The membership of the Fire Department shall consist of those persons elected to membership pursuant to the bylaws of the Fire Company. Such membership shall become effective only upon subsequently being approved by resolution of the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees may approve or disapprove of a membership applicant as a member of the Fire Department based upon its own independent review and application of any criteria established under the bylaws or otherwise as membership criteria independently established by the Board of Trustees based upon any legally permissible and fairly applied rationale and grounds and established by resolution duly adopted from time to time. Any person so approved shall be a member of the Fire Department. Such criteria may include and mandate as a condition of application, and, without limitation, the submission of a detailed, sworn to application for membership, and applicant-authorized criminal- and vehicle-and traffic-related background searches and personal reference checks. Any person elected to membership in the Fire Company but not subsequently approved as a member of the Fire Department by the Board of Trustees may be permitted to continue such membership in the Fire Company but shall not enjoy any benefits accruing to a member, may not participate in any firematic or training activities or duties of the Fire Department, and shall not be deemed a member of the Fire Department for and to the extent such membership is necessary for entitlement to any such benefits, entitlements, insurance coverages and the like provided or available to duly appointed members of the Village Fire Department. All such unapproved applicants shall pursuant to the bylaws be classified as a type of member different from any classification of membership duly appointed/approved members of the Fire Department shall be classified as. All officers of the Fire Department shall be members and any reference to "member" herein shall mean inclusive of officers.
Election to membership in the Fire Department shall be pursuant to the bylaws. The membership of any person so elected to the Fire Company shall become effective as a member of the Fire Department only upon approval (appointment) by duly adopted resolution of the Board of Trustees. Membership shall, however, be deemed to have been approved pursuant to this section in the event that no action is taken by the Board of Trustees, either approving or disapproving of such appointment, within 40 days after the service of written notice of election to membership shall have been made by the Secretary of the Fire Department upon the Village Mayor and the Village Clerk, either personally or by mail.
A member, in accepting election and approval/appointment to the Fire Department, assumes the duty and obligation to obey and support the bylaws and these Fire Department rules and regulations.
A. 
The bylaws of the Fire Company comprising the Village of Minoa Fire Department and any amendments to same shall be subject to approval of the Village Board of Trustees by resolution duly adopted. No bylaws of the Fire Company nor amendments thereto shall be deemed as effective in relation to the conduct and operations of the Fire Department unless and until such time as approved by the Village Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees may approve or disapprove of the bylaws and/or any amendments to same in whole or in part, and in its sole discretion based upon any rationally based and clearly articulated concern, including such as that same may violate, by its language per se or in its potential or actual application, any applicable laws, rules, regulations of the federal, state, county or local governments, that as proposed the language is ambiguous, vague, or otherwise unclear, that same proposes policies or practices that while per se legal may be contrary to the intent of the Village Board on such issue or that may, as explicitly stated or in application or effect include or impose provisions or policies contrary to this chapter, or to any other expression of Fire Department policy clearly articulated by Village Board resolution, and which policy may be so articulated in response to consideration of the proposed objectionable provision.
B. 
The Board of Trustees may, but is not obligated to, hold a public hearing prior to consideration of the adoption of bylaws proposed by the Fire Company. A copy of the rules and regulations of the Fire Department established hereunder and such approved bylaws of the Fire Company, any approved amendments to the foregoing and any resolutions of the Village Board of Trustees duly adopted hereunder, shall be provided by the Fire Company to each and every member of the Fire Department as soon as practicable from the date hereof and to each new member upon the commencement of his or her respective probationary period. Every present member and prospective new member shall sign and acknowledge the receipt of copies of the rules and regulations and the bylaws. Reference herein to the "bylaws" shall mean only those bylaws (and amendments or parts thereof) that have been approved by the Village Board of Trustees. Any unapproved bylaws or provisions purporting to amend same shall not be effective unless and until approved by the Board of Trustees. Such Board approval of the bylaws and the foregoing notwithstanding, in the event of any conflict or contradiction between the provisions of the bylaws and the provisions hereof, the provisions hereof shall control and prevail over those of the bylaws and shall be deemed, for all intents and purposes, an amendment to the bylaws.