As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
AUTHORITY
The right to issue orders, give commands, enforce obedience, initiate action, and make necessary decisions commensurate with rank or assignment as provided for in the State of New Jersey laws, regulations, and orders and the rules, policies and procedures of the Department. Authority may be delegated by those so designated. Acts performed without proper authority or authorization shall be considered to be in violation of the rules.
CHAIN OF COMMAND
Vertical lines of communication, authority, and responsibility within the organizational structure of the Department. (See Appendix A.[1])
DEPARTMENT
The Paramus Office of Emergency Management is a department of the Borough in compliance with N.J.S.A. App. A:9-40.
DIRECTIVE
A document detailing the performance of a specific activity or method of operation. "Directive" includes:
A. 
GENERAL ORDERBroadly based directive dealing with policy and procedure and affecting one or more organizational subdivisions of the Department.
B. 
PERSONNEL ORDERA directive initiating and announcing a change in the assignment, rank, or status of personnel.
C. 
SPECIAL ORDERA directive dealing with a specific circumstance or event that is usually self-canceling.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Any services, including mitigation, planning, preparedness, response and recovery, provided by the Paramus Office of Emergency Management.
MAY/SHOULD
The action indicated is permitted.
ORDER
Any written or oral directive issued by a supervisor to any subordinate or group of subordinates in the course of duty.
POLICY
A statement of the Department's principles that provides the basis for the development of procedures and directives.
PROCEDURE
A written statement providing specific direction for performing Department activities. Procedures are implemented through policies and directives.
SHALL/WILL
The action required is mandatory.
STAFF MEMBER
A member who is appointed annually to the Office of Emergency Management staff by the Paramus Mayor and Council.
SUPERVISOR
A staff member assigned to a position requiring the exercise of immediate supervision over the activities of other employees.
[1]
Editor's Note: Said appendix is on file in the Borough offices.
A. 
The Office of Emergency Management shall consist of one Emergency Management Coordinator appointed by the Mayor for a three-year term under the direction of state law, four Deputy Emergency Coordinators who are appointed by the Coordinator with the approval of the Mayor under the direction of state law. The Department also includes 13 Assistant Coordinators, two specialists, a maximum of 10 support staff, a maximum of five interns, and a Drone Support Team.
B. 
The Office of Emergency Management maintains a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) comprised of community volunteer members trained in immediate emergency assistance during disasters and assisting local emergency managers in a variety of projects and exercises. CERT will be managed by the CERT Team Leader appointed from among the members of the support staff.
All Office of Emergency Management vehicles, equipment, and materials are the property of the Borough of Paramus, and ownership shall remain with the Borough of Paramus, and all expenses and costs shall be incurred by the Borough of Paramus for the proper maintenance and operation of the Department.
No person shall be eligible to become a member of the Office of Emergency Management of the Borough of Paramus unless such person shall possess and provide proof of the following qualifications:
A. 
Be not under 18 years of age.
B. 
Be subject to both a criminal and motor vehicle background record check.
C. 
Be subject to pre-employment medical and participate in random drug testing when requested.
D. 
Possess a valid driver's license if position will require the member to drive.
A. 
The names of the members shall be written upon the personnel roster maintained by the Borough Clerk.
B. 
A member shall be issued a photo identification card. This photo identification card shall be surrendered to the Coordinator upon request or whenever a member has been formally suspended from the Department or upon the member's resignation.
C. 
Active: Any member who is physically able to perform all duties, including on-call duty time and training, and other duties assigned by the Coordinator or his designee.
D. 
Probationary: Any person, upon successfully completing all of the requirements, shall be classified as a "probationary member" for a period of not less than one year. During the course of this period, the probationary member will be required to perform all duties set forth in the rules and regulations of the Department. The probationary period may be extended due to the unavailability of any required courses. Upon successful completion of the above requirements, the member shall be appointed as a regular member.
[Amended 6-30-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-27]
The Paramus Office of Emergency Management established its internship program to promote its community outreach efforts. The interns will be exposed to the various fundamentals of emergency management and shall render assistance to the Department under the supervision of the Emergency Management Coordinator.
A. 
Application requirements:
(1) 
Must be a Bergen County resident for a minimum of one year;
(2) 
Must be a minimum of 16 years of age;
(3) 
Must provide parental consent if under the age of 18;
(4) 
Must submit to a medical examination and a criminal/driver's background check;
(5) 
Must participate in drug and alcohol screening;
(6) 
Must maintain passing grades if in high school; and
(7) 
Must commit to a minimum internship of one year.
B. 
Membership: The intern will serve for a minimum of one year. Following that period, an underage member may request an extension of their internship experience as an associate member of the Department. Members who are 18 and older may apply for an opening on the Emergency Management staff. If there is no opening, a member can apply for a volunteer support position. Any intern is eligible to join the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
C. 
Duties:
(1) 
Attend weekly training.
(2) 
Complete required FEMA courses and other training programs.
(3) 
Respond to incidents and events upon request.
(4) 
Comply with all rules, regulations, and procedures.
A. 
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program helps train people to be better prepared to respond to emergency situations in their communities. When emergencies happen, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can also help with nonemergency projects that help improve the safety of the community.
B. 
Application requirements:
(1) 
Must be a Paramus resident, an employee of the Borough, or reside in a town that does not have an active CERT program.
(2) 
Must be 16 years or older.
(3) 
Must provide parental consent if under the age of 18.
(4) 
Must submit to a medical examination and a criminal/driver's background check.
(5) 
Must maintain passing grades if in high school.
C. 
Membership: A qualified candidate will be accepted as a probationary CERT member for a period of one year. After the probationary period and completion of all required training, the candidate will be accepted as a regular CERT member. CERT members are volunteers and are not eligible for compensation.
D. 
Duties:
(1) 
Attend monthly training.
(2) 
Complete the basic CERT training course.
(3) 
Complete required FEMA courses and other training programs.
(4) 
Respond to incidents and events upon request.
(5) 
Comply with all rules, regulations, and procedures.
A. 
Stipend program:
(1) 
The Coordinator, Deputy Coordinators, Assistant Coordinators and specialists of the Paramus Office of Emergency Management (hereinafter referred to as "O.E.M.") who shall respond to 40% of town-wide emergencies, to include, but not limited to, fires, floods, snow emergencies, lost persons, active shooter or any other activity deemed a Borough emergency, to which he/she is assigned or attends during any one calendar month shall be entitled to an allowance fixed by the Mayor and Council, in the amount of $500 per month, in the amount of $600 per month effective July 1, 2018, or in accordance with any effective changes to the Paramus Volunteer Fire Department stipend program. Effective January 1, 2019, the monthly allowance will be equal to $700 per month. Effective January 1, 2020, the monthly allowance will be equal to $800 per month. To be eligible to receive the monthly allowance, each member will receive credit for drills at the Life Safety Complex or any other sanctioned day and/or night exercises or meetings. Additionally, eligible members must attend a minimum of six monthly training sessions with O.E.M. Should any member be unavailable to attend a monthly training session due to a conflict with their work schedule, they will be afforded the opportunity to attend a make-up session to be arranged with the O.E.M. Coordinator and/or any one of the Deputy Coordinators. Any O.E.M. eligible member attending an approved training class, whether at the Bergen County O.E.M. training center in Mahwah, or any other official training center, in or out of county, will be afforded credit for the monthly training requirement in the month they attend the classes. Advanced permission from the Coordinator and/or any one of the Deputy Coordinators will be required for members to receive credit for attending outside training classes as well as virtual online training. O.E.M. members are also assigned to be "on call" for two calendar weeks per duty assignment three to four times per calendar year, depending on their scheduled rotation. This assignment places the member on 24/7 status during this time period and will, if not excused by the O.E.M. Coordinator and/or any one of the Deputy Coordinators, respond to all emergencies necessitating O.E.M. assistance. Many of the O.E.M. members are also volunteer members of the Paramus Volunteer Fire Department and Paramus Volunteer Rescue Squad. These members are covered by the existing stipend ordinance of the Borough. Therefore, under no circumstances will an existing member of the Paramus Volunteer Fire Department or Paramus Volunteer Rescue Squad be eligible to receive two stipend disbursements during any given month. The accumulated moneys for each of the three months in each quarter shall be paid to the member at the first pay period for the following month. For example, stipends earned from July 1 to September 30 will be paid on the last Mayor and Council meeting of October; stipends earned from October 1 to December 31 will be paid on the last Mayor and Council meeting of January, etc.
(2) 
Annual review of stipend. During the month of January of each succeeding year, the Mayor and Council will review the allowance provisions and make any changes it shall deem necessary.
(3) 
Construal of payments. The payments set forth above shall constitute reimbursement for various expenses which may be incurred by the volunteer members of the Office of Emergency Management in the faithful performance of their duties and shall not be considered as salary, nor shall such payments be considered to in any way construe the creating of a paid or partially paid Office of Emergency Management within the Borough of Paramus.
(4) 
Yearly clothing allowance. There will be no clothing allowance approved at this time. This provision will be reviewed by the Mayor and Council yearly.
(5) 
Verification of attendance. The O.E.M. Coordinator shall institute an authentication procedure for the verification of attendance which shall be approved annually by the governing body. Such procedure shall include, but shall not be limited to, a requirement that each eligible member of O.E.M. personally sign a roster or an approved witnessed absentee roster at the completion of and after each emergency indicating his or her attendance at such emergency, with such signatures to be witnessed by the ranking member in charge. Each eligible member of O.E.M. shall maintain on file a specimen of his/her signature; and the forms utilized in recording the attendance for each call shall be subject to the random and periodic audit under the direction of the Borough Administrator. These verification procedures will affect all members of O.E.M. with the exception of the Coordinator and the Deputy Coordinators, who, by virtue of their position within the O.E.M., will not be subject to the verification of each emergency responded to within the confines of the Borough of Paramus, as many times they are required to remain at an emergency for extended periods of time and the verification procedures presently under consideration would not and could not become applicable. The O.E.M. Coordinator and the Deputy Coordinators will be responsible to the Borough Administrator to verify their attendance at each emergency if their names do not appear on the attendance roster.
(6) 
Execution of waivers. No member of O.E.M. shall be entitled to any payment hereunder until he/she shall first have executed a waiver to be prepared under the direction of the office of the Borough Clerk, waiving any and all claim to a pension, civil service or employment status of any kind whatsoever as a result of receiving payment under the provisions of this chapter.
(7) 
When effective; expiration; payments. This chapter shall take effect January 1, 2016, upon passage. Payments shall be calculated and made within the calendar quarter immediately following the preceding quarter as outlined above.
(8) 
Biannual report by Coordinator. The O.E.M. Coordinator shall biannually report the effect of such payments on the membership and attendance and such other information as may be directed by the Mayor and Council regarding the operation of the program on the volunteer O.E.M. as a unit.
(9) 
No new rights/no vacancies. Unless expressly stated otherwise or required by law, this chapter shall not create any rights that did not exist before this chapter, and this chapter shall not be deemed to create any vacancies unless the law requires otherwise.
B. 
Insurance: Members shall be covered by worker's compensation insurance and the Borough group life insurance. In the event of a line-of-duty death, the Borough shall ensure that all applications are processed and procedures followed for any eligible state or federal benefits. All members of the Department are covered under N.J.S.A. App. A:9-57 by disability and life insurance if an injury or death results while working for the Department.
C. 
Resignation: All resignations must be submitted in writing to the O.E.M. Coordinator. All Borough property and the identification credential must be returned upon their resignation.
D. 
Suspension and expulsion: Charges for violations of any rules may be filed by the O.E.M. Deputy or Assistant Coordinator. The charges will be forwarded to the Command Staff for investigation. The Command Staff will submit recommendations to the Coordinator for final disposition.