This Department shall consist of active, probationary, inactive, exempt, honorary and active life members.
A. 
An active member in good standing shall be:
(1) 
A citizen of the United States;
(2) 
A resident for at least six months prior to his/her application:
(a) 
Of the Township of River Vale, New Jersey; or
(b) 
Of a surrounding township in the State of New Jersey and residing no more than three miles from a Department firehouse;
(3) 
Able to read and write the English language;
(4) 
At least 18 years of age with proof of birth;
(5) 
Able to pass the state physical examination; and
(6) 
Fingerprinted and investigated by the River Vale Police Department.
B. 
During the period commencing October 1 of each year through September 30 of the subsequent year, active members in good standing shall be required to:
(1) 
Accept a minimum of 60% of all calls per year;
(2) 
Attend a minimum of six Chief's Report meetings per year; and
(3) 
Participate in a minimum of 10 drills per year.
C. 
Any active member not attending at least 30% of fire calls (October 1 of the preceding year to September 30 of the current year) will be dropped from membership in the River Vale Volunteer Fire Department.
D. 
Each year that an active member meets the criteria set forth in Subsection B shall be counted toward that member's active life membership.
E. 
A member who attends at least 30% but less than 60% of all calls per year (October 1 of the preceding year to September 30 of the current year) will be deemed an active member who is not in good standing.
Each application for active membership shall be made in writing using the state standard form. The application shall be forwarded to the membership committee, and upon favorable report of same at the monthly meeting of the Board of Fire Officers, the applicant shall be recommended to the Mayor for the appointment as a probationary firefighter for a period of not less than one year.
A probationary member shall be an individual whose membership has been conditionally accepted by the Board of Fire Officers but has not completed the necessary fire courses. Upon appointment as a probationary firefighter by the Mayor, the member must meet the requirements of an active member, but he/she will not be eligible to vote, nominate, hold office or become a qualified driver. Upon determination by the Board of Fire Officers that a probationary member has satisfactorily completed Firefighter I and any other required courses at the Bergen County Police and Fire Academy or equivalent, and his/her probationary period, he/she shall be accepted as an active member.
A. 
Any active member in good standing may request to be put on the inactive membership list. This request must be made in writing and submitted to the Board of Fire Officers. The Board of Fire Officers will make a determination whether the request is justified, on a case-by-case basis, before or during its next meeting.
B. 
The Board of Fire Officers may grant an active member inactive membership for a period of up to six months. At this time, the member on inactive status may request, in writing, an extension or further extension of up to six months.
C. 
No member shall be granted inactive membership for a period exceeding 12 months unless said member:
(1) 
Has been a member in good standing for a period of three years prior to his/her request;
(2) 
Is actively serving in the military; or
(3) 
Is enrolled in an accredited college or higher educational program and is actively working in furtherance of obtaining a degree.
D. 
An inactive member may attend meetings and answer fire alarms.
E. 
An inactive member is not required to attend his/her specified percentage of fires or meetings until he/she returns to the active list.
F. 
An inactive member may not nominate or vote for any line officers of the active Fire Department nor shall such member be permitted to hold office.
G. 
An inactive member may request to be returned to the active list at any time during his/her inactive membership. This request shall be made in writing and shall be presented to the Board of Fire Officers for their acceptance or rejection.
An exempt membership to the Department shall be available, in accordance with the requirements of the laws of the State of New Jersey, to any person who shall be an active member of the Department at the time of his/her application. No member of the Department shall be granted a certificate as an exempt firefighter unless evidence is presented, sufficient in law to justify such issuance. Any active member joining that is over the state-required age will be granted exempt status through the Mayor after completion of all state requirements for exempt status.
Honorary membership to the Department shall be available by election by the members of the Department, to any person for outstanding service to the Department. Such election shall require a favorable vote of at least 3/4 of the members present at a regular meeting.
Upon service in the River Vale Fire Department for a period of not less than 20 years, as an active member in good standing, said member shall be reclassified as an active life member, who shall enjoy the privileges of an active member, but shall not be required to attend fire calls or drills. All requirements set forth in § 18-4 must be met in order for active life members to nominate members for office, vote for members to hold or hold office himself or herself.
A civilian defense membership to the Department shall be available to allow the recruitment and retention of trained firefighters from other municipalities within the State of New Jersey who either work or live in the Township of River Vale. A civilian defense member shall be required to comply with the following conditions:
A. 
A civilian defense member must meet all qualifications for active membership as detailed in § 18-4, Qualifications of active members.
B. 
A civilian defense member must be an active member in good standing of another New Jersey fire department in order to apply to be a civilian defense member and must provide written proof from the department that holds his/her New Jersey State firefighter's line number at the time of application. In addition, the applicant must provide a complete copy of his/her records from the department holding his/her New Jersey State firefighter's line number during the application period to the River Vale Fire Department Investigative Committee.
C. 
A civilian defense member is not required to attend his/her specified percentage of fire calls or meetings in the Township of River Vale. However, said member shall be required to maintain his/her good standing with the department that holds his/her New Jersey State firefighter's line number and must provide annual proof of same to the Board of Fire Officers.
D. 
A civilian defense member may not nominate or vote for any line officers of the active Fire Department.
E. 
A civilian defense member may not be nominated or run for any officer position in the active Fire Department.