[Adopted 1-21-1880 as
Ch. 192; amended 2-19-1974 by Ord.
No. 37-74; 5-17-1977 by Ord. No. 153-77; 9-24-97 by Ord.
No. 914-97; amended in its entirety 9-26-2001 by Ord. No. 1124-2001; amended in its entirety 11-24-2004 by Ord. No. 1269-2004]
The Fire Department of the City of Perth Amboy shall consist
of a Director, who shall serve as the Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief,
Volunteer First Assistant Chief, Volunteer Second Assistant Chief,
Volunteer Third Assistant Chief, Volunteer Assistant EMS Chief, Captains,
Lieutenants, a Paid Training Officer and a Volunteer Training Officer,
Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians, Fire Police, members
and other officers as defined by the Department table of organization.
A.
The Volunteer Third Assistant Fire Chief shall be chosen and elected
by the Volunteer Fire Division members for a term of two (2) years.
Election of the position of Volunteer Third Assistant Chief shall
be held on the third Friday in November, and he shall commence his
duties on the first day of the following January. On the same date,
the Second Assistant Volunteer Fire Chief and the Third Assistant
Volunteer Fire Chief shall move up one (1) rank until attaining the
rank of First Assistant Volunteer Fire Chief.
B.
The Volunteer Assistant EMS Chief, EMS Captain and EMS Lieutenants
shall be chosen and elected by the members of EMS Bureau for a term
of two (2) years. The election shall be conducted in November, and
officers shall commence their duties on the first day of the following
January, to coincide with the Volunteer Fire Officers. Members of
the EMS Bureau shall notify the Chief of the Department of the results
of the election in writing within seven (7) days of the election.
In the event that the EMS Bureau fails to notify the Fire Chief by
December 20, then the position will be appointed by the Chief of the
Department.
C.
Election — Volunteer Fire Bureau. Each election year, prior
to November 28 the Volunteer Fire Division shall elect a Volunteer
Third Assistant Fire Chief from its membership rolls. Such election
may be held in any of the firehouses of the City of Perth Amboy. In
the event that the Volunteer Division fails to notify the Fire Chief
in writing of the name of the member elected to the position of Third
Assistant Volunteer Fire Chief by December 20, then the position will
be appointed by the Chief of the Department.
D.
Qualifications — Volunteer Fire Bureau. The Volunteer Assistant
Fire Chiefs must be residents of the City of Perth Amboy. A candidate
for Volunteer Third Assistant Fire Chief must have been a member of
the Department for a minimum of seven (7) years serving a minimum
of four (4) years in the rank of divisional Lieutenant. Volunteer
Assistant Fire Chiefs must also meet the requirements as set forth
by the State of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division
of Fire Safety statutes as well as the Chief of the Department.
E.
Qualifications — Volunteer EMS Bureau. A candidate for Volunteer
Assistant EMS Chief must have been a member of the EMS Bureau for
a total of five (5) years, a certified Emergency Medical Technician,
as well as meeting any requirements as set forth by the New Jersey
Department of Health. EMS Officers must also meet any requirements
as set forth by the Chief of the Department.
F.
Vacancy. In the event of a vacancy in any of the Volunteer Officer
positions, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment of the Fire
Chief, until the next regular scheduled election.
No person under the age of eighteen (18) for regular membership,
or sixteen (16) for junior membership who is not a current resident
of the City of Perth Amboy or shall not be of steady habits and good
moral character shall be granted membership in the Department. Current
members in good standing may upon approval of the Fire Chief be allowed
to continue membership with the Department if they reside within a
five (5) mile radius of the border of the City of Perth Amboy.
A.
The Fire Department of the City of Perth Amboy shall be headed by
a Director/Fire Chief, who will head the Department and ultimately
be responsible for the administration and all the operations of the
Department.
B.
The Director/Fire Chief in all cases shall have the responsibility
of Incident Command as outlined in departmental policy. In the event
that the Fire Chief is unavailable, the Deputy Fire Chief shall assume
incident command; and in the event that the Fire Chief and Deputy
Fire Chief are both unavailable, the Department incident command policy
shall dictate the assumption of the incident command position.
All officers within the Department incident company policy shall
be trained and qualified to assume incident command according to qualifications
set forth by the State of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs,
Division of Fire Safety statutes was well as in the City Code and
the Chief of the Department.
C.
Every person connected to the Fire Department shall adhere to the
command structure as set forth above.
A.
The Deputy Chief shall be responsible for assisting the Fire Chief
in fire suppression, EMS support, HazMat and other operations of the
Department and all other such duties and responsibilities as assigned
by the Fire Director/Fire Chief.
B.
The Volunteer First Assistant Chief shall assist the Fire Chief,
particularly with all matters involving the Volunteer Fire Bureau,
and shall be in charge of all volunteer administration and operations
and all other such duties and responsibilities as assigned by the
Fire Director/Fire Chief.
C.
The Volunteer Second Assistant Chief shall assist the Volunteer First
Assistant Chief and be responsible for the planning and operations
of the Volunteer Bureau and all other such duties and responsibilities
as assigned by the Fire Director/Fire Chief.
D.
The Volunteer Third Assistant Chief shall assist the Volunteer First
Assistant Chief and be directly responsible for recruitment and training
of all volunteer members in cooperation with the Training Officers
and all other such duties and responsibilities as assigned by the
Fire Director/Fire Chief.
E.
The Training Officers shall be responsible for all training functions
of the Department and all other such duties and responsibilities as
assigned by the Fire Director/Fire Chief.
A.
The Volunteer First Assistant Chief shall serve as the Chairman of
the Volunteer Division. The Volunteer Second Assistant Chief shall
serve as the Vice-Chairman and the Volunteer Third Assistant Chief
shall serve as the Corresponding Secretary of the Volunteer Fire Division.
There may be a Recording Secretary, who shall be appointed by the
Chairman. A committee appointed by the Fire Director/Fire Chief shall
make appointments to Volunteer Fire Division Line Officer positions
from a list of qualified candidates as promulgated by the Fire Director/Fire
Chief. These appointments shall be reviewed annually to insure conformity
with the officer qualifications as set forth by City Code and Department
regulations.
B.
(Reserved)
C.
The Volunteer Division, through established chain of command, may
report to the Fire Director/Fire Chief any member for disorderly conduct
or neglect of duty.
The Volunteer First Assistant Chiefs shall furnish in writing
to the Fire Director/Fire Chief the name of every member of the Volunteer
Division who dies or resigns, within ten (10) days after such death
or resignation.
The City Clerk shall provide a book in which the names of every
member of the Fire Department and the date of appointment shall be
entered and shall enter in said book also the names of those who may
cease to be members and the cause therefor.
No member shall leave an emergency scene until authorized by
the Chief or the officer in command, and no member shall leave his
post without permission of his officer or the commanding officer.
Any person other than a member of the Fire Department or the
owner or person in charge of property on fire, giving any orders or
in any way interfering with the working of the Fire Department at
a scene, shall be punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred
dollars ($500) or by imprisonment for not more than ninety (90) days,
or both.
No person shall vote at any election for any Volunteer Division
officer unless he is a member in good standing and shall have been
an enrolled member for thirty (30) days previous to such election.
Any Volunteer Division officer of the Department may be removed
from office by the Chief, provided that no such removal shall take
place until the party sought to be removed has had an opportunity
to be heard in his defense. The Fire Director/Fire Chief may suspend
any member for due cause. Said members shall be afforded a hearing
to present his defense.
Any person or persons who shall raise, create, or continue,
or aid in extending or continuing, a false alarm of fire, shall for
each offense be punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred
dollars ($500) or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding ninety
(90) days, or both, at the discretion of the Judge who shall hear
and try the complaint, together with the cost of conviction.
It shall be the duty of the Fire Director/Fire Chief, immediately
upon being notified by any officer or member of any repairs absolutely
necessary to be made to maintain the efficiency of the Department,
to order and cause the same to be done.
The City Clerk is hereby directed to cause this Article to be
properly printed in card form, and the Fire Director/Fire Chief is
hereby directed to keep a copy thereof posted in a convenient and
conspicuous place in the firehouses.
It shall be the duty of the career firefighter to keep a watch
over the house where any fire apparatus is housed; to see that all
apparatus and equipment are properly maintained and kept in ready
to use status. Members shall adhere to rules and regulations as promulgated
by the Fire Director/Fire Chief or as set forth in the City Code,
and all other such duties and responsibilities as assigned by the
Fire Director/Fire Chief.
Members of the Department shall be entitled to and enjoy all
the rights and privileges and exemptions from jury and militia duty
as provided by the laws of the state.
All members of the Department when on duty shall wear suitable
metallic badges conspicuously exhibited with their office and official
number distinctly and appropriately displayed thereon and shall not
loan or permit another to wear such badges; and any person or persons
who shall wear the same in public without authority or in any manner
falsely impersonate or attempt to impersonate or represent any of
the members of the Fire Department of this city shall be punishable
by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) or by imprisonment
for not more than ninety (90) days, or both.
A.
The City of Perth Amboy hereby adopts the classification of applicants
for appointment as set forth in N.J.S.A. 40A:14-10.1(a) and 40A:14-123.1(a).
C.
The appointing authority in the selection of personnel to the Police and Fire Departments shall first appoint all those qualified applicants set forth in Subsection B(1).
D.
Within each classification, duly qualified applicants who are veterans
shall be accorded all such veteran preferences as are provided by
law.
