[Ord. No. 2017-63' amended 1-31-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-1; 12-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-39]
(a)
Members and associate members. No person shall become a member or
associate member of the Princeton fire department, unless said person
shall meet the following qualifications:
(1)
Be at least 18 years of age.
(2)
Be in good health, to be evidenced by a certificate to that effect
by a licensed physician of the State of New Jersey who has been chosen
by Princeton.
(3)
Be eligible for and accepted for coverage under that certain group
accident insurance policy issued to the department through Princeton
and any renewal or replacement thereof.
(4)
Be in compliance with such other minimum requirements as may established
by the SOGs and/or mayor and council.
(b)
Paid members.
(1)
All paid members of the fire department shall be appointed by the
council.
(2)
No person shall be appointed to serve as a paid member of the Princeton
fire department, unless at the time of appointment the person shall
meet the qualifications set forth in N.J.S.A. 40A:14-9, N.J.S.A. 40A:14-42
and N.J.S.A. 40A:14-44, as applicable, and as may be amended. Every
appointee shall, at a minimum:
a.
Be a citizen of the United States;
b.
Be a resident of New Jersey;
c.
Be sound in body and of good health sufficient for eligibility in
the police and firemen's retirement system of New Jersey or public
employees' retirement system of New Jersey, as appropriate;
d.
Have a high school diploma or an equivalency certificate and shall
be able to read, write and speak the English language well and intelligently;
e.
Be of good moral character;
f.
Not have been convicted of any criminal offense involving moral turpitude;
and
g.
Be between twenty-one and forty years of age at the time of appointment,
except as may be permitted by law or regulation.
(3)
Appointment to the position of paid member shall be filled by a member
or associate member of the department who has served as an active
firefighter for at least two (2) years next preceding the appointment
or by an exempt firefighter of the department; if no such member or
associate member or exempt firefighter is available for appointment,
then the appointment may be made to any qualified person. Whether
a member or associate member qualifies as an "active firefighter"
shall be established by the [director]chief through written policy.
[Ord. No. 2017-63; amended 1-31-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-1; 12-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-39]
Before an applicant is accepted for regular, associate or paid
membership into the department and enters upon the duties connected
with said department, said applicant shall take an oath to perform
the duties of a member or paid member, as appropriate, of the Princeton
fire department, to obey the officers of the Princeton fire department
and to comply in all respects with provisions of this chapter, the
Princeton Code and rules and regulations concerning the conduct of
the Princeton fire department. Each member, associate member and paid
member shall sign an affidavit provided by the Princeton clerk confirming
receipt of a full copy of the fire department's then current
Standard Operating Guidelines.
[Ord. No. 2017-63; amended 1-31-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-1; 12-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-39]
(a)
Upon entering the Princeton fire department each new regular and
associate member shall, within an eighteen-month period, complete
and pass a Firefighter I course or equivalent as well as any other
New Jersey State mandated courses. The chief may grant an extension
of this period only where completion of the course within this time
period is not possible due to changes in the schedule of course offering
or some other extenuating circumstance.
(b)
All members must pass the Firefighter I or a New Jersey State approved program and any other mandated courses and training to remain a firefighting member of the department; any member who does not complete this training within the specified time shall become one of the non-firefighting types of member listed in section T8-7(e).
(c)
As a condition of employment, a paid member shall, within eighteen
months of appointment, complete and pass a Firefighter I course or
equivalent as well as any other New Jersey State mandated courses.
[Ord. No. 2017-63; amended 12-18-2023 by Ord. No.
2023-39]
(a)
The various companies of the Princeton fire department shall process
their own members and associate members, but no person shall become
a member or associate member of the Princeton fire department until
approved by the Princeton mayor and council.
(b)
Associate members approved by the mayor and council shall not be
members of a company of the Princeton fire department but shall be
subject to all provisions of this chapter. Associate members may at
any time apply to become a member of a company. If accepted into a
company, associate member status will no longer apply.
(c)
Should an associate member wish to join the New Jersey State Fireman's
Association (NJSFA), the member will be required to join one of the
three fire companies and will lose associate status. Due to time limits
by the NJSFA on accepting medical doctors' physicals (12 months
from date of physical), associate members will be responsible for
the cost of a new physical if required by the NJSFA.
(d)
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, associate members shall
be entitled to the same benefits as regular members of the Princeton
fire department.
(e)
Each company may at its own discretion have various types of memberships.
These memberships are not subject to the approval of the mayor and
council. Such memberships include but are not limited to:
(1)
Honorary members;
(2)
Life members;
(3)
Auxiliary members;
(4)
Social or administrative members. Only members who are active interior,
exterior and junior firefighters, apparatus drivers, fire police and
command staff may be present in any role at an incident requiring
fire department action as defined in SOGs.
[Ord. No. 2017-63; amended 12-18-2023 by Ord. No.
2023-39]
Any person who shall have served as a member of the department
and who has met the quota requirements of the New Jersey State Fireman's
Association may, upon application, be retired from active service
upon the vote of the company of which that person is a member.
[Added 1-31-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-1; amended 12-18-2023 by Ord. No.
2023-39]
