There is hereby established a Leonia Volunteer Fire Department ("Department"), which consists of the present Fire Department known as Leonia Volunteer Fire Company #1, Inc. ("Fire Company"), as a department of the Borough of Leonia. In accordance with N.J.S.A. 40A:14-68, the Borough may enter into an agreement with a volunteer fire company or companies for purposes of extinguishing fires and for such other purposes as the Borough shall deem appropriate.
A. 
All applicants shall meet the following requirements:
(1) 
Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
(2) 
Be at least 18 years of age.
(3) 
Be a resident of Leonia or a resident of Bergen County residing within five miles of Leonia for at least the past year, or be employed by the Borough of Leonia. This section shall not be applicable to existing members of the Department in good standing.
(4) 
Hold a high school diploma or high school equivalency or shall be currently enrolled in an accredited high school.
B. 
Membership will be subject to successful completion of a physical examination, including a drug screen, and a criminal background check.
C. 
Applications for the Department may be obtained at Borough Hall or Leonia Fire Headquarters. Completed applications shall be submitted to the Chief or Deputy Chief of the Department.
D. 
If approved, applicants, by resolution adopted by the Mayor and Council, shall become probationary members of the Department and subject to the Fire Company's bylaws and all applicable rules and regulations.
Subject to the control of the Mayor and Council, the management of the lands, buildings, property and apparatus assigned to the use of the Department be and are hereby vested in a Committee of the Mayor and Council to be known as the "Fire Committee." The Fire Committee shall consist of three members of the Council, who shall be appointed annually by the Mayor at the time of the appointment of the standing committees now provided for in the bylaws of the Council. It shall be the duty of the Fire Committee to report the conditions of the Department, the apparatus and firehouses within the Borough, together with the amount of money deemed necessary to properly conduct the operations of the Department for the following year to the Mayor and Council at its regular meeting in February of each year. The Fire Committee shall meet with the chief fire officers (Chief, Deputy Chief and Captain) at least once a month to review reports of the condition of the Department, to receive and review bills for expenses of the Department, and to transact such other business as may come before it and to report the proceedings of the meeting at the next meeting of the Mayor and Council.
The governance and management of the Department shall be in accordance with the constitution and bylaws adopted by the members of the Fire Company, and approved by the Mayor and Council.
The Borough shall provide each active member in good standing of the Department with $25,000 of life insurance. In addition, the Borough shall provide accidental death and dismemberment benefits as set forth in the accident and sickness coverage for emergency service personnel. The Mayor and Council shall provide the same insurance coverage to members of the Junior Firefighter's Auxiliary. Any retiring member of the Leonia Volunteer Fire Department in good standing who is over the age of 70 or who has served at least 20 years shall be provided with $12,500 of life insurance upon retirement.
In accordance with N.J.S.A. 40A:14-68, the Chief, Deputy Chief, Captain, Lieutenants and other such officers shall be elected by the members in good standing of the Fire Company, in December of each year. At least one of the positions of Chief, Deputy Chief and Captain must be filled by a Leonia resident. The Chief shall forward the names of all the duly elected officers to the Borough Clerk and to the Chairman of the Fire Committee. All officers shall hold a term of office of one year or until their successors shall be duly elected and sworn to duty. The Mayor shall cause the newly elected officers to be sworn in at the annual reorganization meeting of the Mayor and Council.
A. 
The Fire Chief shall be the chief executive officer of the Department, subject to the direction and control of the Mayor and Council. The Chief shall be responsible for all functions of the Department, including but not limited to, the following: Junior Firefighter's Auxiliary; the fire apparatus and equipment used by the Department; the conduct, discipline and efficiency of the members of the Department, and the enforcement of the Department rules and regulations.
B. 
The Fire Chief; or in the Chief's absence, the Deputy Chief; or in the Deputy Chief's absence, the Captain, shall:
(1) 
Have sole and absolute command of the Department at the scene of all fires and/or emergencies to which the Department is called.
(2) 
Examine at least monthly the condition of all fire engines, apparatus and other property belonging to the Department.
(3) 
Report the condition of all property and any repairs or expenditures required in connection therewith to the Fire Committee.
A. 
The Mayor and Council may suspend or expel any member of the Leonia Volunteer Fire Department for unbecoming conduct or behavior, neglect in violation of any duty incumbent upon any such person, or based upon the results of a criminal background check. No suspension or removal shall be made without notice to the member and without an opportunity to be heard before the Fire Committee. The suspended or expelled member may appeal to the Mayor and Council within 14 days of the Fire Committee's determination.
B. 
Any member suspended from the Leonia Volunteer Fire Department shall, during such suspension, forfeit all rights and privileges as a member of the Department and Fire Company.
C. 
Expelled or suspended members may be permitted access to the firehouse for meetings and other events, under supervision of an active member, subject to the Fire Chief's approval.
The Department, including its members, apparatus and equipment, shall be available to the Mayor and Council for an annual inspection on Memorial Day or on a date, time and place as may be determined by the Fire Committee in consultation and coordination with the Chief.
A. 
Every member of the Department shall undergo a physical examination prior to initial appointment and every even-numbered year thereafter. The examination shall be performed by a qualified physician, selected by and at the expense of the Borough, or by a licensed physician as chosen by the member at the member's expense, who shall evaluate the member for his/her abilities to perform the functions of a firefighter.
B. 
The physician performing the examination shall only provide to the Borough a pass or unable to perform the duties report to the Borough and the said report shall be filed in the member's personnel file. Failure to complete or pass the physical examination shall be cause for suspension of the said member who shall not be eligible to participate in any activities of the Department. Any member who fails to pass the examination may, at his/her own expense, seek additional medical treatment or advice. Should the member's treating physician find that the member is eligible to participate, the physician shall submit the pass report to the Borough and such member shall be reinstated to the Department. Members with 20 or more years of service to the Department who fail to pass the biennial physical examination will be offered an opportunity to be appointed as a firefighter emeritus pursuant to § 29-12 herein.
The members of the Department are required to consent to and undergo a criminal history record check, to be performed prior to the member's initial appointment and in January of every even-numbered year thereafter.
Any member who has completed 20 or more years of service who resigns, retires, or fails to pass the required biennial physical examination, shall be eligible to become a firefighter emeritus. Such members shall be entitled to visit the firehouse and to participate in the annual inspection and other Department functions and shall be entitled to an annual clothing allotment of $400. A firefighter emeritus is subject to the provisions of the rules and regulations of the Department.
In the event of the death of any member or former active member of the Fire Department who is not entitled to the burial benefits provided by the New Jersey State Firemen's Association, the active member or former active member shall be entitled to receive from the Borough an amount equal to the burial benefits that would have been provided by the New Jersey State Firemen's Association to the member or former active member of the Department had the member or former active member been eligible to receive such burial benefits from the New Jersey State Firemen's Association.
The members of the Fire Department shall receive an annual payment as approved by the Mayor and Council pursuant to resolution, which sum shall be paid to such members as shall be entitled, on the first Monday of December of each year. Said payment shall cover any losses that may have been incurred in attending fires.
Unrestricted access to the firehouse and Borough-owned fire vehicles is limited to active members of the Department, the Mayor, Fire Committee and Borough Administrator. Members of the Council, Borough employees, contract vendors providing goods and/or services on behalf of the Borough shall be permitted into the firehouse as authorized. Family members and guests of active members under the age of 18 are permitted into the firehouse during the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., only if the active member or the child's parent or guardian is present on the premises at all times. Permission to ride on fire apparatus during nonemergency situations may be authorized by the Fire Chief, provided that a participation form waiving liability for death or injury as approved by the Borough's Risk Manager is signed by the participant or the participant's parent or guardian.
The consumption of alcoholic beverages in the firehouse or on Fire Company premises is prohibited except by permission granted by the Mayor and Council on a case-by-case basis for functions or events.