[Adopted 7-10-2012 by Ord. No. 2284]
There is hereby established as part of the Fire Department an
Associate Members Corps, the purpose of which is:
A.
To support the physical and emotional health of the members of the
Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department as they fulfill their commanded
duties;
B.
To foster a positive image of the Fire Department in the Borough
of Hasbrouck Heights and in surrounding communities by ways of various
volunteer efforts; including charitable events, fund-raisers and participating
in community activities; and
C.
To supplement the Department when a strong showing is required, including
inspections, memorials, funerals and public events.
The Associate Members Corp shall be composed of such maximum
number of members as the Chiefs of the Fire Department shall hereafter
determine in relation to the need for such members and supervise them.
Such members shall be at least 18 years of age and of good moral character
and fit for the duties described herein. Such members shall meet the
same residency requirements and shall be subject to the same background
review as those imposed upon full members. The Chiefs of the Fire
Department, with the approval of the Fire Committee, may impose such
further qualifications as they deem necessary and appropriate. Membership
in this Corps shall not be construed to be full membership in the
Fire Department nor confer any of the privileges of such full membership
except to the extent specifically provided in this article. Membership
shall be initially open to past members of this Department and spouses,
parents, adult siblings and adult children of members in good standing
of this Department. Associate members would be required to assist
with room cleaning as assigned. To be in good standing a member must
attend at least six events per year including but not limited to meetings,
cleaning duties in preparation for the annual inspection and attendance
at the said inspection. Any associate member who does not perform
a function or duty within his or her first six months of membership
shall forfeit his or her right to membership. Associate members will
not be entitled to any monetary compensation from the Borough of Hasbrouck
Heights including clothing allowance or LOSAP.
Any person who is otherwise qualified as provided in § 28-45 may make application to the Chiefs of the Fire Department for membership in the Associate Members Corps upon such forms as they may devise to assure that the qualifications for membership are met.
At the direction of a Commanding Officer or Incident Commander,
associate members shall:
A.
Respond to fire and emergency scenes, assisting with various duties
that would otherwise be left unattended.
B.
Report to fire headquarters during an incident and distribute refreshments
to the mutual aid companies standing by, admitting them into the fire
meeting room so that they may be comfortable and preparing refreshments
for the returning members.
C.
Set up and clean up in order that members can better concentrate
on their firematic duties.
D.
Implement new events and attend events by other groups, promoting
the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department to other organizations and within
the community.
E.
Assist Fire Department committee members planning their events.
F.
To provide any other support function as deemed necessary by the
Chief or his designee.
General rules. The Chiefs of the Fire Department shall formulate
a set of general rules and regulations setting forth the duties and
responsibilities of the associate members. It shall be the duty of
the officer of the company and of the ambulance squad to which the
associate member is assigned to strictly enforce all of the aforesaid
general and applicable specific rules and regulations upon any associate
member assigned to that officer's company or ambulance squad. Further,
it shall be the duty of every member of the Fire Department to report
any infraction of any of the aforesaid rules and regulations by an
associate member to an officer of the company or of the ambulance
squad to which that associate member is assigned or to any of the
Chiefs of the Department. If, in the sole discretion of the officer
or Chief to whom such infraction is reported, it is deemed that such
infraction may in any way endanger the safety of that associate member
or the safety of others, it shall be the duty and authority of that
officer or Chief to immediately relieve that associate member from
duty and take such other immediate action as he or she may deem necessary
to prevent such danger.
Members in good standing of the Associate Members Corps shall
be afforded the same liability insurance coverage as afforded regular
members of the Fire Department.
Any applicable rule or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding,
no member of the Associate Members Corps shall be required to perform
any duty or undertake any activity which would reasonably be anticipated
to expose that member to any risk of injury, and any regular member
of the Department shall have the duty and authority to order any junior
member to take any reasonable action to avoid such risk.
