It is the policy of the Otero County Volunteer Fire Departments,
through its personnel, to protect life and property through public
safety education, fire prevention, fire suppression, emergency medical
response and search/rescue.
Volunteers must meet the minimum physical requirement standards as listed in Article
I.
The positions of Chief and Assistant Chief, at a minimum, shall
be elected positions within a department and shall be voted upon by
the personnel holding active status within the department. Upon the
completion of the department's election, the names of the Chief
and Assistant Chief shall be forwarded to the Emergency Services Director
to obtain all pertinent information related to the position.
Volunteers shall be considered ineligible for service or reinstatement
by Otero County if the person has:
A. Been dismissed from County service as a disciplinary measure;
B. Not been certified by a physician that the applicant can perform the physical requirements as identified in Article
I or the essential requirements of active-duty personnel as defined in §
69-27;
C. Been convicted of, plead guilty to or entered a plea of nolo contendere
to any felony charge to any violation of any federal or state law
or local ordinance relating to aggravated assault, theft, controlled
substances or other crimes involving other moral turpitude;
D. Driving while intoxicated/restricted driving privileges (if only
a driver).
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Under no circumstances will anyone remain an active volunteer
who is currently on probation or parole; nor shall anyone convicted
of the aforementioned crimes be retained without Otero County approval**
if that crime or penalty phase has occurred within the past three
years for misdemeanors (or equivalent) and 10 years for felonies (or
equivalent). The above list is not necessarily exhaustive and may
not include all of the reasons which would make a volunteer ineligible
for service or reinstatement.
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Otero County approval dependent on affirmation by Fire Chief,
Emergency Services Director and County Manager.
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The Department or County may require an applicant to submit to testing or practical proficiency for certain qualifications to determine eligibility positions of active-duty personnel as identified in §
69-27.
Applicants are required to provide an authorization for the
County to check references and do background checks. Only applicants
who sign this written authorization will be considered for the department
to which they have applied. References provided by applicants will
be checked by the County and will coordinate with either the Sheriff's
Department to run criminal background checks or through an independent
company hired for that purpose.