[Ord. No. 2017-63' amended 1-31-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-1; 12-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-39; 2-26-2024 by Ord. No. 2024-08]
(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) 
Maintain a principal residence within a fifteen-mile radius of 363 Witherspoon Street. An individual who is available to respond to fires during their regular work hours by virtue of employment within said fifteen-mile radius shall be exempt from meeting this residency requirement. Individuals who were members of the department as of June 10, 1982, shall be recognized as members of said department as defined herein and need not comply at any time with any residency requirements provided for herein. For good cause shown, council may waive the residency requirement.
(2) 
Be at least 18 years of age.
(3) 
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.
(4) 
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.
(5) 
Be in compliance with such other minimum requirements as may established by the SOGs and/or council.
(b) 
Paid members.
(1) 
All paid members of the fire department shall be appointed by 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) 
To be eligible for employment, a paid member shall have already completed and passed a Firefighter I course or equivalent as well as any other New Jersey State mandated courses, and satisfy any additional minimum requirements established by Princeton.
(4) 
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; 2-26-2024 by Ord. No. 2024-08]
(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 § T8-7(e).
(c) 
As a condition of employment, a paid member shall complete all New Jersey State mandated courses that may be required for continued employment.
[Ord. No. 2017-63; amended 12-18-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-39; 2-26-2024 by Ord. No. 2024-08]
(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 council.
(b) 
Associate members approved by 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 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]
(a) 
The promotion of a paid member to a superior position shall be made from the membership of such paid members and in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40A:14-29, the applicable personnel policies and SOGs.
(b) 
The line of authority for paid members shall be as set forth in this chapter and the SOGs.