The Fire Department of the Town of Newton is hereby created
and established with jurisdictional boundaries coextensive with the
boundaries of the Town.
The Newton Fire Department shall consist of one department.
The composition, government and management of the Fire Department
shall be in accordance with the constitution, bylaws and rules of
the Department, as amended from time to time, subject to the approval
of the Town Council.
The governing body deems it appropriate and necessary to ensure
the retention of volunteer members of the Newton Volunteer Fire Department
by rewarding such members for their loyal, diligent, and devoted service
to the residents of the Town of Newton. Accordingly, the Town Council
has determined that the creation of a Length of Service Award Program
(LOSAP) as authorized by state law will enhance the ability of the
municipality to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters. The program
will be implemented as follows:
A.
A Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) is hereby created in accordance
with the "Emergency Services Volunteer Length of Service Award Program
Act," N.J.S.A. 40A:14-183 to 194 (hereinafter referred to as "the
Act"), to reward members of the Newton Volunteer Fire Department for
their loyal, diligent, and devoted service to the residents of Newton.
B.
The LOSAP shall provide for annual contributions on behalf of each
eligible member to a deferred income account within a plan to be established
by the Town of Newton and administered in accordance with the Act
and all applicable state and federal laws.
C.
To be eligible for LOSAP contributions on his or her behalf, a member
must meet the following criteria, to be determined each calendar year:
(1)
A member must accumulate at least 50 points for activities as set
forth in the annexed Schedule A during a calendar year to be eligible
for the LOSAP contribution for that calendar year. There shall be
no carry-over from year to year.
(2)
The annual contribution for each eligible member shall be between
a minimum of $115 and a maximum of $1,150, plus automatic annual consumer
price index (CPI) adjustments, beginning calendar year 2020, as established
by statutory law and the Director of the Division of Local Government
Services.
[Amended 11-13-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-11]
(3)
A member shall be eligible for participation in the LOSAP immediately
upon commencement of service with the Newton Volunteer Fire Department.
Five years of service, as determined by N.J.S.A. 40A:14-188, shall
be required for each individual member to vest in contributions made
on his or her behalf.
D.
Thee shall be no credit for prior years service, except for a point
award as set forth in the annexed Schedule A.
E.
The estimated cost of the program is $115,000 per year.
F.
Each active volunteer member shall be credited with points for volunteer
service in accordance with the activities described in the annexed
Schedule A.
G.
This chapter became effective by its approval by the voters as a
public question at the general election held in November of 2003.
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Schedule A
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Schedule of Points
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Each active volunteer member shall be credited with points for
volunteer services provided to the Newton volunteer firefighters in
accordance with the following schedule:
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A.
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Town of Newton volunteer firefighters:
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1.
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One hundred points are required for a member to be eligible
for 100% of the annual contribution. If a member achieves fewer than
100 points, the following table will be used in determining the contribution:
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Number of Points
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Contribution
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100
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100%
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90 through 99
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75%
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80 through 89
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50%
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70 through 79
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25%
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50 through 70
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10%
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0 through 50
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0%
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2.
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Points earned for fire calls:
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Percent
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Number of Points
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60% to 100%
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60
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45% to 59%
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50
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30% to 44%
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40
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20% to 29%
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30
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0% to 19%
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5
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3.
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Elected officers:
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a.
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President
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20 points
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b.
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Vice President
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10 points
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c.
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Company Secretary
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15 points
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d.
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Treasurer
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15 points
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4.
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Miscellaneous committees:
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Two points will be credited for participating in activities
which are deemed official by the Captain or President, such as:
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a.
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Truck committees
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b.
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Fire-prevention activities
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c.
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Wakes and memorial services
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d.
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Local relief association meetings as delegate or trustee
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e.
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Local exempt association as member
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f.
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Attendance as delegate to county or state association meetings
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g.
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Parades and other special events
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h.
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Attendance at outside firematic activities not previously covered
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5.
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Miscellaneous:
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a.
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Chief
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40 points
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b.
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Assistant Chiefs
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35 points
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c.
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Department Engineer
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35 points
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d.
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Department Secretary
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20 points
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e.
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Captain
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30 points
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f.
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Lieutenant
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25 points
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g.
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Engineer
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20 points
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h.
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Assistant Engineer
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15 points
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i.
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Training drills
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1 point each
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j.
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Special details
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1 point each
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k.
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Schooling
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4 points, each class
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l.
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Committee meetings
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1 point
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m.
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Company meetings
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1 point
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n.
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Chairman of committee
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1 point
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6.
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Longevity point system:
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Number of Years Completed
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Number of Points
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5 to 10
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5
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10 to 20
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10
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20 to 30
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15
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30 to 40
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20
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Over 40
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25
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