[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Washington 11-20-2006 by Ord. No. 20-06. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 4-18-2022 by Ord. No. 04-22
The Long Valley First Aid Squad, Inc. (LVFAS) is hereby recognized as the organization providing technical search and rescue and medical services to the citizens of, and visitors to, the Township of Washington, County of Morris, which organization is eligible to receive funding and other support as permitted by law from the Township of Washington.
[Amended 4-18-2022 by Ord. No. 04-22
A. 
The Long Valley First Aid Squad, Inc., shall provide twenty-four-hour technical search and rescue and emergency medical services to the residents of, and visitors to, the Township of Washington, and such service to other individuals pursuant to mutual aid agreements as may be in effect from time to time between the LVFAS and other emergency medical services and rescue squads or as directed by the Chief Officer of the LVFAS at his/her direction.
B. 
Lead agency.
(1) 
LVFAS, in its role as the officially designated agency and primary provider of technical search and rescue and medical services, will be lead agency of any incident that is a technical search and rescue or medical emergency. LVFAS, as the lead agency, shall establish operational procedures consistent with their level of operational capability. The current technical search and rescue operational capabilities of LVFAS include, but are not limited to:
(a) 
Vehicle search and rescue.
(b) 
Rope rescue.
(c) 
Machinery search and rescue.
(d) 
Ice search and rescue.
(2) 
This does not include structural fire rescues.
C. 
The technical search and rescue capabilities of LVFAS may evolve over time, and technical search and rescue capabilities may be added or removed, at the direction of the Chief Officer of LVFAS. If a capability is added or removed, the Chief Officer will notify the Township and the Office of Emergency Management. This section of the Township Code shall be subject to amendment if and as necessary.
All applicants for membership in the LVFAS shall be required to submit to criminal history checks prior to commencing service in accordance with § 24-9 of the Code of the Township of Washington.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Section 24-9, Criminal history checks, was repealed 11-20-2006 by Ord. No. 21-06. See now Ch. 9, Criminal History Background Checks, Art. I, Fire Department and First Aid Squad.
Applicants to the LVFAS shall be admitted in accordance with the regulations set forth at N.J.A.C. 13:12-1.1. All such members must be approved by the Township Committee, upon recommendation of the LVFAS, prior to commencing service.
The officers of the LVFAS shall be elected by the membership in accordance with the terms of the Squad's bylaws. Each officer shall serve a term consistent with the Squad's Constitution and bylaws. The Chief Officer shall take an oath of public office at the annual reorganization meeting of the Township Committee and shall serve for a term of one year from January 1 or the expiration of a year in the event the election is made after January 1.
Members of the LVFAS are required to comply with the Squad's Constitution and bylaws. Failure to comply may result in disciplinary action by the membership of the LVFAS consistent with the Squad's bylaws. Members of the LVFAS may be disciplined or discharged by the Township Committee after notice, a hearing and consultation with the LVFAS Line Officers, for violation of the rules and regulations promulgated and adopted by the Squad or for a violation of the bylaws of the LVFAS.
Members of the LVFAS shall serve as volunteers and shall serve without compensation.
The Township Committee shall, in its annual budget, appropriate a sum of money to assist in the efficient and effective operation of the LVFAS.
[Added 9-17-2007 by Ord. No. 23-07]
A. 
Eligibility for membership.
(1) 
Any person who is a resident of the Township of Washington and is at least 16 years of age, and enrolled in or a graduate of high school or an equivalent accredited program, shall be eligible for cadet membership in the Long Valley First Aid Squad. No individual shall become a cadet member of the Long Valley First Aid Squad unless written permission is obtained from such individual's parents or legal guardian. Said written permission shall be in a form approved by the Township Committee and shall be acknowledged or approved in the manner required by law for deeds to real estate to be recorded.
(2) 
Applicants for cadet membership shall provide three letters of recommendation from persons who are not members of the Long Valley First Aid Squad.
(3) 
Successful applicants for cadet membership shall be required to obtain working papers from the New Jersey Department of Labor. The original written permission and working papers shall be retained by the Township Clerk, who shall forward a copy to the Chief of the squad.
(4) 
To be considered for cadet membership, an applicant must possess an American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR certification (or equivalent as approved by the New Jersey Department of Health Office of Emergency Medical Services) and, at a minimum, provisional EMT-Basic status in the State of New Jersey.
B. 
Insurance coverage for cadet members. Cadet members shall be provided with the same insurance coverage as provided for the regular members of the Long Valley First Aid Squad.
C. 
Rules and regulations governing cadet member activities. The Township Committee hereinafter establishes the following rules and regulations designed to govern the activities of the cadet members and to provide for the training of the cadet members with a view toward their eventual membership in the Long Valley First Aid Squad:
(1) 
No cadet member shall be required to perform duties which would expose the cadet member to the same degree of hazard as a regular member of the Long Valley First Aid Squad.
(2) 
No cadet member shall be permitted to be in the immediate vicinity of a hazardous condition.
(3) 
A cadet member shall be required to abide by the membership standards of the Long Valley First Aid Squad and may be disciplined or expelled from the squad for just cause.
(4) 
A cadet member shall comply with the constitution, bylaws and policies of the Long Valley First Aid Squad, as well as any bylaws or policies that may be established for the cadet members.
(5) 
A cadet member shall obey the commands of the Chief or any other officer of the Long Valley First Aid Squad and shall perform services only in the physical presence and under the direct supervision of an EMT-Basic.
(6) 
It is important for the cadet members to understand that they are not privileged in any way while responding to an emergency or nonemergency call for the squad.
(7) 
The cadet member will obey all New Jersey Department of Motor vehicle laws while responding, including, but not limited to, those prohibiting exceeding the posted speed limit, passing in a nonpassing zone, tailgating, not stopping at red traffic signals, not stopping completely at stop signs, not yielding to right-of-way as necessary, making a right turn on red when a "no turn on red" sign is posted, etc.
(8) 
The cadet member shall realize that when responding to an emergency call, an ambulance may be granted privileges by other drivers under certain circumstances (involving the use of lights and sirens) but that these privileges are not rights and that they do not apply to cadet members.
(9) 
The following rules should be observed at all times:
(a) 
No external identification lights, i.e., "blue" lights, are to be used.
(b) 
Cadet members should not use their headlights to alert other motorists that they are seeking to pass.
(c) 
Cadet members should not use their horn to signal their desire to pass or to be yielded a right-of-way.
(d) 
Cadet members should not use their hazard lights while responding to signal other drivers their desire to pass or to be yielded a right-of-way.
(e) 
Cadet members should not point, glare, or in any other way signal a driver who did not yield the right-of-way to them. Other drivers are not obligated in any way to do so.
(10) 
Cadet members may apply for general membership in the Long Valley First Aid Squad upon achieving the age of 18 years, having graduated from high school, having a valid New Jersey driver's license and upon being recommended by a majority of the line officers for probationary membership in accordance with the squad's procedures.
(11) 
Subject to the approval of the Township Committee, these rules and regulations may be supplemented by the Long Valley First Aid Squad.