[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council
of the Borough of Dunellen 3-1-1976. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The Fire Department of the Borough of Dunellen
shall consist of the officers and men of the Defender Fire Company
No. 1, Dunellen Fire Department.
The Chief, Deputy Chief, three Captains and
three Lieutenants shall be elected annually by such of the active
firemen of the Fire Department of Dunellen as shall be of the full
age of 18 years, and they shall hold their offices for one year and
until their successors shall be qualified, provided that such election
shall be confirmed by the Mayor and Council.
The election provided for in the preceding section
shall be by ballot and shall be held on the last Wednesday in November
in each year. The election shall be held in the Dunellen Firehouse
between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. At the close of the polls
the tellers shall make out a statement of the result, showing the
names of the persons voted for and the offices for which they were
candidates. This statement shall be presented to the Mayor and Council
at its first meeting held thereafter, and the said Mayor and Council
shall then determine from said statement which of said persons have
received a plurality of votes cast for the respective offices for
which they were balloted and shall then, by resolution, declare elected
the persons having the plurality of the votes cast for the offices
for which they were balloted. Upon the adoption of such resolutions,
the persons named therein shall be deemed appointed to their respective
offices for the term of one year from the date of the adoption of
such resolution or until their successors shall be duly elected or
appointed, as prescribed in this chapter.
A.
The Chief shall, in all cases of fire, have sole control
over all members of the Fire Department and of all apparatus belonging
thereto. Any person belonging to the said Department who shall refuse
to obey all lawful orders of the Chief shall be expelled. In case
of the Chief's absence, the Deputy Chief shall act as Chief and shall
have all the power and authority of the Chief. In the absence of the
Chief and the Deputy Chief, the Captains present shall designate one
of their number to be in charge, and in their absence, the Lieutenants
shall follow the same procedure. If no officers are present, the driver
of the first apparatus at the scene shall be in charge until relieved
by an officer.
B.
It shall be the duty of the Chief to examine, at least
once each month, the fire apparatus and the building in use for the
protection of the same and the public hydrants and to report the condition
thereof to the Mayor and Council at its regular monthly meetings in
July and December, unless for some special reason he shall deem it
advisable to make his reports more often, and in which case a report
may be made at a regular or special meeting of the Council. He shall
also report, at least twice each year, the number of fires attended
by him or, in his absence, by his Deputy together with the causes
of said fires and such other information as he may think proper.
C.
He shall, under the direction of the Committee on
Fire and Water of the Council, superintend, in person and direct such
necessary repairs to the fire apparatus which may be ordered to be
repaired by the Mayor and Council. He shall, in all cases of fire
threatening danger to or destruction of property, take prompt and
efficient measures and use the means of the Department to extinguish
the same and shall, at such times and on the occasion of the alarm
of fire, have sole and absolute control and command over all fire
apparatus and all members of the Fire Department and over all other
fire apparatus and persons aiding and assisting the Department in
cases of actual fire.
The Chief and his Deputy shall attend all fires
within the Borough limits. They are hereby empowered and required
to take charge of any building or buildings which may be on fire,
to admit only so many of such persons not firemen to said building
or buildings as they may think necessary for the extinguishing of
the fire and the preservation of all goods and to give orders for
and superintend the removal of all goods and the preservation of all
endangered property.
The Defender Fire Company may appoint of their
members certain persons, not exceeding six, including officers, to
form the Fire Police of the Borough. When on duty the whole force
shall be under the control of the Chief and his Deputy, or in their
absence, of the person in command of the Department.
It shall be the duty of the Chief and Deputy
Chief to report to the Council any and every violation of the ordinances
relating to fires and the Fire Department which shall come to their
knowledge. Such report shall set forth the name or names of the officer
or members of said Department or other persons present or aiding in
the violation of said ordinance.
All complaints relating to the Fire Department
shall be made to the Mayor and Council, in writing, and the complainant
shall state briefly the grounds of his complaint and the rules and
regulations which he claims have been violated.
Whenever any such complaint shall be made, it
shall be the duty of the Mayor to appoint a time when the Council
Committee on Fire and Water shall hear the complaint, and said Committee
shall make such rules and regulations for the hearing thereof as,
in its discretion, shall best promote the ends of justice. Its determination
of the question may be appealed to the Mayor and Council, whose decision
shall be final.
The Fire Company shall not at any time take
the fire apparatus in its charge beyond the corporate limits for any
purpose whatever, except that of attending a fire or a mutual-aid
call, without the express permission of the Chief or the Acting Chief,
the Fire Committee or the Mayor.
The Fire Company, known as "Defender Fire Company
No. 1," shall not consist of more than 90 members to attend to the
fire apparatus. Said Company shall, on the last Wednesday of November
in each year, elect a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer,
one Sergeant at Arms, one historian and such other officers as may
be necessary. Election shall be by ballot in accordance with the constitution
and bylaws. No new regular members shall be admitted to the Fire Department
who are over 45 years of age.
For activities other than official duties, the
Fire Company may make bylaws for its own regulation, which are not
inconsistent with this chapter, subject to the approval of the Mayor
and Council.
It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the
Fire Company to file with the Municipal Clerk, on or before May 8
in each year, a complete list of the active firemen of the Company
who shall be in good standing.
Any person who may be expelled from the Fire
Company may appeal therefrom to the Mayor and Council, who shall set
a hearing of such appeal, giving notice thereof to the Secretary of
the Fire Company and, at the time appointed, shall proceed to hear
and determine the matter in a summary way, and the determination shall
be final.
The names of all persons hereafter proposed
or elected as regular members of the Fire Department shall be brought
before the Mayor and Council for its approval.
This chapter may be altered or amended at any
regular meeting of the Mayor and Council.
