[Adopted 11-16-1976 by Ord. No. 13-761; amended in its entirety 12-17-2001 by Ord. No. 18-2001]
[Amended 10-17-2005 by Ord. No. 17-2005]
The Fire Department shall consist of a Chief, an Assistant Chief (to be known as the Chief Officers), maximum of four dispatchers, and a maximum of three companies of 15 fire fighters each, to be known as Ladder Company 1, Engine Company 2, and Rescue Company 3. The duties of the companies and their personnel shall be such as shall be designated and determined from time to time by the Chief or, in his absence, the Assistant Chief.
There may be established under this article such additional companies and staffing levels as may be deemed necessary by the Chief Officers in conjunction with the Mayor and Council.
The following qualifications shall be necessary for appointment as a fire fighter or dispatcher, but no active fire fighter or dispatcher now in good standing shall be debarred from further active membership in the reorganized Department. An applicant must:
A. 
Be a citizen of the United States.
B. 
Be a resident or employed in the Borough of Riverdale. Applicants who do not meet this requirement will be eligible for membership if they reside or are employed in a municipality bordering the Borough of Riverdale and commit to remain an active member for a period of at least two years. However, if a member no longer meets the requirements of this subsection he/she can remain a member it he/she continues to maintain no less than a 40% attendance record. In addition, any member of the Fire Department not a resident of the Borough of Riverdale shall be eligible to hold any office excluding Chief or Assistant Chief of the Fire Department.
[Amended 10-21-2013 by Ord. No. 14-2013]
C. 
Be not less than 18 nor more than 45 years of age. Notwithstanding this subsection, applicants over 45 years of age may be considered for appointment to the Fire Department. No such appointment shall become effective, however, until it shall have received the approval of the Mayor and Council.
D. 
Obtain approval from either the health care provider of the Borough of Riverdale, or another state-licensed medical provider, that the applicant is physically fit to perform the duties of a fire fighter.
E. 
Have their application data verified by the Riverdale Police Department.
The procedure for membership in the Fire Department shall be in accordance with N.J.A.C. 13:12-1.1. Upon completion of the application, and election by the Fire Department membership, the Chief shall forward the application to the Mayor and Council for approval. Once approved the Fire Chief will assign the member to one of the companies in the Department. Should any fire fighter at any time desire to change to another company, he shall submit request for same in writing to the Chief of the Fire Department; said change may be made at the pleasure of the Chief upon his consultation with the Assistant Chief and company Captains involved. In addition, the Chief is empowered to change a fire fighter from one company to another, as he deems necessary and proper.
A. 
Every member of the Fire Department before being admitted to full membership in the Fire Department shall serve a probationary period in the Fire Department. The probationary period shall last for a minimum of six months or the completion of the below requirements. During the fire fighter probationary period the member is required to:
(1) 
Complete a state-certified fire fighter 1 course within one year of membership.
(2) 
Complete a SCBA medical questionnaire.
(3) 
Maintain attendance of 60% of drills.
B. 
During the dispatcher probationary period the member is required to:
(1) 
Complete a state-certified ICS 100 course within one year of membership.
(2) 
Complete in-house training under the supervision of the senior dispatcher and Chief.
(3) 
Maintain attendance of 60% of drills.
C. 
Upon successful completion of the probationary period, the member shall receive a dress uniform which shall be the property of the Fire Department until such time as the member has reached exempt status with the Riverdale Fire Department. At that time the uniform becomes the property of the member.
Any fire fighter who in the judgment of a duly licensed physician in the State of New Jersey is now or shall become physically or mentally unfit for fire duty is or shall be automatically placed on restricted duty on the date of his becoming unfit. Said fire fighter may, upon presenting a certificate of a duly licensed physician stating that said physical and emotional condition has been corrected and that he is once again physically and emotionally fit, by the Chief be reinstated to active duty. A copy of the certificate shall be forwarded to the Borough Clerk to be kept on file.
A. 
There are two classifications of members within the Fire Department: active and life members. The definitions and requirements are described below:
(1) 
Active. An active member is an individual that maintains 40% attendance of fires, drills and meetings. If at the end of the year, an individual has fallen below 40%, they will be notified that they have three months to improve their attendance or lose their active status.
(2) 
Life. When an active member who has at least seven years of service loses their active status they automatically become a life member. When an active member who has less than seven years of service loses their active status they become inactive and may be requested to resign from the Fire Department.
B. 
Any previous member who has not been active for more that one year that wishes to return to active duty shall apply to the Council for reinstatement. The Council shall pass upon his application the same as heretofore provided.
C. 
In order to maintain an accurate accounting of the members of the Fire Department, a roster of active members must be submitted to the Borough Clerk annually by the Chief.
A. 
In order to nominate an individual for office, and to be eligible to vote in an election, you must be an active member and have maintained a 40% attendance at fires, drills and meetings in the year of the election.
B. 
In order to be nominated for a firematic office a member must have the following qualifications:
(1) 
Currently be an active member of the Riverdale Fire Department.
(2) 
Be certified in incident management by the State of New Jersey.
(3) 
Have obtained 60% attendance for fires, drills and meetings in the year of the election.
C. 
During their term, all officers must maintain 60% attendance for fires, drills and meetings. In addition they must meet any requirements agreed to at the annual Fire Department reorganization meeting. The percentages will be reviewed twice a year and if any officer's percentage is less than 60% they will be asked to resign their position.
The Chief and Assistant Chief shall be elected by the members of the Fire Department, for two-year terms, at the annual meeting which shall be held on the second Monday of December at 8:00 p.m. at the Fire Headquarters, said election to be subject to the approval of the Borough Council at its next organizational meeting. In the event that the Council shall fail or refuse to approve either or both elections, its action shall be reported to the Fire Department in writing by the Borough Clerk with the reasons for said members at 8:00 p.m. within one week of the date of said Council rejection for the purpose of electing others to the offices which are the subject of said rejection. In the event that the person or persons elected at this subsequent meeting is/are not approved by the Borough Council at its next regular meeting, the Council shall not later than the next following meeting make the necessary appointment or appointments to fill the vacancy or vacancies caused by said Council's disapproval and such officers so appointed shall hold office until the next annual meeting of the Fire Department.
The Department shall elect a President, Vice President, Secretary, Financial Secretary and Treasurer as required by fire company bylaws (§ 26-11).
[Amended 10-17-2005 by Ord. No. 17-2005]
The members of the entire Department shall, at the same meeting, elect three company Captains and three company First Lieutenants from all members eligible for nomination for a term of two years each. The Captains may appoint up to two engineers to assist them with maintenance of their apparatus.
The term of all firematic officers will begin on December 31st at 6:00 p.m. To ensure a smooth and orderly transition of command of the Fire Department, the outgoing officers are required to turn over all equipment including, but not limited to, keys, radios, pagers, and vehicles to the incoming officers by 6:00 p.m. of the last day of the term (December 31st).
All vacancies in staff or company officers shall be filled by election at the next monthly meeting for the unexpired term in the same manner as staff and company officers are elected at the annual meeting as set forth in §§ 26-7, 26-8 and 26-9 above. If the act of filling a vacancy creates another vacancy, the new vacancy can be filled at the same meeting.
The corporate government shall abide by the constitution and bylaws of the Riverdale Volunteer Fire Company Inc. that are on file at the Fire Headquarters.
A. 
It shall be the duty of all fire fighters, as soon as alarm is transmitted, to proceed to Fire Headquarters, staff their apparatus, and respond to the location of the alarm, unless otherwise directed by the incident commander. No members shall be released without the permission of the incident commander. The person in charge of each apparatus shall ensure it is ready for immediate use upon its return to Fire Headquarters before any personnel are released.
B. 
It shall also be the duty of all officers and fire fighters who have knowledge of the defective condition of any part of the apparatus or fire hydrants to report the condition at once to one of the Chiefs. They will in turn make the proper notifications to the Chairman of the Fire Committee of the Council and/or the Borough Mechanic.
C. 
It shall be the duty of all life members who report to Fire Headquarters in response to an alarm, and who are not listed on the active fire fighters roster, to report to the incident commander, for the purpose of supporting the incident commander. These men shall be known as Fire Marshals.
The Chief and Assistant Chief, Captains and Lieutenants in the order of their rank as designated in § 26-19 shall have charge of the fire fighters and the apparatus while actually engaged in active fire duty, while on parade or inspection, or when employed in drills, and it shall be their duty to see that all apparatus is returned to Fire Headquarters on each occasion, properly placed back into service, and available to respond to an alarm.
It shall be the duty of the Chief to report monthly in writing to the Council at its regular meeting the activities of the Fire Department during that month including, but not limited to, the number of alarms, items purchased, injuries, training, equipment maintenance, major activities, upcoming activities, and to make at that time such recommendation as will in his opinion make for the efficiency and betterment of the Department.
Any member or officer of the Department subject to the rules and regulations thereof in connection with a fire may remove any tangible personal property involved therein and hold such property for the owner. The members and officers of the Department, during the continuance of the fire, shall have the powers of a peace officer and may apprehend or arrest without warrant any person interfering with the removal or custody of such property. Any such person so apprehended or arrested shall be brought before the Municipal Court or any other court of competent jurisdiction, to be dealt with according to law.
The Fire Chief, Assistant Chief and Captains of the three companies of the Fire Department are hereby designated as the Board of Fire Officers, said Board to have such duties and responsibilities as shall be set forth in the following section and in addition thereto to be empowered, in the interim between Council meetings, to make such emergency repairs or replacements to equipment and the fire apparatus as may be necessary to keep it up to the highest standard of efficiency.
A. 
Any fire fighter or officer who, while on duty at any fire, drill, parade or inspection, shall refuse or neglect to obey or execute any orders from the officer in charge, or who having knowledge of the defective condition of any part of the apparatus, fire hydrants or equipment, shall fail to report the condition at once to one of the Chiefs, or who shall violate the constitution, bylaws, rules or regulations of the Department of this article shall be subject to reduction in rank, suspension or expulsion from the Department as decided by the Board of Fire Officers.
B. 
Any person having knowledge of any act of misconduct as set forth in the preceding subsection of any fire fighter or officer shall, within 30 days of the alleged offense, file charges with the Fire Chief who shall immediately and in writing notify the fire fighter or officer so charged. Not less than five days following receipt of said notice by the person so charged, the charges shall be heard by the Board of Fire Officers, as herein before constituted, at a meeting called for the purpose, at which time the person or persons making the charges, together with their witnesses, if any, shall present the charges, and the fire fighter or officer charged shall, together with his witnesses, if any, be permitted to enter his defense. Said Board of Fire Officers shall have the right to dismiss the charges or to reduce in rank, suspend or expel the person charged, whichever they shall deem to be equitable and just and for the best interest of the Department.
C. 
Any disciplinary action by said Board of Fire Officers resulting in reduction in rank, suspension or expulsion of the person charged shall be subject to review of the Council at its next regular meeting, and the parties to the action, together with their witnesses, shall have the right to appear at said meeting to be heard.
D. 
In the event of the nonappearance of the person charged or in the event the decision of the Board of Fire Officers is affirmed on appeal, the Council may confirm the action taken by the Board of Fire Officers or may modify the penalty or penalties imposed by said Board in such manner as they shall deem most equitable and just and in the best interest of the Department; in the event the Council shall reverse the findings of said Board as to any charge or charges, said charge or charges shall forthwith be dismissed.
Any officer may call a drill for practice, for one or more companies, whenever he deems it necessary, but no apparatus shall be taken from Fire Headquarters for drill purposes without the consent of a member of the Board of Fire Officers.
The Fire Chief shall be in command of the Department. In his absence, the following chain of command shall be followed.
A. 
Assistant Chief.
B. 
Captains one through three order determined at annual Fire Department officers reorganization meeting.
C. 
Lieutenant one through six.
D. 
Senior members.
A. 
All fire-fighting apparatus used in the Borough of Riverdale is to be solely the property of the Borough and subject to the jurisdiction of the Borough Council. Prior to using any personal fire-fighting equipment or gear, the fire fighter must obtain approval from a member of the Board of Fire Officers.
B. 
Except in response to the fire alarms, or to participate in parades approved by the Council or for drills conducted subject to the provisions of § 26-18 hereinabove, no apparatus shall be taken from its respective place of deposit without the consent of the Chief or Assistant Chief. In the event the fire alarm is sounded in request to giving aid to a neighboring town, the first officer present or, in the absence of an officer, the senior fire fighter present may give the order to go out of town, with any men or equipment needed for the purpose of giving assistance to a neighboring town.
C. 
Apparatus and fire fighters responding to alarms outside the limits of the Borough become subject to all rules regulations as though the fire were within the Borough.
D. 
In no event shall any apparatus or equipment be taken outside the confines of the Borough for any purpose other than to aid in fighting a fire in a neighboring community unless approved by the Chief or Assistant Chief. Prior to giving approval, the Chiefs must first ensure there is adequate coverage within the Borough, and if not, arrange for adequate coverage from a neighboring community.
E. 
Only members of the Fire Department, Ladies Auxiliary, or Exempt Association shall be permitted to ride on or to handle any apparatus belonging to the Borough of Riverdale, except in the case of an emergency for maintenance purposes.
F. 
No person or persons shall be allowed in the firehouse unless accompanied by or authorized by any fire fighter, except fire fighters or Borough employees. No organization other than the Fire Department, Exempt Association or the Fire Department Auxiliary shall be permitted to use the firehouse unless approved by the Mayor and Council after checking for availability with the President of the fire company.
G. 
Any fire fighter causing damage to any Borough property may be held responsible for said damage to the Borough Council and may be dismissed, suspended or reduced in rank upon complaint brought by the Chief, other officers or any member of the Borough Council.
H. 
The Chairman of the Fire Committee of the Borough Council shall at all times be in charge of all apparatus, equipment and buildings housing said apparatus and shall communicate the Council's decisions and directions as it relates to Borough equipment to the Fire Department through the Chief or ranking officer in charge.
The governing body of the Borough of Riverdale may by resolution appropriate and pay each year to any active volunteer fire fighter doing public fire duty under the control or supervision of the governing body such sum as in the judgment of the governing body will be sufficient to cover any losses incurred by him in attending upon fires in the municipality under and within which he may be doing public fire duty. The Municipal Clerk shall keep a true and complete list of the active volunteer fire fighters of the Borough.
A. 
There shall be paid to each and every fire fighter doing public fire duty, as of the first day of December in each year, the following sums based upon the schedule hereinafter enumerated to cover any losses that they and each of them may incur in attending drills, parades and upon putting out fires and other necessary duties. The attendance period will be November 1 of the previous year to and including October 31 of the current year.
Attendance
(percent)
Amount
30 to 39
$65
40 to 49
$80
50 to 59
$90
60 to 65
$100
66 to 70
$130
71 to 75
$165
76 to 100
$200
B. 
Any fire fighters doing public fire duty and having a percentage in attendance of less than 30% shall be compensated at the rate of $1 per percentage point achieved.
C. 
Any member who shall have been in attendance and performed his duties as a fire fighter in a given year for a period from zero up to three months shall receive 25% of the amount set forth in the above schedule of payment based upon the actual period served.
D. 
Any member who shall have been in attendance and performed his duties as a fire fighter in a given year for a period of three up to six months shall receive 50% of the amount set forth in the above schedule of payment based upon the actual period served.
E. 
Any member who shall have been in attendance and performed his duties as a fire fighter in a given year for a period from six up to nine months shall receive 75% of the amount set forth in the above schedule of payment based upon the actual period served.
F. 
Any member who shall have been in attendance and performed his duties as fire fighter in a given year for a period from nine up to 12 months shall receive 100% of the amount set forth in the above schedule of payment based upon the actual period served.
The commencement of any fire fighter's term shall be effective as of the first day of the month that he is accepted as a member of the Fire Department by the Mayor and Council.
On the 15th day of November of each year the Chief and Secretary of the Department shall certify to the Council a list of members of the Department who have attended to their duties as fire fighters in order that the true amount of compensation each fire fighter is entitled to in accordance with the schedule set forth in the preceding § 26-22A may be ascertained.
Any member who resigns, becomes inactive, or is expelled from the Fire Department is required to return all Fire Department property or equipment within seven days of leaving the Department. Failure to do so will result in the matter being turned over to the Mayor and Council for resolution.