City of Bowling Green, MO Chapter 205 Fire Department

Article I General Provisions

Section 205.010 Creation of Fire Department.

[CC 1996 §205.010; CC 1977 §70.010; Ord. No. 1144 §I, 5-15-2000; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024]

There is hereby created a Fire Department in the City of Bowling Green, Missouri, for general fire protection and for safeguarding the lives and property of the citizens, to be officered and managed by a Fire Chief and Deputies as hereinafter provided.

Section 205.020 Fire Chief — Appointment and Qualifications — Removal.

[CC 1996 §205.020; CC 1977 §70.020; Ord. No. 1144 §I, 5-15-2000; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024]

The Mayor, with consent and approval of a majority of the members elected to the Board of Aldermen, shall appoint some suitable person to the office of Chief of the Fire Department. No person shall be appointed to the office of Chief of the Fire Department who shall not, at the time of his/her appointment, be a qualified voter under the laws of the State of Missouri. Before entering upon the duties of his/her office, he/she shall take and subscribe to the oath or affirmation required of other City Officers. It is recommended the person appointed to the position of Chief of the Fire Department have, or acquire within one (1) year, minimal qualifications of Missouri Firefighter Hand Hazardous Materials Operations, certifications through the Missouri Division of Fire Safety.

Section 205.030 Duties of Fire Chief.

[CC 1996 §205.030; CC 1977 §70.030; Ord. No. 1144 §I, 5-15-2000; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024]

A. The Chief of the Fire Department shall be the legal custodian of the fire trucks, hose, ladders, and any other apparatus or equipment belonging to the City and it shall be his/her duty to constantly keep all such equipment clean, in thorough repair and at all times be ready for action.

B. He/she shall prepare and update needed fire plans for emergencies. It shall be the responsibility of the Chief of the Fire Department to prepare or have prepared all reports, training schedules, attendance logs, or other records to have them filed with the City Clerk.

Section 205.040 Appointment of Deputies.

[CC 1996 §205.040; CC 1977 §70.040; Ord. No. 1144 §I, 5-15-2000; Ord. No. 1877, 7-16-2018; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024]

A. The Chief of the Fire Department, upon entering upon the duties of his/her office, shall, by and with the consent of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, appoint up to five (5) deputies or "officers." These deputies shall be known as: Assistant Chief, Captain(s), and Lieutenant(s) who shall assist him/her in the performance of his/her duties, who shall rank in order of appointment as assistants, one (1) being the Assistant Chief, then Captain(s) and then Lieutenant(s) who shall whenever necessary in the absence of the Chief perform all the duties of the Chief of the Fire Department. There shall be no more than one (1) Assistant Chief, two (2) Captains, and two (2) Lieutenants. The Chief is not required to appoint any officer positions but is required to appoint a minimum of one (1) Assistant Chief, one (1) Captain and one (1) Lieutenant.

B. Responsibilities of the Deputies shall be as follows:

1. Assistant Chief shall be capable of filling the role of any officer of the department. When the Assistant Chief is the highest-ranking officer on the scene of an incident, he/she shall be responsible for completing the Incident Report immediately following the mitigation of any incident. The Assistant Chief shall serve as the representative to the Fire Department for any meetings, events, or tasks that the Chief delegates or that the Chief is unable to attend. The Assistant Chief shall be responsible for assisting in the research, writing, and implementation of Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs). The Assistant Chief shall be responsible for completing all other tasks assigned to him/her by the Chief.

2. Captain(s) shall be capable of filling the role of any officer of equal or lesser rank and shall be capable of filling the role of the Chief in his/her absence. When the Captain is the highest-ranking officer on the scene of an incident, he/she shall be responsible for completing the incident report immediately following the mitigation of any incident. The Captain(s) shall be responsible for assisting in the research, writing, and implementation of Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs). The Captain(s) shall be responsible for completing all other tasks assigned to him/her by the Chief or Assistant Chief.

3. Lieutenant(s) shall be capable of filling the role of any officer of equal or lesser rank and shall be capable of filling the role of the Chief in his/her absence. When the Lieutenant is the highest-ranking officer on the scene of an incident, he/she shall be responsible for completing the incident report immediately following the mitigation of any incident. The Lieutenant(s) shall be responsible for assisting in the research, writing, and implementation of Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs). The Lieutenant(s) shall be responsible for completing all other tasks assigned to him/her by the Chief or Assistant Chief or Captains.

Section 205.050 Powers of the Fire Chief and Deputies During Fire.

[CC 1996 §205.050; CC 1977 §70.050; Ord. No. 1144 §I, 5-15-2000; Ord. No. 1707 §§I, III, 11-19-2012; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024]

During the progress of a fire, the Chief of the Fire Department and his/her officers shall have sole control of the fire scene, fire truck and other fire-apparatus of the City and shall have the power to call to his/her aid and assistance in fighting and controlling any fire every able-bodied citizen of the City present between eighteen (18) and fifty (50) years of age.

Section 205.060 Members of Fire Department.

[CC 1996 §205.060; CC 1977 §70.060; Ord. No. 1144 §I, 5-15-2000; Ord. No. 1205 §I, 2-26-2001; Ord. No. 1749 §§I, III, 3-17-2014; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024]

A. Able-bodied citizens having the following qualifications shall be considered for enlistment as members of the Fire Department:

1. Is at least eighteen (18) years of age at time of enlistment.

2. Possesses a valid Missouri drivers license.

3. Is available to attend regularly scheduled meeting and training sessions.

4. Is available to respond to incidents when they occur.

5. Resides at an address that has a drive time to the Fire Station of ten (10) minutes or less.

6. Is physically and mentally capable of performing firefighting activities.

B. Members of the Fire Department shall, after enlistment, regularly attend scheduled meetings and training sessions, respond to incidents when they occur and sign a roster for attendance at each call, a duplicate of which shall be filed with the City Clerk and shall be revised and corrected as needed each month. Members shall hold their positions until discharged by the Chief or their resignation. All members of the Fire Department shall be subject to and obedient to the orders of the Chief of the Fire Department and his/her deputies. An employee of the City of Bowling Green, Missouri, may be a member of the Fire Department upon approval of the City Administrator, in writing, in consultation with the employee's department head and the Fire Chief. City employees who are called away from their regular City service to respond to duty as a member of the Fire Department shall be compensated by the City at their regular rate of compensation for such absence and shall not be compensated by the Fire Department as outlined below.

Section 205.061 Application and Appointment to Membership.

[CC 1996 §205.061; Ord. No. 1144 §I, 5-15-2000; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024]

Applicants shall submit an application to become a member of the Fire Department to the City Administrator, which shall be delivered to the Chief of the Fire Department and the City Administrator for approval. Applicants shall be approved based on applicants meeting the required qualifications outlined above.

Section 205.062 Member Resignation or Dismissal.

[CC 1996 §205.062; Ord. No. 1144 §I, 5-15-2000; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024]

A. Any member resigning from the Fire Department shall notify the Chief in writing and shall return all equipment of the City to the Chief or his/her designee.

B. Members may be dismissed by the Mayor, City Administrator, or Fire Chief for any of the following reasons:

1. Violation of any Sections of Chapter 130 of the City ordinances, or any other applicable City ordinance.

2. Absence from fifty percent (50%) or more of regularly scheduled meeting/training/work sessions during a calendar year unless excused by the Chief or for other just cause.

3. Absence from seventy-five percent (75%) or more of incident responses during a calendar year unless excused by the Chief or for other just cause.

4. Violation of any Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs) or other Department policies, procedures, or guidelines.

C. Members who resign or are dismissed shall immediately return all equipment of the City in their possession to the Chief or his/her designee.

Section 205.063 Meetings.

[CC 1996 §205.063; Ord. No. 1144 §I, 5-15-2000; Ord. No. 1877, 7-16-2018; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024]

A. There shall be two (2) regular meetings per month for the purpose of training, business, and equipment maintenance. Meetings shall be scheduled for and begin at 7:00 P.M. unless otherwise arranged by the Fire Chief or his/her deputies. Attendees shall sign a roster for attendance to be presented to the City Clerk for payment of attendance. Meetings shall not be held to a minimum or maximum period of time, rather will continue until all training, business, or equipment maintenance is complete to the satisfaction of the Fire Chief or highest-ranking officer in his/her absence.

B. There shall be regularly scheduled work sessions for the purpose of training, business, equipment maintenance, business facility pre-plans and inspections, or any other tasks deemed necessary by the Fire Chief. Work sessions may also be scheduled as needed.

Section 205.064 Response to Incidents.

[CC 1996 §205.064; Ord. No. 1144 §I, 5-15-2000; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024]

Every member of the Fire Department responding to an incident shall respond with proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) issued by the Fire Department. Members shall utilize appropriate PPE on every incident response before engaging in any incident mitigation duties. Failure to do so will not be considered as attendance.

Section 205.065 Compensation.

[CC 1996 §205.065; Ord. No. 1144 §I, 5-15-2000; Ord. No. 1445 §§I — II, 9-20-2004; Ord. No. 1877, 7-16-2018; Ord. No. 1945, 10-18-2021; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024]

A. Compensation of members shall be established for meetings, trainings, work sessions, incident responses and officers' salaries. Compensation shall be paid on attendance by members for meetings, trainings, work sessions, and responses to incidents. Members must be present for the entire duration of any meeting, training, work session, or incident response to receive compensation, unless otherwise approved by the Chief or his/her Deputies in the Chief's absence. If a member must leave a meeting, training, work session, or incident response before the conclusion for extenuating circumstances, the member's departure must be approved by the Chief or his/her deputies in the Chief's absence, and shall be compensated at a pro-rated rate for the time he/she was were present as deemed appropriate by the Chief or his/her deputies in the Chief's absence.

1. The Chief of the Fire Department shall receive a monthly salary of eight hundred dollars ($800.00).

2. The Assistant Chief of the Fire Department shall receive a monthly salary of three hundred dollars ($300.00).

3. The Captain(s) of the Fire Department shall receive a monthly salary of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00).

4. The Lieutenant(s) of the Fire Department shall receive a monthly salary of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00).

5. Members that attend meetings/trainings of the Fire Department shall be compensated twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for each meeting attended.

6. Members that attend work sessions of the Fire Department shall be compensated forty dollars ($40.00) for each work session attended.

7. Members that respond to incidents of the Fire Department shall receive twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for their response to the incident. For any incident that extends beyond one (1) hour, members shall receive twenty dollars ($20.00) per hour for each hour thereafter the first hour.

Section 205.070 Destruction of Equipment.

[CC 1996 §205.070; CC 1977 §70.080; Ord. No. 1144 §I, 5-15-2000; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024]

It shall be unlawful for any person in any manner to willfully destroy or deface any fire truck, hose, equipment, or any other property belonging to the Fire Department.

Section 205.080 Residence and Commercial Businesses to Post "911" Addresses on Premises.

[CC 1996 §205.080; Ord. No. 1015 §II, 6-12-1997; Ord. No. 1144 §I, 5-15-2000; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024]

A. In accordance with Section 67.318, RSMo., the City of Bowling Green, Missouri, does hereby require all residence and commercial businesses within the City limits of the City of Bowling Green, Missouri, to conspicuously post upon their premises their "911" addresses so that providers of any emergency services may better find the proper location when responding to an incident.

B. The Bowling Green Fire Department, pursuant to State Statute, is empowered to enforce the provisions of this Section. All persons in violation thereof shall be allowed fifteen (15) days to comply with this Section after being notified, either in writing or orally, by any City Official or Fire Department personnel before any fine shall be imposed.

Section 205.090 (Reserved) [1]

[1] Editor's Note: Former Section 205.090, Use of Intoxicating Liquor by Members of the Fire Department, was repealed 2-26-2024 by Ord. No. 1995. Prior history includes: Ord. No. 1159.

Section 205.100 Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG's).

[Ord. No. 1877, 7-16-2018; Ord. No. 1995, 2-26-2024[1]]

The Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs) of the Fire Department shall be created, maintained, available, known, and utilized by all members of the Fire Department. SOGs shall be the responsibility of the Chief and his/her deputies to create and maintain and shall be approved by the City Administrator. It is the responsibility of the members of the Fire Department to ensure they are acting within the guidelines published in the SOGs when applicable.

[1] Editor's Note: Ord. No. 1995 also repealed Article II, Reciprocal Agreements, containing Section 205.110, which immediately followed. Prior history includes: Ord. No. 1128.