[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.
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.
[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.