[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Washington
as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 12-12-1962; amended in its entirety 3-19-1996
by Ord. No. 96-2]
A.
There is hereby authorized and established a Fire Department
in and for the Township of Washington, in the County of Warren and State of
New Jersey, to be known as the "Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department,"
said Volunteer Fire Department to consist of one company.
B.
The Volunteer Fire Department shall be headed by a Fire
Chief, who shall be chosen as provided in the bylaws of the Washington Township
Volunteer Fire Department, which shall be amended from time to time.
A.
While there are classes of membership within the Volunteer
Are Department under its bylaws for firefighters who serve (probation, active,
except active and reserve), no person shall hereafter become a firefighter
member of the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department unless he/she
is 18 years or older, a resident of the Township of Washington for a period
of at least six months prior to making application, unless a waiver is granted
pursuant to this section, and a citizen of the United States. At the time
of application for membership, the prospective firefighter shall fill out
an application form. He/she shall also, at the time of the filing said application,
supply all information necessary to conduct a police background check for
possible criminal activities, a New Jersey driver's license number, if licensed,
to be used to confirm the validity of the license and the driver's driving
record and a statement that the person agrees to abide by all township ordinances
and Department rules and regulations governing the operation of the Volunteer
Fire Department. If prior firefighting experience is claimed, permission to
contact the former fire department(s) for recommendation and copies of training
records will be provided by the person seeking membership.
[Amended 6-15-1999 by Ord.
No. 99-7]
B.
Every applicant must undergo a physical examination by
a medical doctor which establishes that the applicant is physically fit to
perform the duties of a firefighter. Such proof shall consist of various test
results and conclusions therefrom and a certification from the examining physician
that said applicant for membership has been found to be fit to undertake the
duties and responsibilities of a firefighter. The Volunteer Fire Department
reserves the right to have any probation, active, reserve and/or exempt active
member examined by a medical doctor chosen by Volunteer Fire Department. If
the doctor determines that the member should not be a firefighter (i.e., a
person who responds to the scene of a fire), the Volunteer Fire Department
shall immediately place the member in a different class of membership.
[Amended 6-15-1999 by Ord.
No. 99-7]
C.
Every candidate for membership in the Washington Township
Fire Department shall make application to the Department on forms supplied
by the secretary of the Department. Before any application is acted upon by
the Volunteer Fire Department, the Fire Chief will determine whether there
is a need to seek a residency waiver (as noted below) and advise the applicant
whether a request for the waiver will be made. If no residency waiver is required
or after a waiver has been granted by the Township Committee, the application
will be presented to the membership of the Volunteer Fire Department for approval.
An affirmative vote of a majority of the active, exempt active and reserve
membership present shall be sufficient to elect such a candidate to membership.
After the application has been approved by the Volunteer Fire Department,
the Fire Chief shall sign the application, which indicates the applicant has
complied with the requirements for membership in the Volunteer Fire Department
and the applicant is being recommended for confirmation by the Township Committee.
The application with the results of the physical examination will be forwarded
to the Township Committee for confirmation. After the Township Committee acts
upon the application, the application, with the physical examination results,
will be returned to the Volunteer Fire Department.
D.
A waiver of the residency requirements may be granted
by the Washington Township Committee, upon written recommendations of the
Fire Chief, for the following types of membership applications:
(1)
An application for reinstatement to firefighting membership
of a former member of the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department who
has moved back into Washington Township;
(2)
An application for firefighting membership of an active
members of another fire department who has moved into and become a resident
of Washington Township; or
(3)
An application for dual membership of a member of another
fire department who does not reside in Washington Township; however, because
of employment in the township is able to respond to calls during working hours.
E.
A firefighting member of the Washington Township Volunteer
Fire Department who moves into an adjacent municipality and whose residence
is within two miles of the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department primary
coverage area or the Township of Washington municipal border does not need
a residency waiver as long as he/she continues to meet the duty and attendance
requirements of his/her firefighting classification, as provided for in the
bylaws of the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department.
F.
While there are classes of membership within the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department, under its bylaws, for non-firefighting members who serve, no person shall become a junior member of the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department unless he/she is at least 16 years of age and a resident of Washington Township for at least six months prior to making application. Applications shall be made to and approved by the Washington Volunteer Township Fire Department and confirmed by the Washington Township Committee as outlined in § 13-2C with the following exceptions: there shall be no physical examinations required; and, there shall be a signed permission form from the prospective member's parent(s)/guardian(s) permitting membership. The application form shall require the prospective junior member(s) to note any medical conditions and/or medications that may affect him/her during his/her junior activities. The application form shall be signed by a parent or guardian granting permission to join the Volunteer Fire Department as a junior member.
[Added 6-15-1999 by Ord.
No. 99-7]
The names of all members of the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department
shall be entered on a roll of firefighters to be maintained by the Clerk of
the Township of Washington. The secretary of the Volunteer Fire Department
will, in January of each year, provide the Township Clerk with the roster
of the Department, including names and addresses of all firefighting members.
Every member of the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department shall,
in each and every year, perform at least the duty as required for their firefighting
classification, as provided in the bylaws of the Washington Township Volunteer
Fire Department, said duty to include attendance and duty at meetings, fires
and drills. A record shall be maintained of each member's duty and attendance
by the Chief of the Fire Department or the officer designated in the bylaws
of the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department. A report thereof shall
be made by the Chief of the Volunteer Fire Department annually to the Township
Committee of the Township of Washington.
Exemption certificates may be issued to members of the Washington Township
Volunteer Fire Department who shall have served on active duty for seven years
under municipal control, pursuant to the provisions of the laws of New Jersey.
There is hereby established within the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department a Bureau of Fire Prevention which shall be constituted and shall fulfill the duties set forth in Chapter 72, entitled "Fire Prevention," of this Code.
[Adopted 8-19-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-07]
A petition has been signed by at least 5% of the registered voters and
has been served upon the Township Clerk of Washington Township and the Township
now seeks to designate a territorial location for use as a fire district.
The Township is presently served by the Washington Township Volunteer
Fire Company. There is hereby created Fire District No. 1 in the Township
of Washington, County of Warren, State of New Jersey, the boundaries of which
shall consist of all property located within the corporate limits of the Township
of Washington, as delineated on the Official Map of the Township, as drawn
by Maser Consulting, dated November 30, 2002.
The Township Committee, by resolution, shall provide for the election
of a Board of Fire Commissioners for Fire District No. 1 to consist of five
persons who are residents of Washington Township and shall specify the time
and place for such election.
The Commissioners so elected and their successors shall be a body corporate,
to be known as the “Commissioners of Fire District No. 1 in the Township
of Washington, County of Warren.” The said body corporate shall have
the power to acquire real and personal property for its purposes, may adopt
and use a corporate seal, may sue for or be sued and shall have such powers,
duties and functions as are usual and necessary for said purposes and are
set forth in N.J.S.A 40A:14-70, et seq., as the same may be amended from time
to time.
