The Reilly Township Board of Supervisors hereby authorizes the Citizen's Fire Company of Branchdale and the Newtown Volunteer Fire Company (hereafter "fire departments") to recover their reasonable costs for services, materials used, equipment and man-hours, through a sum sufficient to reimburse the fire departments in full for the time and effort spent by the fire departments at a fire, rescue, vehicle accident or any other type of emergency.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of Reilly Township 4-25-2001 by Ord. No. 1-2001. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The fire departments shall have the right, in the event that the payment is not made, to pursue any and all appropriate remedies in the Court of Common Pleas of Schuylkill County or elsewhere, as necessary.
The charges for the emergency response of the fire departments shall be established by the fire departments' billing agency or by each fire department.
The fire departments may initiate collection and reimbursement of the costs and fees themselves or by contract with any reputable collection agency or by any other lawful means.
The reasonable costs and fees shall include, but are not limited to, firefighting material, vehicles and equipment, personnel time, and any materials, vehicles or equipment needed in the securing, handling or disposition of any hazardous material or cargo.
The costs and fees may be assessed and recovered for any of the requested or emergency responses, whether the incident responded to is located within Reilly Township or a nearby municipality.
In the event of nonpayment of any invoice for the costs or fees within a reasonable time after tender, the fire departments or their agent are authorized to collect interest from the date such costs or fees were incurred, as well as a reasonable administrative fee for collecting the same and any additional fees as may be applicable and authorized by the Hazardous Material Emergency Planning and Response Act[1] or any other statute or law.
The provisions of this chapter are severable and if any of its sections, clauses or sentences are held illegal, invalid or unconstitutional, such illegality, invalidity or unconstitutionality shall not affect or impair any of the remaining sections, clauses, or sentences of this chapter.
This chapter is intended to repeal such prior ordinances, resolutions and regulations of the Township which are specifically inconsistent.
[Added at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
This chapter shall not be construed so as to require reimbursement to the Township for those municipal services normally provided to the Township residents and others as a matter of the Township's general operating procedure and for which the levying of taxes or for which reimbursement is normally made under the provisions of other Township ordinances.