The member companies of the Fire Department
shall be the following volunteer fire companies and such additional
volunteer fire companies as the Board of Commissioners may from time
to time receive into the Fire Department:
A.
The Board of Directors of the Fire Department shall
consist of the elected Presidents and Fire Chiefs of the volunteer
fire companies, or their alternates, the Chairman of the Fire Committee
of the Board of Commissioners, the Township Manager and the Chief
Fire Officer. The Superintendent of Police and the Chief of Operations
of the Volunteer Medical Service Corp. shall attend meetings of the
Board of Directors of the Fire Department, but they shall not have
voting power.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839; 5-15-1985 by Ord. No.
2076; 3-19-2008 by Ord. No. 3844]
B.
The Board of Directors shall make recommendations
to the Chief Fire Officer and/or the Board of Commissioners in such
matters as Fire Department administration, training, fire-fighting
methods, developing specifications for and ordering of new equipment,
fire alarm operation, fire alarm response and other matters pertaining
to the management of the Fire Department.
[Amended 5-15-1985 by Ord. No. 2076]
C.
The Board of Directors shall be responsible to the
Fire Committee and to the Board of Commissioners.
D.
The Board of Directors shall be governed by bylaws,
as adopted from time to time.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839]
A.
The personnel of the Fire Department shall consist
of the Chief Fire Officer, who shall also be known as the "Fire Marshal,"
one Deputy Chief Fire Officer and one or more Deputy Fire Marshals.
They shall be appointed in accordance with regulations and procedures
of the Township governing the appointment of all Township personnel.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839; 5-15-1985 by Ord. No.
2076]
B.
In appointing the personnel of the Fire Department,
careful consideration will be given to recommendations of the Board
of Directors of the Fire Department as to qualified applicants.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839; 5-15-1985 by Ord. No.
2076]
A.
The Chief Fire Officer shall be the chief officer of the Fire Department and shall have the power and responsibility of carrying out the provisions of this chapter. The Chief Fire Officer shall be answerable to the Board of Commissioners through the Township Manager. He shall receive and give careful consideration to all recommendations submitted by the Board of Directors of the Fire Department and, when feasible, arrange for the implementation of such recommendations, and shall be in charge of the proper dispatching of apparatus to any fire or emergency through the Montgomery County communications center. In all matters not specifically set forth in §§ 78-4, 78-5 and 78-6 of this chapter, compliance with the bylaws of the Fire Department and/or recognized practices and procedures shall be deemed compliance with the intent of said sections.
[Amended 3-19-2008 by Ord. No. 3844]
B.
The Chief Fire Officer or, in the absence of the Chief
Fire Officer, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer shall respond to and assume
command at all alarms and fires to which more than two fire companies
respond. However, the Chief Fire Officer or the Deputy Chief Fire
Officer shall respond to and assume command when two fire companies
have responded only if conditions at the fire grounds make such action
necessary to protect life and property, as well as in the case of
an emergency of a serious nature. Until then, the Fire Chief or, in
the absence of the Fire Chief, the Fire Chief's subordinate officers
in whose district the fire occurs shall be in command. In the event
that the Chief Fire Officer or Deputy Chief Fire Officer assumes command,
all orders of the Chief Fire Officer or Deputy Chief Fire Officer
should be transmitted through the Fire Chief or the subordinate officers
of the volunteer member fire company in whose district the fire occurs.
C.
The Chief Fire Officer shall obtain maps and plans
showing the location and size of all waterlines and fire hydrants
and the quantities of water and water pressure in such lines and hydrants
and shall make such information available to the volunteer fire companies
and keep the same up-to-date. The Chief Fire Officer shall be familiar
with the supply of water and shall promptly report any deficiency
in the supply of water to the appropriate company, the Board of Directors
of the Fire Department and the Township Manager, with his recommendations
for remedying the condition. He shall also act as liaison between
the water company and the volunteer fire companies and shall work
closely with the officials of the water company for the purpose of
making certain that an adequate supply of water is provided at all
fires.
[Amended 3-19-2008 by Ord. No. 3844]
D.
The Deputy Chief Fire Officer and Deputy Fire Marshal,
as staff members, shall report to and be responsible directly to the
Chief Fire Officer.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839; 5-15-1985 by Ord. No.
2076]
The Deputy Chief Fire Officer, when on duty
and in the absence of the Chief Fire Officer, shall have the same
authority and responsibilities as the Chief Fire Officer. However,
when the Chief Fire Officer assumes command of any fire or emergency,
the Deputy Chief Fire Officer shall be the direct assistant of the
Chief Fire Officer and shall carry out commands as directed by the
Chief Fire Officer. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer shall, under the
direction of the Chief Fire Officer, prepare prefire plans for occupancies
having large or complex fire potentials in cooperation with the district
chiefs. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer shall support and check on the
effectiveness of the training program, shall arrange for annual capacity
tests of pumpers and ladder trucks, shall check on the operating condition
of other fire apparatus and shall supervise the maintenance of the
fire tower and training grounds and the testing of all fire hoses
at least annually, according to accepted standard practices.
[Amended 5-15-1985 by Ord. No. 2076]
A.
The Fire Marshal shall have the power and responsibility
of enforcing all laws, ordinances and regulations with respect to:
(1)
The prevention of fires.
(2)
The storage and use of explosives and flammables.
(3)
The installation and maintenance of automatic and
other fire alarm systems and fire-extinguishing equipment.
(4)
The maintenance and regulation of fire escapes and
the means and adequacy of exits, in case of fire, from factories,
schools, apartments, hotels, lodging houses, mental and other hospitals,
churches, halls, theaters and all other places in which numbers of
persons work, live or congregate from time to time for any purpose.
(5)
The investigation of the cause, origin and circumstances
of fires.
B.
The Fire Marshal shall be assisted in his work by
the Deputy Chief Fire Officer and one or more Deputy Fire Marshals.
A.
Each volunteer fire company shall operate under its
own bylaws, which shall be in accordance with generally accepted standards
for similar organizations and with accounting procedures approved
by the certified public accountants of the Township. Nothing in this
chapter is intended to restrict or hamper the internal organization
of the volunteer fire companies.
B.
The Fire Chief and the subordinate officers of each
volunteer fire company shall be in command of their companies at fires.
They shall also, under the direction of the Chief Fire Officer, train
the members of their companies. All companies shall adhere to uniform
Fire Department procedures, as recommended by the Board of Directors
of the Fire Department and approved by the Board of Commissioners.
[Amended 5-15-1985 by Ord. No. 2076]
C.
The Fire Chiefs and their subordinate officers shall
continue to be responsible for the maintenance, efficiency and conduct
of their respective companies.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839; 5-15-1985 by Ord. No.
2076]
The Chief Fire Officer shall, annually, render
a report to the Board of Commissioners of the Township. Said report
shall contain a record of all proceedings under the Fire Prevention
Code during the preceding twelve-month period. It may also contain
such statistics as the Chief Fire Officer/Fire Marshal may wish to
include therein. The Chief Fire Officer/Fire Marshal shall also recommend
to the Board of Commissioners any amendments to the Fire Prevention
Code and this chapter which, in such officer's judgment, shall be
desirable.
[Amended 3-19-2008 by Ord. No. 3844]
The Fire Committee of the Board of Commissioners,
in conjunction with the Board of Directors of the Fire Department,
shall appraise annually the volunteer fire companies and the fire
protection services in the Township for the purpose of recommending
to the Board of Commissioners whatever changes are necessary in organization
and operational methods and practices of firefighting made necessary
by the continued growth of the Township and/or new fire-fighting techniques.
In making such appraisal, consideration shall be given to the activities
of the Fire Department in the year immediately preceding, with proper
emphasis on fire loss statistics, equipment requirements, manpower
needs, and methods and procedures for training firefighters. The annual
appraisal shall take place prior to the preparation of the annual
Fire Department budget.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839; 3-19-2008 by Ord. No.
3844]
A.
Annual appropriations shall be made by the Board of
Commissioners to each volunteer fire company in the Township which
is a member of the Fire Department, subject to such reasonable conditions
as the Board of Commissioners may from time to time see fit to impose.
In determining the amount of the appropriation to a particular volunteer
company, the Board of Commissioners will give consideration to the
needs and requirements of that company for compensation to paid firefighters,
reduction of mortgage indebtedness, the purchase and maintenance of
fire-fighting apparatus and equipment required to comply with fire
underwriters' standards for minimum service and the orderly accumulation
of funds for replacement of such apparatus and equipment.
B.
Each volunteer fire company shall submit its needs
and requirements to the Chief Fire Officer on or before July 31 for
the ensuing year.
[Added 7-15-2015 by Ord.
No. 4061]
A.
All volunteer members of The Penn Wynne/Overbrook Hills Fire Company,
the Belmont Hills Fire Company, the Bryn Mawr Fire Company, the Gladwyne
Fire Company, the Merion Fire Company of Ardmore, and the Union Fire
Association of Lower Merion (hereafter the "fire companies"), each
of which fire companies serves the inhabitants of the Township of
Lower Merion, shall be considered employees of the Township for purposes
of receiving compensation pursuant to the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation
Act (Act of June 2, 1915, P.L. 736, as amended), 77 P.S. § 1031(a)(1),
for injuries sustained while actively engaged in performing the following
duties:
(1)
Responding to alarms, including all emergency and firefighting
activities related thereto; auto rescue; water rescue; hazardous materials
alarms; and assistance to other municipalities (whether on an emergency
scene in another municipality or on standby at the fire company when
requested by another municipality); assistance to the fire police;
and all special alarms as authorized by the Fire Chief or the Officer
in Charge or the fire company. For purposes of this subsection, "responding
to alarms" shall include the volunteer firefighter's travel from and
the direct return to a firefighter's home, place of business or other
place where he or she shall have been when he or she received the
call or alarm.
(2)
Answering any emergency calls for any purpose or while riding
upon the fire apparatus which is owned or used by the fire companies.
(3)
Performing repair, maintenance of or other work on fire company
equipment, buildings and property at the direction of the Fire Chief
or Officer in Charge.
(4)
Participating in instruction fire drills and other training
exercises pertaining to the operation and certification of the fire
company, including training exercises in conjunction with fire companies
in other municipalities, as authorized by the Fire Chief or Officer
in Charge. Participation in training activities of any kind at all
other locations outside of the Township shall not be allowed without
the prior written authorization of the Township of Lower Merion Chief
Fire Officer acting on behalf of the Township of Lower Merion.
(5)
Participating in Fire Prevention Week activities in the Township
and with fire companies in other municipalities, when authorized by
the Fire Chief or the Officer in Charge.
(6)
Participating in fund-raising events sponsored by the fire companies
at their firehouses or on Lower Merion Township property. Participation
in fund-raising activities of any kind at all other locations shall
not be allowed without the prior written authorization of the Township
of Lower Merion or the Chief Fire Officer acting on behalf of the
Township of Lower Merion.
(7)
Participating in parades, equipment housings and funerals for
fire personnel within the Township of Lower Merion and in other municipalities
only with prior written authorization by the Township of Lower Merion
or the Chief Fire Officer acting for the Township of Lower Merion.
(8)
Participating in any and all additional events or activities
for which such participation is expressly pre-authorized in writing
by the Township of Lower Merion or the Chief Fire Officer acting for
the Township of Lower Merion.
B.
Except where otherwise stated herein, nothing contained in this section
shall be considered to limit in any way the activities for which compensation
is available to volunteer fire personnel or volunteer ambulance corpsmen
pursuant to the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act (Act of June
2, 1915, P.L. 736, as amended), as set forth in 77 P.S. § 1031(a)(1)
and/or (2).
