[Adopted as Rev. Ords. 1964, §§ 7-1 to 7-9,
7-12 to 7-18, 7-20 to 7-24, 7-26, 7-27, 7-29, 7-30, 7-32 and 14-13A
(§§ 7-17 to 7-31.1, 7-32 to 7-45 and 7-48 of the 2010
Code)]
[Amended 7-11-2000]
The Committee on Fires and Wires shall supervise the administration
of the Fire Department, except as limited hereafter. It shall also
have the general supervision of the apparatus and machinery connected
with the fire alarm systems, subject to any regulations for the use
of the same, and shall locate the signal boxes.
[Amended 4-15-1975; 1-4-1983; 3-5-1985]
A.
The Fire Department shall consist of the Chief of the Department,
hereinafter called the "Chief," four Deputy Chiefs, seven captains,
one master mechanic, 16 lieutenants, and 90 privates, all to be divided
into companies as the number of engines, ladder trucks and other fire
apparatus and equipment belonging to the City shall from time to time
require.
B.
They shall rank in the order named. Seniority as between officers
of equal rank shall be determined by the length of service in that
rank, the officer serving the longest to be the senior. When periods
of service in rank are equal, seniority shall be determined by the
length of permanent service in the Department. The Chief shall assign
the various members of the Department to the various stations and
companies, designate their duties, and shall, if the good of the service
warrants, maintain a regular schedule of rotation for the personnel
of the Department from company to company and station to station.
There shall be two men in each company properly trained and instructed
in driving and operating each piece of fire apparatus.
[Amended 11-12-1991]
The officers and members of the Department shall be appointed
by the Municipal Council in accordance with civil service statutes
applicable thereto.
[Amended 11-12-1991; 9-26-2000]
A.
The Chief of the Fire Department shall be appointed by the Municipal
Council in accordance with the civil service laws applicable thereto.
The Fire Chief shall be the executive officer of the Department and
shall perform all of the duties required by law and by ordinance and
by the rules and regulations of the Department.
B.
The salary of the Chief of the Fire Department shall equal 200% of
a third-year firefighter's base pay and 200% of the hazardous duty
and night differential. In addition to his/her salary, the Chief of
the Fire Department shall be entitled to all of the privileges, benefits,
and allowances to which members of the Fire Department are entitled
by contract or otherwise.
[Amended 5-5-1992]
In the absence of the Chief and when requested by the Chief
to do so, the Deputy Chief or captain who is first on the civil service
promotional list for Fire Chief shall assume the executive duties
of the Chief mentioned in this article. Any matter not of emergency
nature shall await the return of the Chief of the Department. If no
civil service promotional list exists, then the senior Deputy Chief
shall assume such duties.
[Amended 5-5-1992]
A.
In the case of the absence, illness or disability of the Chief and
when requested by the Chief to do so, the Deputy Chief or captain
who is first on the civil service promotional list for Fire Chief
shall assume all the duties and authority of the Chief, and in case
of the absence, illness or disability of the Chief and such Deputy
Chief or captain who is first on the civil service promotional list
for Fire Chief, the Deputy Chief or captain who is second on the civil
service promotional list for Fire Chief shall assume all of the executive
duties of the Chief. Any matter not of emergency nature shall await
the return of the Chief of the Department.
B.
If no civil service list exists, then the senior Deputy Chief shall
assume such duties and authority.
The captains shall see that the motor vehicles, engines and
apparatus committed to their care and buildings in which they are
kept and all things appertaining thereto are neatly kept and are fully
efficient for immediate use. They shall preserve and enforce order
and discipline at all times in their respective companies and require
a strict compliance with the provisions of these Revised Ordinances,
ordinances of the City and rules and regulations of the Department.
In case of the absence, illness or disability of one or more Deputy
Chiefs, his/her or their duties and authority shall be assumed and
performed by a captain or captains in the order of his/her or their
seniority.
The lieutenants shall assume the duties and responsibilities
of their captains in their absence and shall perform such other duties
as may be assigned them by proper authority.
A.
The Chief of the Fire Department may appoint, subject to confirmation
by the Municipal Council, a mechanic who shall act as supervisor of
motor vehicles and motor apparatus in the Department and who shall,
under the direction of the Chief of the Fire Department, have full
charge of repairs on all motor vehicles and motor apparatus used and
employed in connection with the administration of the Fire Department
and shall perform such other duties pertaining to the care, maintenance
and repair of all motor vehicles and motor apparatus allocated and
transferred or delivered to the Fire Department as the Chief of the
Fire Department or any Deputy Chief thereof, duly authorized by the
Chief, may direct.
B.
The mechanic shall be subject to call at all times when services
as mechanic are required.
The Chief may assign members of the Department to duty as clerk,
telephone operators, aid to the Chief, inspectors and other special
duty as may be required for the good of the service, but no such assignment
shall interfere with the fire duty of the personnel so assigned, as
fixed by the rules and regulations of the Department.
[Amended 7-11-2000]
The Chief may designate members of the Department to act as
training officer, director of physical education and director of first
aid, who may be the same person. Training schedules may be maintained
for all members of the Department on the various equipment and apparatus.
There shall be a schedule of physical exercise, and instructions shall
be given in first aid. It shall be the duty of the member so designated
to perform such duty as the Chief may direct but he shall respond
to alarms of fire as assigned. All members of the Department shall
be instructed in the location and sizes of all water mains and hydrants
in the City. The location of the hydrants in the City shall be viewed
by all members of the Department as part of their training. Self-contained
breathing apparatus and first aid kits shall be provided for all motor
apparatus, and proper training shall be given the members in the use
thereof.
In case of fire, the Chief, or such subordinate officer or officers
as he/she may designate, shall attend the fire. The Chief shall have
sole control of fires over all other officers and members of the Department
and shall direct all proper measures for the extinguishment of fires
and the protection of life and property. The Chief may order any house
or building to be torn down or demolished when he/she judges the same
necessary to prevent the spread of fire and shall have full power
and authority to order or cause any electric wire or wires to be cut
or removed and the electric current therein discontinued until the
fire is extinguished. In the absence of the Chief at a fire the officer
next in rank who is present shall execute the duties of the office
with the full powers of the Chief. Officers in charge of each company
immediately upon arriving at a fire shall report to the chief officer
there in command and shall direct the operations of his/her company
and the apparatus and equipment thereof under the orders of such officer.
The Police Department shall establish fire lines at fires and exclude
all unauthorized persons therefrom. The senior officer in charge of
every fire, before leaving the scene, when damage has been done to
a building so that it cannot be locked up, unless the owner or occupant
is present, shall see that the property is turned over for protection
from unauthorized entry to an officer of the Police Department.
In addition to other inspections, the Chief or a Deputy Chief
shall make periodical inspection of all apparatus, tools and equipment
of the various stations and companies. Record of the inspection and
findings of the inspecting officer shall be kept at each station.
[Amended 2-19-1985; 6-27-1989]
Inspection of oil burners and combustible fluids, as required
by law, shall be performed by members of the Department assigned to
such duty by the Chief, in compliance with the rules and regulations
of the Department of Public Safety.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original § 7-30.1, which immediately
followed this section and pertained to inspection of tank trucks,
added 2-19-1985, was repealed 6-27-1989.
The Chief shall cause examinations and inspections to be made
of all buildings and places where combustible materials may be collected
or deposited, as required by law, and whenever, in the Chief's opinion,
the same are dangerous or liable to cause fire, the Chief may order
the owner, tenant or occupant to remove the same. In case of neglect
or refusal so to do the Chief may cause the same to be removed at
the expense of the owner, tenant or occupant. No person shall obstruct
the members of the Department or any of their agents in carrying out
the provisions of this section. The Chief shall be vigilant in the
enforcement of all laws and ordinances relating to the prevention
of fires and shall cause prosecution to be instituted for any violation
thereof.
[Added 4-13-1982; amended 2-19-1985; 6-27-1989]
In accordance with MGL c. 148, as recently amended, the Fire
Department shall inspect dwelling units sold within the City with
regard to the number and location of approved smoke detectors properly
installed in such units.
All members of the Department while on duty shall wear authorized
badges and uniforms of the Fire Department, as may be determined by
the Chief. All such badges shall be furnished at the expense of the
City. No person without such badge, except the Mayor, members of the
Municipal Council, state officers and police officers, shall enter
within the lines formed at a fire, without the permission of the officer
in charge thereat. No person not a member of the Department shall
wear such badge except upon authority of the Chief.
Any member of the Department who shall neglect or refuse to
perform his duty, or be guilty of disorderly conduct, or conduct prejudicial
to good order or discipline, or conduct unbecoming a member of the
Department, or who is absent without leave, or disobedient to a superior
officer, or guilty of cowardice, or shirking duty, or of any violation
of the rules, regulations or ordinances governing the Department may
be suspended by the Chief, who shall forthwith file a written report
thereof, and charges against the member, with the City Clerk, addressed
to the Municipal Council. Charges in writing may be filed with the
Municipal Council against any officer or member of the Department
by the Mayor, a member of the Municipal Council, an officer of the
Department or any citizen. When charges are filed by the Mayor or
a member of the Municipal Council, such person filing the charges
may be excused from sitting in judgment thereon. The Municipal Council
may by vote at any time remove, suspend for a definite period, demote,
discipline or penalize any and all officers and members of the Department
for just cause, in which case the City Clerk shall cause to be delivered
to such officer or member a written notice thereof stating the action
of the Council and the reasons therefor. In all cases of suspension
or charges against an officer or member of the Department, the Municipal
Council shall, in accordance with the provisions of the civil service
laws, give a hearing thereon and take such action as it shall deem
proper. Complete records of all suspensions, removals, disciplinary
action and penalties against an officer or member of the Department
shall be kept at headquarters.
[Amended 2-19-1985]
A.
Copies of all reports and written orders made by the members of the
Department shall be kept on file at fire headquarters. The Chief shall
cause to be kept exact rolls of the respective companies setting forth
the date of admission, age and discharge of each member, and the platoon
assignment and duty assignment of each member of the Department. The
Chief shall cause to be kept a full record of all fires occurring
during the year in the City with the probable or known cause thereof,
the number of fires, a description of buildings or property destroyed
or damaged thereby, the names of the owners and occupants, the estimated
damage or loss and the amount of insurance thereon. The officer in
charge of each station shall keep, or cause to be kept, an exact roll
of the members thereof, specifying the date of admission and discharge,
the age of each member, the duty assigned to him/her and a record
of all City property in his/her care and in the care of the several
members or station. They shall keep records of all absences and neglect
of duty of the members of their company. Such records shall be kept
in books provided by the City, which shall be open to inspection by
the Chief, the Committee on Fires and Wires and members of the Municipal
Council. A roll shall be called of all officers and members of a platoon
reporting for duty and being relieved from duty, a record of responses
and absences kept and other important orders and conditions recorded,
and a daily report of all officers or members absent or late shall
be forwarded to fire headquarters. Any member reporting for duty after
roll call shall be considered late and so recorded. Punctuality of
all members in reporting for duty and being relieved therefrom shall
be rigidly enforced.
B.
Copies of all such reports and orders made hereunder, including fire
incident reports and orders of warning, shall be provided to interested
parties upon payment to the Chief of a fee of $5.
For the better government, discipline and good order of the
Department the Chief shall recommend to the Committee on Fires and
Wires from time to time rules and regulations, subject to the approval
of the Municipal Council and not repugnant to the laws of the commonwealth
or the ordinances of the City. The Chief shall file a recommendation
on any matter referred to him/her by the Committee or by the Municipal
Council. The Chief shall, at least once during his/her term of office,
recommend for adoption rules and regulations for the Department. The
Chief shall file an annual report with the Municipal Council at the
end of each fiscal year. At such other times as the Committee or the
Municipal Council may order, the Chief shall make a detailed report
on any matter connected with the Department, with such recommendations
as may enhance the efficiency of the Department. Officers in charge
of companies shall make a full report to the officer in charge of
the Department of all members of their companies, an accurate schedule
of all property entrusted to their care and such other reports as
may be requested of them. All officers on duty at a fire, in charge
of apparatus, shall make a written report of the fire, including the
probable or known cause thereof, and the names of the members of his/her
company on duty, and to what extent the apparatus under his control
was used, to fire headquarters.
The several companies of the Department shall parade for exercise
and instruction at such times and places and in such manner as the
Chief or Committee on Fires and Wires shall direct, but no company
shall leave the City, with or without its apparatus, for excursions
or other public occasions, except to attend a fire in an emergency,
unless permission has been obtained from the Municipal Council, and
for such time only as it may direct.
In case of fire in neighboring cities or towns, no member or
company of the Department shall leave the City, with or without his
or its apparatus, except by order of the officer in charge of the
Department, who is hereby authorized to give such order. Such order
shall not be given except in case of great emergency at the request
of the officer in charge of the department of such city or town.
[Amended 12-23-1968; 3-25-1975]
A.
The average weekly hours of duty in any year of the members of the
Fire Department, other than hours during which such members may be
summoned and kept on duty because of conflagrations, shall be 42 in
number.
B.
The schedule of daily working hours shall be established by rules
and regulations as set forth by the Chief of the Department.
[Amended 9-21-1971; 1-27-1976; 7-11-2000]
Paid holidays shall be in conformance with the most recently
agreed upon and signed contract with Taunton Firefighters Union Local
1391.
[Amended 12-23-1968; 7-11-2000]
Compensation for working out of grade shall be in conformance
with the most recently agreed upon and signed contract with Taunton
Firefighters Union Local 1391.
[Amended 7-28-1970; 9-21-1970; 7-11-2000]
Sick leave allowance shall be in conformance with the most recently
agreed upon and signed contract with Taunton Firefighters Union Local
1391.
[Amended 12-13-1977; 1-31-1978; 7-11-2000]
Uniform allowance shall be in conformance with the most recently
agreed upon and signed contract with Taunton Firefighters Union Local
1391.
[Amended 7-28-1970]
The City shall establish, equip and maintain a library of literature
regarding firefighters' training and responsibilities.
[Added 6-4-2002; amended 6-1-2004; 3-5-2013]
A.
Any individual, business, corporation, agency or unincorporated association
who or which hires a fire detail shall be responsible for payment
of the invoice for detail services within 30 calendar days from the
date the service was provided or 30 days after an invoice for services
is postmarked, whichever is later. Interest shall begin to accrue
and be charged on any balance remaining unpaid after the expiration
of the 30th day (as described above). Interest shall be charged beginning
the 31st day and continuing each day thereafter at a rate of 14% per
annum compounded daily.
B.
Notwithstanding any other provision of these ordinances, any individual,
business, corporation, agency, or unincorporated association who or
which has had two or more delinquencies greater than 60 days in the
past five years will be required to prepay any amount which, in the
estimation of the Fire Chief, shall amount to approximately 75% of
the anticipated cost of the detail work to be provided.
C.
All applicants who apply for fire details shall sign a contract for
services which contains the terms of this section. Failure to sign
may result in denial of details and appropriate licenses or permits,
but the failure of any applicant to sign such a contract shall not
prevent the provisions of this section from applying to said applicant.
