The Borough of South Plainfield hereby establishes, pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A: 14-156.2, a reciprocal agreement with any municipality within the Counties of Middlesex, Union and Somerset for intermunicipal police assistance at time of any and all emergencies. This article shall become effective as to each and every other municipality within said counties at such times that said municipality has in the past or may in the future adopt an ordinance providing the same terms and conditions set forth herein and including the Borough of South Plainfield within its coverages.
The Borough of South Plainfield hereby agrees to bear all expenses incurred by members of its Municipal Police Department for emergency assistance rendered within or without the boundaries of this community. The Borough of South Plainfield shall make no claim for reimbursement from any municipality adopting an ordinance providing the same terms and conditions set forth herein for damages, injuries, wages and the like in connection with aid rendered by the members of its Police Department to any other municipality adopting such ordinance.
In accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-156.2, the members of the Police Department of the Borough of South Plainfield and any other municipality passing an ordinance with the same terms and conditions as this article, while on duty rendering assistance to any other such municipality, shall have the said powers, authority and immunities as do the members of the police force of the municipality in which such assistance is being rendered. Additionally, said members shall also have, while so acting, said rights and immunities as they may otherwise enjoy in the performance of their normal duties within the Borough of South Plainfield.
The Borough of South Plainfield shall, upon providing assistance to another municipality which has enacted a similar intermunicipal assistant ordinance, assume the cost and expense of providing said personnel and equipment to the requesting municipality; excepting such instances when the requesting municipality receives state or federal aid as reimbursement therefor. In this event, the costs incurred by the Borough shall be submitted to the municipality, which requested assistance, for reimbursement.
At such time that an emergency may occur and intermunicipal aid is requested, the Chief of Police of the municipality wherein said emergency exists shall be the senior ranking officer of all members of any Police Department which may be rendering assistance within the confines of said municipality.
In the event any member of a police force summoned pursuant to an agreement to render assistance suffers injury or death in the performance of his or her duties, his or her designee or legal representative shall be entitled to such salary, pension rights, workmen's compensation or other benefits as would have accrued if such injury or death had occurred in the performance of his or her normal duties.