[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Danville 10-17-1961 by Ord. No. 160; amended in its entirety 5-9-2023 by Ord. No. 575. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
The four volunteer fire companies now in service in the Borough of Danville, namely, the Friendship Fire Company, Washington Fire Company, Continental Fire Company, and Goodwill Fire Company, shall together form the Fire Department of the Borough of Danville, hereinafter designated as the "Fire Department." The fire companies as a Department shall be represented by the Danville Firemen's Executive Board.
The Fire Department shall be under the supervision of an officer to be known as the "Borough Fire Chief," a Deputy Fire Chief, and two Assistant Fire Chiefs. The Borough Chief shall serve as the Chairperson for the Firemen's Executive Board as well as the Company Chief for the company they represent.
A. 
The Borough Fire Chief shall be elected on a quadrennial basis. The current Borough Chief shall finish their term which runs through the last day of 2024, at which point the Department will shift to operate with four Chiefs instead of five. The subsequent rotation for the company furnishing Borough Chief shall be established as follows: Continental Fire Company for the years 2025 through 2028; Goodwill Fire Company for the years 2029 through 2032; Friendship Fire Company for the years 2033 through 2036; and thereafter in the same rotation every four years.
B. 
A new Assistant Fire Chief shall be elected every four years, in order of the company rotation system outlined in § 24-3A, with such elections to be conducted according to the bylaws of each company, provided they do not contradict the provisions of this chapter.
C. 
Following the above-prescribed rotation, the Deputy Chief shall move into the position of Borough Chief and the next Assistant Chief in line per rotation shall move up to the position of Deputy Chief.
D. 
In the event a company is unable to elect a Chief meeting the qualifications outlined in § 24-6 of this chapter, another company may provide a member to hold the position of Chief for that company until said company is able to produce a member meeting the Department qualifications for that position, so long as both companies are amicable to the proposed interim member.
(1) 
A company may also elect to forgo injecting another company's member into the position of Chief representing that company. The determination as to whether this company would forfeit its position in rotation for the office of Deputy Chief and/or Borough Chief would be determined at that time by the Firemen's Executive Board.
(2) 
If/when a company is able to produce a qualified member for Chief while an interim Chief represents said company or while that company has a vacancy for the position of Chief, that company can propose that member to Fireboard for approval and recommendation to Borough Council. Upon Council's approval, the proposed Chief would take office at 00:01 on January 1 of the following year, allowing the interim Chief to finish out the year; in the event of a vacancy, the proposed member would also take office at 00:01 on January 1 of the following year unless otherwise approved by Council.
The fire company entitled to furnish the Borough Fire Chief shall have the sole right to make the selection from the membership of its company, provided they meet the qualifications as outlined in § 24-6. However, the Borough Fire Chief, the Deputy Fire Chief, and all Assistant Fire Chiefs shall be subject to approval by the Danville Borough Council after first having been recommended to the Danville Borough Council by the Danville Firemen's Executive Board.
In the event the Borough Council rejects the person proposed for Borough Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, or any of the Assistant Fire Chiefs, the proposing fire company shall nominate another member for Borough Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, and/or Assistant Fire Chief and submit this name to the Danville Firemen's Executive Board for its recommendation to and subsequent approval by the Danville Borough Council.
The qualifications required for an individual to be elected as Fire Chief are as follows:
A. 
Ten years of service in the Danville Fire Department.
B. 
Two years' service as a Department Lieutenant and three years' service as a Department Captain.
C. 
Completion of fire-fighting, emergency response, and emergency management training, as prescribed in a training regimen of Danville Fire Department qualifications/requirements.
(1) 
The Firemen's Executive Board shall be responsible for maintaining a set of training requirements for firefighters, driver/operators, line officers, and chief officers.
(2) 
The training requirements shall be reviewed on a regular basis, updating them as needed to remain current in regards to advancements in safety, training, and all other facets of the modern fire service.
In the event of death, resignation, or removal from office of the Borough Fire Chief or Deputy Fire Chief, the remaining Chiefs shall move up in order of rotation to fill the vacancy for the duration of the term. In the event of death, resignation, or removal from office of Assistant Chief, the company which lost its Chief would elect a new member to fill the position for the balance of the four-year period. Upon the completion of this term, the rotation in place shall stand, having those Chiefs holding their positions for the new term. In the event that the company is unable to elect an Assistant Fire Chief meeting the qualifications outlined in § 24-6 of this chapter, the position shall be addressed pursuant to § 24-3D of this chapter.
Before assuming office as such, the Borough Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, and each of the Assistant Fire Chiefs shall take an oath, to be administered by the Mayor, to faithfully perform the duties of their respective offices.
The Borough Council shall have the authority to remove the Borough Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, or any Assistant Chief for inconsistency, neglect of duty, or any other cause touching upon the duties and powers of such officer and their relations to the Fire Department.
The Borough Fire Chief shall be paid such salary or compensation as shall be determined by the Borough Council.
The Borough Fire Chief, or in his/her absence the Deputy Fire Chief or Assistant Fire Chiefs, in order of rank, shall have the following duties:
A. 
He or she shall have complete charge of the handling of all firefighters and equipment in the engagement of emergency response operations. He or she shall also have supervision over the firefighters and department equipment, with the approval of the Borough Council, during engagements in and out of the Borough.
B. 
He or she shall work with the Borough Code Enforcement membership to review the buildings and other property in the Borough, reporting all violations of state laws and Borough ordinances relating to fire hazards.
C. 
He or she shall furnish an annual itemized inventory before November 1 of each year to the Borough Council of all Borough-owned and company-owned fire-fighting equipment.
D. 
He or she shall submit the following reports, on a monthly basis, to Danville Borough Council:
(1) 
Individual incident reports of all incidents responded to by the Fire Department.
(2) 
A monthly report of all fires and fire losses.
(3) 
A monthly report indicating all fire-fighting equipment that was destroyed, damaged, lost, or stolen during the month.
E. 
He or she shall ensure that monthly Department drills are conducted to continuously develop the Department membership and that necessary equipment testing is being completed in accordance with established industry practices and/or manufacturers' guidelines.
F. 
The Borough Fire Chief shall attend to all needed repairs of Department equipment, provided that the expenses involved shall first be approved by the Borough Council or already fall within the established budget for the Borough Chief/Department.
G. 
The Borough Fire Chief shall notify Borough Council if any of the Borough fire-fighting equipment is to attend out-of-town parades, conventions, etc.
The Danville Borough Council, with the approval of the Mayor, by resolution or ordinance, may from time to time make further rules and regulations and provisions relating to the Chiefs of the Borough Fire Department and the Borough Fire Department in general, provided that such rules and regulations do not violate any provisions of this chapter.