[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee
of the Township of Boonton as indicated in article histories. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 12-14-1981 by Ord. No. 295]
A Fire Department is hereby established in the
Township of Boonton, in the County of Morris, to serve the Township
within the boundary lines thereof.
[Amended 11-28-1988 by Ord. No. 395; 11-13-2006 by Ord. No.
732]
The Fire Department of the Township of Boonton
shall consist of a Chief, Deputy Chief, two Captains and two Lieutenants,
to be known as the "Board of Fire Chiefs" and members of such Department.
The Township Committee shall appoint the members of said Fire Department.
The Chief, Deputy Chief, two Captains and two Lieutenants shall be
elected by and from the members of the Department and shall thereafter
be confirmed by the Township Committee. All members of the Board of
Fire Chiefs must have served for a period of at least two years as
a fire fighter in the Township of Boonton. In addition, they must
meet all training requirements of the State of New Jersey and produce
documentation evidencing that they have met those requirements prior
to appointment by the Township Committee. In the event that any nominations
are not approved by the Committee, then it may appoint such officers.
The number of members of such Department, their ages and periods of
service shall, at all times, be in accordance with the laws of the
State of New Jersey. The officers and members so elected and appointed
shall constitute the Fire Department of the Township of Boonton.
[Amended 11-28-1988 by Ord. No. 395]
A.
The Chief, the Deputy Chief, two Captains and two
Lieutenants shall hold office for a period of one year; in the event
that any vacancy occurs, such vacancy shall be filled for the remainder
of the year in the manner herein provided.
[Amended 11-13-2006 by Ord. No. 732]
B.
The members of the Fire Department shall appoint from
their membership a Clerk and such other officers as they may deem
necessary and may make rules and regulations for the operation of
the Department subject to the approval of the Township Committee.
Any vacancies existing in the Fire Department
shall be filled by the members thereof after the original appointments
by the Township Committee, subject to the approval of the Committee.
The Board of Fire Chiefs shall supervise and
attend to any and all fire equipment and apparatus committed to its
charge, subject to the order and directions of the Township Committee.
[Amended 3-14-2022 by Ord. No. 903]
A.
No person shall become a member of the Fire Department
unless he shall agree to perform the duties of a fireman during his
term of service
B.
All prospective members will be subjected to a one-time
background check. This check will include a criminal history check
by the Boonton Township Police Department, as well as any other check
deemed necessary by the Boonton Township hiring policies. The information
that is gathered by these checks will be used to base a decision on
a prospective member's application to the Boonton Township Fire Department.
Criminal history record information shall be limited in use solely
by the individual(s) for which it was obtained, and shall not be disseminated
to persons or organizations not authorized to receive the records.
(1)
Disqualification.
A prospective member will be disqualified as an applicant if he or
she has ever been convicted of any crime or disorderly persons offense,
including violations which occurred either in or outside of the State
of New Jersey, including but not limited to:
(a)
Involving
danger to the person, meaning those crimes and disorderly persons
offenses set forth in N.J.S.A. 2C:11-1 et seq., 2C:12-1 et seq., 2C:13-1
et seq., 2C:14-1 et seq. or 2C:15-1 et seq.;
(b)
Against
the family, children or incompetents, meaning those crimes and disorderly
persons offenses set forth in N.J.S.A. 2C:24-1 et seq.;
(c)
Involving
theft as set forth in Chapter 20 of Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes;
(2)
Appeal.
A prospective member may appeal the disqualification by filing a written
notice of appeal with the Township Administrator no later than ten
days after receiving the determination. Once an appeal notice is received,
a meeting with the Appeal Committee, comprised of the Township Administrator,
Police Chief, and Fire Chief, shall be scheduled.
(a)
Challenge
for accuracy. A prospective member may challenge the accuracy of the
criminal history record, and may obtain a detailed criminal history
check for the purpose of the appeal.
(b)
Rehabilitation.
A prospective member may provide evidence that they have been rehabilitated.
The committee may consider:
[1]
The nature and responsibility of the position which the convicted
person would hold, or has held, as the case may be;
[2]
The seriousness of the offense;
[3]
The circumstances under which the offense occurred;
[4]
The date of the offense;
[5]
The age of the person when the offense was committed;
[6]
Whether the offense was an isolated or repeated incident;
[7]
Any social conditions which may have contributed to the offense;
[8]
Any evidence of rehabilitation, including good conduct in prison
or the community, counseling or psychiatric treatment received, acquisition
of additional academic or vocational schooling, successful participation
in correctional work-release programs, or the recommendation of those
who have had the person under their supervision.
(c)
If
it has been determined by the Appeals Committee that the disqualified
person has been successfully rehabilitated, the person shall be included
on the list of qualified employees and volunteers.
(3)
The
determination of the Appeal Committee shall be final and not subject
to any further appeal. The Township will not take any action to unnecessarily
or unduly delay the appeal process and will make a determination on
any appeal within 30 days from the date of written notification of
the appeal.
C.
Every member appointed to the Fire Department shall
reside within two miles of a boundary line of the Township of Boonton
at the time of his appointment and may continue to serve as a volunteer
fireman or officer so long as such person shall reside within two
miles of a boundary line of the Township of Boonton.
D.
Every member
of the Fire Department shall receive a certificate of membership signed
by the Chairman and Clerk of the Township. He shall receive, during
his term of service, from the Township Clerk, a badge showing such
person to be a member of the Department, which shall be surrendered
to the Township Clerk when such person has ceased to be a member of
the Department.
A.
The Board of Fire Chiefs shall examine, at least once
in each month and at such other times as may be necessary, all fire
apparatus and equipment and make report and recommendations to the
Township Committee relative to the fire apparatus and equipment.
B.
The Board of Fire Chiefs shall keep an accurate record
of the names of the officers and members of the Fire Department and
of appointments, showing the commencement of each term of service,
transfers, resignations and removal of firemen, as shall take place
from time to time, and such other information as may be necessary
and proper.
C.
The Board of Fire Chiefs shall keep a record of all
fires, the cause thereof and the amount of loss, when the same can
be ascertained, and submit the same to the Township Committee once
each month, or more often, if required by the Committee.
A.
The Deputy Chief, two Captains and two Lieutenants
shall be under the supervision and direction of the Chief at any and
all fires.
[Amended 11-28-1988 by Ord. No. 395; 11-13-2006 by Ord. No.
732]
B.
The Board of Fire Chiefs of the Fire Department shall
be responsible for the care of any and all fire apparatus and equipment
entrusted to it by the Township Committee. In the absence of the Chief,
the assistants shall act as such in their respective order.
C.
The firemen, at any fire, shall accept orders relating
to fire apparatus and equipment and the operation thereof under the
direction of the Chief and shall not leave any fire without his permission.
On the extinguishment of any fire, the fire apparatus and equipment
shall be immediately returned to the firehouse or place of storage.
All members of the Fire Department shall prevent
all persons not members thereof from entering any building or handling
any apparatus and equipment belonging to the Township.
The Chief of the Fire Department shall have
the right to form fire lines at such distance from any fire as he
may deem necessary and advisable. Any person who shall, during a fire,
enter any prohibited area or drive over any hose or other apparatus
shall be subject to a fine as hereinafter set forth.
[Amended 11-28-1988 by Ord. No. 395; 5-8-1989 by Ord. No. 405]
No member of the Fire Department shall be entitled
to a certificate as an exempt fireman unless it shall appear that,
at the time such fireman was appointed, he resided within two miles
of a boundary of the Township, was a citizen of the United States,
of good moral character, between the ages of 18 and 45 years, and
that, during the seven years he served in said Department, he performed
60% of fire duty in the Department during each of said seven years.
The Chief of the Fire Department shall keep a complete record of the
fire duties performed by the members of the Fire Department at all
times. Members shall be physically fit to perform the duties of a
fireman, evidenced by a certificate to that effect by a practicing
physician of the State of New Jersey.
A.
Any person who shall willfully hinder or molest the
Fire Department, the members thereof or the operation of any apparatus
and equipment of the Fire Department at any time shall be subject
to the penalty as hereinafter set forth.
B.
Any person who shall transmit in any way a false alarm
of fire shall, for each offense, be subject to a fine as hereinafter
provided.
[Amended 5-8-1989 by Ord. No. 405; 4-9-2007 by Ord. No. 739]
Any person who shall violate any section or provision of this chapter shall be subject, upon conviction, to the penalties provided in § 1-15 of this Code.
[Adopted 6-28-1993 by Ord. No. 482]
There is hereby established an auxiliary to
the Boonton Township Volunteer Fire Department, to be known as the
Junior Firemen's Auxiliary, which shall operate under and pursuant
to N.J.S.A. 40A:14-95 et seq.
[Amended 10-9-2012 by Ord. No. 815]
Any person who is a resident of the Township
of Boonton or who resides within two miles of a boundary line of the
Township of Boonton and is between 16 and 18 years of age shall be
eligible for membership in the Junior Firemen's Auxiliary. No individual
shall become a member of the Junior Firemen's Auxiliary unless written
permission is obtained from such individual's parents or legal guardian.
Said written permission shall be in a form approved by the Township
Committee and shall be acknowledged or approved in the manner required
by law for deeds to real estate to be recorded. Members of the Junior
Firemen's Auxiliary shall also be required to obtain working papers
from the New Jersey Department of Labor. The original written permission
and working papers shall be retained by the Township Clerk, who shall
forward a copy to the Department Chief.
Members of the Junior Firemen's Auxiliary shall
be provided with the same insurance coverage as provided for the regular
volunteer firemen of the Township of Boonton.
The Junior Firemen's Auxiliary program shall
be under the guidance of a Standing Committee within the Boonton Township
Volunteer Fire Department. The Standing Committee shall be appointed
annually by the Board of Fire Chiefs and shall consist of three regular
Fire Department members, at least one of whom shall presently hold
or have previously held a firematic officer's position within the
Department.
The Township Committee hereinafter establishes
the following rules and regulations designed to govern the activities
of the Auxiliary and to provide for the training of its members with
a view toward their eventual membership in the Boonton Township Volunteer
Fire Department.
A.
No junior fireman shall be required to perform duties
which would expose the junior fireman to the same degree of hazard
as a regular member of the Volunteer Fire Department.
B.
No junior fireman shall be permitted to engage in
fire fighting or be in the immediate vicinity of a hazardous condition
involving the handling of dangerous or poisonous acids or dyes or
injurious quantities of toxic or noxious dust, gases, vapors or fumes.
C.
A junior fireman shall be on probation until the age
of 18 years and may be expelled from the Auxiliary for just cause.
D.
A junior fireman shall comply with the constitution
and bylaws of the Boonton Township Volunteer Fire Department, as well
as any bylaws that may be established by the Auxiliary itself.
E.
A junior fireman shall obey the commands of the Fire
Chief or any other officer of the Boonton Township Volunteer Fire
Department.
F.
Training shall include instruction concerning industrial
fire systems; breathing apparatus; municipal water systems; hydrants
and alternate water sources; care, testing and handling of fire hose;
type and uses of hand-held fire extinguishers; procedures for handling
alarms; radio procedures; care, cleaning and basic maintenance of
apparatus; preparation of knots for hoisting equipment; safety measures
for riding on apparatus; use of personal safety equipment and hand
tools; and theory of pumps and hydraulic fire systems and the use
of ladders, including their care and testing. Actual use of the equipment
shall be encouraged whenever it shall be deemed advisable by the Boonton
Township Volunteer Fire Department, provided that a junior fireman
shall not be exposed to any danger. Adequate supervision shall be
provided and all possible safety precautions shall be taken.
G.
Junior firemen may apply for an adult class of membership
in the Boonton Township Volunteer Fire Department upon achieving the
age of 18 years by completing the appropriate application forms in
accordance with the Fire Department's procedures.
H.
Subject to the approval of the Township Committee,
these rules and regulations may be supplemented by the Boonton Township
Volunteer Fire Department.
