[Added 9-27-1983 by L.L. No. 16-1983]
There shall be a Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services,
the head of which shall be the Commissioner of Fire, Rescue and Emergency
Services. The Commissioner shall be the County Fire Coordinator. The
Commissioner shall be appointed by the County Executive, subject to
the approval of the County Legislature, and shall serve at the pleasure
of the County Executive. The County Executive, before presenting the
name of any person to fill such office to the County Legislature for
approval, shall request the County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services
Commission to make a recommendation or recommendations of a person
to be appointed to fill such office and shall consider any such recommendation.
[Amended 2-26-1985 by L.L. No. 8-1985]
Subject to the provisions of § C23-4 of Article XXIII of this Charter, the Commissioner of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services may authorize and appoint and remove a deputy, who shall act generally for and on behalf of the Commissioner, and such other officers and employees as may be provided by appropriation therefor.
A.
The Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services shall:
(1)
Maintain and operate the County emergency operations center, which
is designated as the alternate seat of County government in time of
an emergency.
(2)
Be responsible for assembling disaster information, preparing emergency
situation reports, coordinating and providing assistance, equipment
and resources information when needed for all emergency activities
during extreme emergencies or disasters within Suffolk County.
(3)
Maintain, operate and coordinate the use of the County civil defense
emergency communications network with those County agencies and services
having emergency and disaster responsibilities.
(4)
Maintain and monitor the national advance warning attack system located
in the emergency operating center and implement the County-wide warning
system when directed by the federal and state civil defense agencies.
(5)
Be responsible for the maintenance, operation and monitoring of the
national severe weather warning network, and advise all appropriate
local officials of threatening hurricanes or other severe weather
conditions which may pose a threat to life and property in Suffolk
County.
(6)
Be responsible for the maintenance and daily operational check of
the Suffolk County school alert warning system.
(7)
Be responsible for maintaining operational liaison, in accordance
with federal, state and local directives, with all cooperating private
agencies; that is, the Salvation Army, Red Cross, private industry,
Brookhaven National Laboratory, utility companies, National Guard
Units, Civil Air Patrol, etc.
(8)
Be responsible for organizing, approving, recruiting, equipping and
training volunteer agencies for emergency preparedness purposes.
(9)
Identify, locate and plan for the integration with emergency service
teams of all privately owned construction, radiological, health service
and sanitation personnel and all public installation and maintenance
personnel.
(10)
Be responsible for securing and maintaining radiological monitoring
equipment and provide for the radiological training of sufficient
volunteers to adequately cover the major radiological monitoring stations,
when needed, in Suffolk County.
(11)
Secure, through the appropriate federal and state agencies for
the various County departments and local municipalities, usable federal
surplus and excess property or equipment.
(12)
Secure and process requests for federal and state financial
assistance when the County Executive declares that a state of emergency
exists within the County.
(13)
Be the coordinating agency in the processing and submission
of disaster claims and assistance requested by all political subdivisions
as outlined in the directives of the Office of Emergency Preparedness
and the State Department of Natural Disaster and Civil Defense.
(14)
Contain the functions, responsibilities and duties of providing
emergency preparedness in accordance with the Federal Emergency Management
Administration and the emergency defense laws of the state, as the
same appear and shall be from time to time amended. The functions,
responsibilities and duties of providing emergency preparedness shall
mean and shall include the term "civil defense" as the same appears
and as used in § 9122 of the Unconsolidated Laws of the
State of New York. The individual designated to manage the performance
of such functions, responsibilities and duties conferred upon a local
office of civil defense and the local director of civil defense by
§ 9122 of the Unconsolidated Laws. Such individual shall
be under the administrative supervision of the Commissioner of Fire,
Rescue and Emergency Services.
[Amended 2-8-1991 by L.L. No. 7-1991]
(15)
Dispatch fire fighters and fire-fighting and emergency vehicles
of the fire service in the County on any call for assistance in the
event of fire or other emergency and in the case of natural disasters,
as defined by law, and for any drills or training for such services.
(16)
Cause the County fire dispatch radio and emergency medical services
dispatch radio to be manned 24 hours a day.
(17)
Establish County plans for mutual aid in the event of fire or
other emergencies in which the services of fire fighters or rescue
personnel would be used.
(18)
Keep a complete and current record of the inventory of the fire-fighting
and emergency vehicles of every fire department within the County.
(19)
Keep a complete and current roster of all officers of all fire
departments and fire districts within the County.
(20)
Have all of the powers and perform all of the duties conferred
on county fire coordinators by the laws of the State of New York.
(21)
Furnish technical assistance to the fire-fighting and fire hazard
inspection forces in the County, at their request.
(22)
Make inspections of school buildings in accordance with the
provisions of the New York State Education Law relating to such inspections.
(23)
Upon request from a local Fire Chief or local Fire Inspector,
investigate fires and related incidents.
(24)
Upon request, where cases of arson have been determined, investigate
fires and related incidents and generally assist the Suffolk County
Police Arson Squad.
(25)
Advise and consult with the Department of Consumer Affairs in
setting County policy concerning safety and use of fire-related consumer
products.
(26)
Provide for the training of volunteer firemen within Suffolk
County, with courses designed to meet the needs of the fire service.
Courses shall be for training in fire fighting, inspection of structures
and investigation of fire explosions and other related incidents and
for training in the areas of fire prevention, evacuation and other
needed areas to the personnel of hospitals, nursing homes, schools,
armed forces, civic groups, industry and County facilities.
(27)
Act as liaison between the County Executive, the County Fire,
Rescue and Emergency Services Commission and the fire-fighting forces
in the County and the officers and governing bodies thereof.
(28)
Develop and recommend to the County Fire, Rescue and Emergency
Services Commission and the County Legislature programs and policies
for the promotion of the safety of persons against the hazards of
fire and explosion.
(29)
Respond in a timely manner to formal requests entered by the
Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Commission, in matters related
to policy and administration of the Department.
(30)
Establish a library of books and publications relating to modern
fire-fighting techniques and procedures, including copies of all fire
prevention codes and ordinances adopted by the towns and villages
in the County, for reference purposes by all interested persons, agencies
or districts.
(31)
Make an annual report of the activities of the Department, which
report shall be filed with the Clerk of the County Legislature not
later than the first day of March in each year. Copies of such report
shall be furnished to the County Executive, the members of the County
Legislature, the members of the County Fire, Rescue and Emergency
Services Commission and to such other County and local fire department
officials as the County Executive shall direct.
(32)
Provide part-time clerical support and office space to the Fire,
Rescue and Emergency Services Commission, as are available and as
are budgetarily feasible.
(33)
Supervise the execution and management of all programs, activities
and expenditures of the Department.
(34)
Enter into contracts, with the approval of the County Executive,
for the provision of services.
(35)
Be responsible for coordinating the regulation and licensing
of the installation and servicing of portable fire extinguishers and
automatic fire extinguishing systems.
[Added 3-23-2010 by L.L. No. 13-2010]
B.
In no way shall the powers and duties of the Department of Fire,
Rescue and Emergency Services supersede any general or special state
or federal law. Furthermore, the powers and duties of the Department
outlined herein shall not supersede local authority granted under
state home rule law, e.g., authority granted to local Fire Chiefs,
fire district officers and town and village Fire Inspectors.
A.
There shall be a County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Commission
pursuant to County Law § 225-a. The Commission shall be
comprised of 18 members. Each member shall be appointed by the County
Executive with approval of the County Legislature. The term of office
for members shall be three years, except that of those members first
appointed, six shall serve for three years, six shall serve for two
years and five shall serve for one year. At such time that members
are reappointed or new members are appointed, the term of office shall
be three years.
[Amended 10-13-1993 by L.L. No. 25-1993; 3-23-2010 by L.L. No.
12-2010]
B.
The County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services Commission shall include
one member from each township and an alternate member, two members
from the Suffolk County Fire District Officers Association, two members
from the Fire Chiefs Council of Suffolk County, two members from the
Suffolk County Volunteer Firemen's Association, two members from the
Suffolk County Ambulance Chiefs Association and an alternate member
and one member from the Fire Inspectors Association of Suffolk County
and an alternate member. The alternate members shall vote in the absence
of the appointed members. The members of the Commission shall be County
officers and shall serve without compensation; however, members shall
be reimbursed at standard County rates for travel expenses incurred
for meeting attendance. The members of the Fire Advisory Board in
office at the time of enactment of this legislation shall continue
in office as members of the new Commission until expiration of their
current terms of office.
[Amended 8-30-1988 by L.L. No. 39-1988; 3-23-2010 by L.L. No.
12-2010]
C.
Ex officio members, who shall not vote, shall include, but not be
limited to, the Commissioner of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services,
the Fire Marshal or alternate, the Director of Emergency Preparedness
or alternate, the Director of VEEB or alternate and two County Legislators.
D.
The presence of a majority of voting members of the Commission shall
constitute a quorum.
E.
It shall be the duty of such Commission to cooperate with the New
York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control in effectuating the
purposes for which the Division was established in relation to such
programs for fire training and mutual aid; to act as a policy-making
body to the County Executive, the County Legislature and the Commissioner
of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services in connection with County participation
in such programs for fire training and mutual aid and in connection
with County establishment and maintenance of the County Fire Training
Academy and mutual aid programs in cases of fire and other emergencies
in which the services of firemen would be used; and to perform such
other duties as the County Legislature may prescribe in relation to
fire training and mutual aid in cases of fire and other emergencies
in which the services of firemen would be used, excluding emergency
and disaster planning done within the Division of Emergency Preparedness.
Those employees in the Departments of Emergency Preparedness
and Fire Safety who are employed in positions in those departments
on the effective date of this article shall be transferred to the
Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services.
All records, property and equipment presently associated with
and utilized in connection with the powers, functions and duties to
be assigned to the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services
shall be transferred to that Department.
