[Amended 11-30-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-11]
A. There shall
be an organization known as the "Wood-Ridge Emergency Squad" to respond
to the emergency medical needs of residents and visitors of the Borough
of Wood-Ridge and other mutual aid municipalities.
B. The Mayor
and Borough Council may determine that it is in the best interest
of protecting the health and safety of the public to engage an alternative
service to respond to the emergency medical needs of residents and
visitors of the Borough of Wood-Ridge. Said alternative service may
include, on either a full-time or part-time basis:
(1) An interlocal
services agreement or shared services agreement with the County of
Bergen.
(2) An interlocal
services agreement or shared services agreement with one or more other
municipalities.
(3) A contractual
agreement with a private ambulance service licensed by the State of
New Jersey.
(4) A contractual
agreement with a hospital or medical center licensed by the State
of New Jersey to provide basic life support and ambulance services.
C. In the event that the above §
42-1B is implemented on a full-time basis by the Mayor and Borough Council, then, on the date that the alternative service provider commences services in the Borough, the Wood-Ridge Emergency Squad shall cease operations and be abolished and all other provisions of this chapter shall be null and void.
The Emergency Squad shall consist of not more than 50 members,
including the following line officers in order of rank and precedence:
one Captain, one First Lieutenant, and no more than three Second Lieutenants.
The Squad may also include any such number of preview, trainee, probationary,
auxiliary, associate, honorary, retired, or exempt members as determined
by the Board of Officers and approved by the Mayor and Council.
The Board of Officers shall consist of all line officers and
administrative officers of the Squad and shall meet at least monthly.
The Captain and First Lieutenant shall serve as Chairperson and Vice
Chairperson, respectively, of the Board. All officers shall perform
such duties as assigned by the Captain and shall prepare and submit
reports of their activities for the month at the Board meeting. Required
reports shall include, at a minimum:
A. A report
of the Squad's service, training, and response activities for the
month;
B. A report
of the members' credited service for the month; and
C. A report
of all personnel actions and membership changes including elections,
suspensions, transfers, resignations, and retirements of members for
the month.
The Captain and officers of the Emergency Squad shall be elected
annually, in a manner prescribed by the Squad's bylaws, by the members
of the Squad. All officers must be appointed by the Mayor with the
advice and consent of the Borough Council, and shall serve for a one-year
term, from January 1 to December 31, or until their successors are
qualified and take office. Any vacancy in any office shall be filled
via an election for the remainder of the unexpired term. Notification
of the election, resignation, suspension, or termination of any officer
shall be made within five days to the Borough Clerk, who shall forward
the same to the Mayor and Council. All officers shall be sworn in
by the Mayor, or his or her designee, in January of each year, or
in the case of filling a vacancy, within 10 days of their election.
No person shall be elected as a member of the Emergency Squad
unless he or she is:
A. A citizen of the United States.
B. Either a resident of the Borough of Wood-Ridge or reside close enough
to the Borough to be able to respond to calls in an acceptable time
period in the judgment of the Board of Officers.
C. Not less than 18 years of age nor more than 50 years of age.
D. Of good health and able body and physically fit to perform the duties
of a member of the Emergency Squad. Every applicant shall produce
evidence of his or her physical fitness in the form of a certificate
to that effect made by a practicing physician of the State of New
Jersey after a physical examination by such physician.
The Wood-Ridge Municipal Building shall serve as the headquarters
and address of the Wood-Ridge Fire Department and the Wood-Ridge Emergency
Squad. The firehouse portion of the Municipal Building, as well as
any other offices and storage areas within the Municipal Building
or Municipal Building Garage, shall be a shared facility assigned
jointly to the Fire Department and the Emergency Squad. The Borough
of Wood-Ridge shall be the absolute owner of all facilities, including
the lots on which they are situated and the fixtures and equipment
contained therein, utilized by the Fire Department and Emergency Squad
and shall be responsible for their maintenance and repair.
All ambulances, vehicles, and equipment shall be under the control
of the Captain and the line officers. Except for the purposes of responding
to mutual aid requests or attending training exercises, the Squad's
apparatus, vehicles, and equipment may not be taken outside the Borough
without the dual consent of the Captain and the Mayor or, in his or
her absence, the Borough Administrator. The Borough of Wood-Ridge
shall be the absolute owner of all apparatus, vehicles, and equipment
assigned to the Emergency Squad and shall be responsible for their
maintenance and repair.