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Borough of Collingswood, NJ
Camden County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
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[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the Borough of Collingswood 12-2-2019 by Ord. No. 1674[1]. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Police Department — See Ch. 57.
Fire prevention — See Ch. 163.
Fire insurance claims — See Ch. 181, Art. I.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Ch. 29, Fire Department, which comprised Art. I, General Provisions, adopted 8-16-1971 by Ord. No. 662 as Ch. 9 of the 1971 Code, as amended; and Art. II, Emergency Medical Services Division, adopted 3-6-1995 by Ord. No. 1074, as amended.
[Amended 6-5-2023 by Ord. No. 1762]
Fire protection services shall be provided to the Borough of Collingswood by a paid Fire Department, which shall consist of such members, officers and personnel as the Board of Commissioners shall deem necessary for the effective government of the Department. The governing body is the appropriate authority to exercise legislative authority to:
A. 
Provide for the maintenance, regulation and control of the Fire Department;
B. 
Adopt and promulgate rules and regulations for the government of the Fire Department and for the discipline of the Fire Department members, officers and personnel;
C. 
Determine the terms of office of the members, officers and personnel, fix their compensation, and prescribe their powers, functions and duties, all as the governing body shall deem necessary for the effective government of the Fire Department;
D. 
There shall be appointed, by resolution of the Borough Commission, paid firefighters who shall be full-time and part-time employees of the combination paid and volunteer Fire Department of the Borough of Collingswood. Said appointees shall be hired in conformance with applicable local, state and federal regulations and laws.
A. 
The Borough Commission shall appoint an individual to act as the Chief of Department of the Fire Department of the Borough of Collingswood who shall have direct authority over all officers and members of the Department.
[Amended 6-5-2023 by Ord. No. 1762]
B. 
The Chief of the Department shall receive such compensation or stipend for services as shall be provided for by salary ordinance of the Borough of Collingswood.
C. 
The qualifications for holding the office of Chief of Department for the Borough Fire Department shall be as follows:
(1) 
Minimum of five years of career service in the Collingswood Fire Department.
(2) 
New Jersey State Firefighter I certification.
(3) 
New Jersey State IMS Level 3 certification.
(4) 
Meet all current local, state and federal requirements to hold the position of Fire Chief.
D. 
The tenure of the Chief of the Department shall be governed by the statutes and regulations of the State of New Jersey, and the Chief of the Department shall be responsible for reporting directly to the Director of Public Safety with regard to all activities of the Borough's Fire Department. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chief of the Department, the Captain of the Fire Department shall assume all duties and responsibilities of that office.
A. 
Administer and enforce the rules and regulations and special emergency directives for the disposition and discipline of the Fire Department and the members, officers and personnel;
B. 
Have, exercise and discharge functions, powers and duties of the Fire Department;
C. 
Prescribe the duties and assignments of all members, officers and personnel;
D. 
Delegate such authority as deemed necessary for the efficient operation of the Fire Department to be exercised under the Fire Chief's direction and supervision;
E. 
Make a mandatory callback of paid fire department personnel in the event of an emergency, declaration of a state of emergency, potential emergency or natural disaster.
A. 
No person shall become a member of the Collingswood Fire Department unless he or she shall be at least 18 years of age and possess a high school diploma or equivalency certificate and be a citizen of the United States. Such person shall be physically fit to perform the duties of a firefighter, such fitness to be evidenced by a certificate to that effect from a physician duly licensed to practice in the State of New Jersey.
(1) 
All volunteer applicants shall live either within the Borough of Collingswood or within its first alarm district and be approved by municipal resolution after the following process:
(a) 
Submit application to the Fire Chief;
[Amended 6-5-2023 by Ord. No. 1762]
(b) 
Interview and approval of membership committee;
(c) 
Pass a criminal history check;
(d) 
Final approval by Chief of Department and Director of Public Safety.
(2) 
All paid applicants shall submit an application and pass the hiring process and meet the minimum requirements that will be designated by the Chief of Department and/or the policy directives of the Department.
(3) 
Junior firefighter applicants will be allowed to join the Department between the ages of 14 and 18 years of age. They must adhere to the requirements of the State of New Jersey and Collingswood Fire Department Policy Directives.
A. 
The paid Fire Department may consist of the following ranks at the discretion of the Director of Public Safety. These appointments will be made by the Director of Public Safety at recommendation from the Chief of Department. They must meet all requirements to hold such positions by the State of New Jersey and federal regulations and the Fire Department Operating Guidelines and Policy Directives.
[Amended 12-7-2020 by Ord. No. 1693]
(1) 
Chief of Department (1).
(2) 
Deputy Chief (1).
(3) 
Captain (1).
(4) 
Lieutenant (2).[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection B, which pertained to Collingswood Fire Company No. 1, which immediately followed this subsection, was repealed 6-5-2023 by Ord. No. 1762.
A. 
Have exclusive jurisdiction over the control, fighting and extinguishment of any conflagration or fire which occurs within the Borough limits or its contracted service areas;
B. 
Have exclusive jurisdiction over the control and mitigation of emergency medical and hazardous materials incidents;
C. 
Provide firefighting service for the extinguishment of fires and the necessary and incidental protection of life and property throughout the Borough or its contracted service areas;
D. 
Investigate the cause, circumstances and origin of fires and report to the Borough Police Department and County Prosecutor every case of suspected intentional incendiary fires;
E. 
Be authorized to enter upon, without fee or hindrance, all premises, grounds, structures, buildings, and passages whenever necessary in the performance of its duties;
F. 
Operate a training program to maintain and improve firefighting, emergency medical and all hazard response efficiency of the members of the Department;
G. 
Maintain a Bureau of Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement and enforce all codes as charged to this division by Borough ordinance;
H. 
Provide public education to the residents, students, merchants and visitors of the Borough.
A. 
Rules and regulations, entitled "Collingswood Fire Department Policy Directives" and "Collingswood Fire Department Operating Guidelines" are hereby adopted as and for the rules and regulations and standard operating guidelines for the Fire Department;
B. 
Said rules and regulations may be amended from time to time by resolution approved by the Borough Commission.
The Borough of Collingswood is the owner of all the firefighting apparatus and equipment of the paid Fire Department, established in the Borough of Collingswood by this chapter (originally Ordinance No. 283, adopted March 1, 1926).
Provisions shall be made for the proper maintenance, repair and replacement of the apparatus and equipment owned by the Borough.
There is hereby created and established an emergency medical division under the authority of the Collingswood Fire Department and Borough of Collingswood. The emergency medical division will be the primary basic life support emergency response within the boundaries of the Borough of Collingswood. The governing body is the appropriate authority to exercise legislative authority to:
A. 
Provide basic life support emergency care, response and transport within the boundaries of the Borough of Collingswood.
B. 
Participate in the Camden County Mutual Aid Plan.
C. 
Operate under all applicable state statutes, local ordinances, operating guidelines, policy directives and appointed medical direction.
The Division of Emergency Medical Services shall be implemented pursuant to N.J.A.C. 8:40 and N.J.S.A. 26:2K-7 et seq.
A. 
The Borough Administrator of the Borough of Collingswood shall be responsible to enter into a professional service contract for third-party billing for fees for service for the Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services.
B. 
The Administrator and Chief Finance Officer shall review annually the cost accounting records for service provisions to adjust fees which are authorized to be imposed by the Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services.
C. 
Fire Department fees for service.
(1) 
Level 1 Response, $500: This will be a response for a motor vehicle collision that will necessitate services provide by the Collingswood Fire Department. The fee will include response of a single fire apparatus resource and its staffing. The fee shall also include any and all equipment necessary to mitigate any hazards as a result of the vehicle collisions, which does not require extrication of a person or people.
(2) 
Level 2 Response, $750: This will be a response for a motor vehicle collision that includes everything from Level 1 with the addition of the necessity for extrication of a person or people from the vehicle. This will be a basic extrication that will require stabilization, hazard and utility control, and removal of or mechanically opening of doors on the vehicle. This fee will apply to any vehicles that require an extrication of a person or people.
(3) 
Level 3 Response, $1,000:
(a) 
This will be a response for a motor vehicle collision that includes all services from a Level 1 and Level 2 response, with the addition of more technical operations. This will include, but not be limited to, extrication of a person or people from the vehicle, under the vehicle or pinned between vehicles. This may also include a response to vehicles submerged in water or under ice. This response will require more than one fire service apparatus resource and a more technical rescue.
(b) 
This response will also include any vehicle fire response, which requires the extinguishment of the fire with a 1 3/4 inches hose line or greater. The fee will cover the apparatus and manpower response, along with any additional equipment necessary to extinguish the fire and mitigate any hazards.
(4) 
Level 4 response, $1,000 for first hour, $250 each additional hour: This response will include all Level 1 through 3 incidents that exceed one hour of Fire Department on-scene operation time.
(5) 
Firefighting and emergency response fees.
(a) 
If Borough firefighters are dispatched or summoned to respond to an illegal fire: $250.
(b) 
Bomb threat or responding to a fire resulting from an outstanding prior notice of code violation: the actual cost of an emergency response.
(6) 
Rates and charges:
(a) 
Personnel: Rates for personnel will be charged at the hourly rate of each firefighter that participated in the response.
(b) 
Equipment and apparatus: Rates will be based off the most current Federal Emergency Management Agency's most current schedule of equipment rates.
(7) 
Fees will be submitted to the insurance carrier of each vehicle that requires the services of the Fire Department as outlined above aside from any emergency medical assistance.
D. 
Emergency medical fees for service as of June 1, 2023:
[Amended 5-1-2023 by Ord. No. 1760]
(1) 
BLS base charge: $950.
(2) 
BLS loaded mileage: $17.
(3) 
BLS treat without transport: $250.
(4) 
Consumable charges:
(a) 
Disposable cervical collar: $60.
(b) 
Oxygen administration: $75.
(c) 
Naloxone administration: $95.
(d) 
EpiPen® administration: $150.
(e) 
CPAP administration: $95.
(f) 
Aspirin: $3 each.
(g) 
LUCAS compression administration: $95.
(h) 
Albuterol treatment: $50.
(i) 
Defibrillation (AED/automated external defibrillator): $150.
(j) 
Spinal immobilization: $150.
[Added 5-1-2023 by Ord. No. 1760]
The purpose of this section of this chapter is to reinforce with persons or entities in the Borough that Emergency Medical Services are to be called when necessary but to avoid calls for nonemergent situations. Accordingly, it shall be a violation of this section to request an Emergency Medical Services unit for nonemergent responses or for transportation. This section governs 9-1-1 calls seeking the response of the Emergency Medical Services unit(s) in nonemergent situations.
A. 
Fee schedule.
(1) 
A person, business or similar type of entity shall receive an initial warning and, thereafter, fees shall be imposed for calls for emergency medical services in situations in accordance with the following schedule:
(a) 
First nonemergent response: warning notification from the Fire Department.
(b) 
Second nonemergent response: $250.
(c) 
Third nonemergent response: $500.
(d) 
Fourth and subsequent nonemergent response: $750 for each occurrence/violation.
(2) 
Fees are to be paid within 30 days of receipt of notification. Failure to pay the required fee within 30 days of receipt of notice shall be cause for the issuance of a complaint to be considered in the Municipal Court of the Borough of Collingswood.
(3) 
Emergency Medical Services dispatches which a person reasonably believed to be life-threatening or an emergency at the time of occurrence and which are later to be determined nonemergent may be waived in the discretion of the Chief of the Fire Department or their designee.
B. 
Appeal of fees.
(1) 
A person, business or entity issued a notice or a complaint under this section may appeal the issuance of the notice or complaint to the Borough Administrator and Fire Chief by filing a written request for review of the circumstances that resulted in the notice or complaint. The appeal must be filed within 10 days of receipt of the notice or complaint. The filing of an appeal of the fee shall stay the required payment of the fee until the Fire Chief and Administrator render a decision on the appeal, which shall occur within 30 days of filing.
(2) 
The decision on the appeal shall be based upon the facts and circumstances presented to the Borough Administrator and Fire Chief and if they believed, in their discretion, that the person calling for the emergency medical services reasonably believed that a medical emergency existed at the time of the call. The Borough Administrator and Fire Chief may request additional information and conduct any interviews that they believe would assist them in their review of the appeal.