[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:
(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]
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.
