Board of Fire Officers, the request shall be presented to the
Mayor and Council for final approval.
(4)
No more than three firefighters residing outside of the Borough of
North Arlington may be on each company's roster.
All applications for membership to any company
shall be duly approved by the said company and submitted to the Board
of Fire Officers and, upon receiving the Board's approval, shall be
submitted to the Mayor and Council for confirmation.
All applications for transfers from one company
to another shall follow the following procedure:
A.
The terms of all officers shall be for one year, commencing
January 1.
B.
Company elections shall be held during October of
each year.
C.
All members of the Department shall hold a meeting
to be presided over by the Chair of the Fire Committee of the Borough
Council at 7:30 p.m. on the first Saturday of December of each year.
The purpose of the meeting shall be the election of Chief, Assistant
Chief, and Deputy Chief of the Department. The office of the three
Chiefs shall rotate among the companies, and each of them shall be
of a different company. No member shall be eligible for election to
the office of Chief, Assistant Chief, or Deputy Chief, unless he/she
has been a member of the Department for five years and has served
in the position of Captain or Lieutenant for at least one year prior
to the commencement of his/her term of office.
D.
Each company shall have the right to nominate their
own member for the office of Chief, Assistant Chief and Deputy Chief,
to which said company shall be entitled.
E.
The Department, at its annual meeting, shall also
elect, from among the members of the Board, a Secretary-Treasurer
to the Board.
F.
The Department, at its annual meeting, shall also
elect, from among the members of the Department, a Department Chaplain.
A.
The Chief, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, Ex-Chiefs,
Captains, and Lieutenants of each company who are active members of
the North Arlington Fire Department shall constitute the Board of
Fire Officers. The Board shall administer the affairs of the Department
when it is not on active duty, subject to the approval of the Mayor
and Borough Council; enforce the bylaws of the Board and latest Borough
ordinances; promulgate and enforce the Department rules and regulations;
and shall keep permanent records of all its affairs, including but
not limited to:
B.
The Board shall meet monthly, or more frequently if
necessary, to transact the business of the Department.
A.
When the Department is not on active duty, it shall
be under the general supervision of the Chief of the Department; provided,
however, that such supervision shall be subject to and not in conflict
with the latest Borough ordinances, bylaws of the Board of Fire Officers,
or the Department rules and regulations.
B.
When the Department is attending a fire or other emergency,
it shall be under the absolute control of the Chief of the Department
and, in his/her absence, the Assistant Chief and, in his/her absence,
the Deputy Chief.
C.
In the event that no Chief officer is present, the
order of rank shall descend as established by the Department rules
and regulations.
D.
The Chief, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, or officer
in command shall have general police power at all fires in any area
of the Borough actually under the supervision and control of the Fire
Department.
A.
Upon a general alarm of fire or other emergency, it
shall be the duty of each member to report immediately to their respective
station and convey their apparatus to the incident, and perform any
duty that may be required. They shall remain on duty until relieved
by order of the incident commander or a company officer.
B.
On other than a general alarm, it shall be the duty
of each member to respond as designated in the message or in accord
with established procedures.
The Chief of the Department is responsible for
the general direction, control, and supervision of the Department
as authorized and provided for by statute, ordinance, and the Department
rules and regulations. He/she shall administer the daily activities
of the Fire Department. This shall include the development of policies
and procedures to implement programs in training, firefighter safety
and health, and other necessary programs to perform the functions
of the Fire Department in accordance with applicable laws, regulations
and nationally recognized standards. The Chief shall report directly
to the Mayor and Borough Council or administrative official designated
by the Council.
The duties and responsibilities of the fire
officers shall be as established in the rules and regulations of the
Department.
Operation of all Department vehicles shall be
as established in the rules and regulations of the Department.
There shall be an annual inspection of the entire
Department membership, apparatus and equipment. The inspection shall
be held at such time and place as the Board of Fire Officers shall
determine. The inspection shall be conducted by the Mayor and Borough
Council, and the chief officers of the Department. All members of
the Department shall attend the inspection in the prescribed uniform.
A.
Equipment purchases and/or repairs shall be authorized
by the Department Chief in accord with Borough procedures.
B.
Company Captains shall be responsible for the operation,
maintenance and care of all Department apparatus and equipment assigned
to his/her respective company. Company Captains shall report any potential
or immediate problems to the Department Chief, who shall take appropriate
action.
Department members, regardless of rank, shall
be subject to disciplinary action, according to the nature or aggravation
of the offense, for violating their oath and trust by committing an
offense punishable under the laws or statutes of the United States,
the State of New Jersey, municipal ordinances, Department regulations,
or company bylaws, either willfully or through negligence or incompetence,
to perform the duties of their assignment; or for failure to obey
any lawful instruction, order, or command of an officer. Disciplinary
action in all cases will be decided on the merits of each case. Disciplinary
action shall be in accord with procedures established by the Board
of Fire Officers and enumerated in the Department rules and regulations.
A.
Each member of the Department shall be entitled to
receive an annual clothing allowance in the following amounts:
[Amended 11-8-2007 by Ord. No. 1989]
|
Member
|
Amount
|
|---|---|
|
Fire fighter
|
+ $700
|
|
Lieutenant
|
+ $300
|
|
Captain
|
+ $350
|
|
Deputy Chief
|
+ $450
|
|
Assistant Chief
|
+ $525
|
|
Chief
|
+ $700
|
|
Chaplain
|
+ $175
|
|
Fire Board Secretary
|
+ $175
|
|
Fire Inspector
|
+ $100
|
|
Fire Investigator
|
+ $100
|
|
Haz-Mat member
|
+ $150
|
|
Haz-Mat Officer
|
+ $225
|
|
Relief Secretary
|
+ $100
|
|
Relief Treasurer
|
+ $100
|
|
Safety Officer
|
+ $125
|
|
Training Officer
|
+ $225
|
|
Training Coordinators
|
+ $150
|
|
Note: (+) indicates amount added to firefighter
allowance.
|
B.
Any member who achieves an annual credit percentage
of 40% shall be entitled to receive the full clothing allowance for
his/her rank.
C.
Any member who fails to achieve an annual credit percentage
of 40% shall receive a prorated percentage of the clothing allowance
for his/her rank based upon the number of calls made.
D.
In the event that a member dies during the fire year,
the member's beneficiary shall be entitled to receive the member's
full clothing allowance for that year.
In the event that a volunteer firefighter dies
as a result of injuries sustained in the course of his/her duties,
the surviving spouse of said volunteer firefighter, or the minor child
or children of such firefighter, if he/she leaves no surviving spouse,
or such minor child or children after the death of said surviving
spouse shall receive an annual pension in the maximum amount allowable
by law at the time of his/her death.
A.
General.
[Amended 4-10-2014 by Ord. No. 2127]
(1)
Any member, having completed 25 or more years of active service in
the Department, with 10 of those years having qualified for a North
Arlington Length of Service Award Program deposit, may request approval
to be placed in the category of inactive member of the Department.
(a)
Said request shall be submitted in writing to the members respective
company. Upon approval of the request, the company shall forward the
request to the Board of Fire Officers. Upon approval of the Board,
the request shall be presented to the Mayor and Council for final
approval.
(2)
Inactive members shall have the rights, duties, and privileges of
active members, except that they are not required to perform active
firefighting duties. They shall not be eligible to vote on Department
matters, or hold office as a Department line officer.
(3)
Inactive members shall be entitled to receive the annual firefighter
clothing allowance.
B.
Inactive members shall have the rights, duties, and
privileges of active members, except that they shall not perform active
firefighting duties nor be eligible to vote on Department matters
or hold office in the Department.
C.
Inactive members shall be entitled to receive the
annual firefighter clothing allowance.
D.
Injured inactive status shall be granted to any member who sustains
an injury in the line of duty that prohibits the member from continuing
as a firefighter.
[Added 4-8-2010 by Ord. No. 2045]
