[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Upper Providence 9-5-2017 by Ord. No. 564 (Ch. 85 of the 1990 Code); amended in its entirety 2-18-2025 by Ord. No. 608. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is as follows:
A. 
To maintain an effective emergency response capability to natural and man-made emergencies through planning and the efficient use of manpower and equipment through the Township of Upper Providence Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
For purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings given in this section, as follows:
CONTRACT EMERGENCY SERVICE PROVIDER
All independent fire and EMS organizations servicing the Township of Upper Providence with a response district within the municipal boundaries of the Township. An EMS provider does not include any Township of Upper Providence municipal departments or employees. These agencies shall be authorized through written agreements that specify general operating parameters for services, response district to be serviced, reporting requirements and other reasonable conditions needed to effectuate such operations.
DEPARTMENT
The Township of Upper Providence Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services, under the direction of the Chief of Fire and Emergency Services, is established to provide a basic and consistent approach to the protection of lives and property in the Township of Upper Providence, and to provide for and oversee consistent policies regarding staffing, training, funding, capital purchases, response procedures, operations and related items for all providers receiving funding from the Township of Upper Providence for these services. The Department oversees the following divisions:
A. 
The Township of Upper Providence Fire Department shall include firefighters, fire officers, and Fire Department administrative personnel employed by the Township of Upper Providence and any volunteer firefighters who are part of the Township of Upper Providence.
B. 
The Fire Marshal's Office shall include Chief Fire Marshal, Deputy Fire Marshal(s) and Assistant Fire Marshal(s).
C. 
The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) shall include an Emergency Management Coordinator, Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator(s) and Emergency Management staff.
D. 
Emergency service providers (EMS) contracted by the Township of Upper Providence to provide primary coverage.
E. 
Independent volunteer fire companies contracted by the Township of Upper Providence including their members.
A. 
The Department, and contract emergency service providers, are hereby authorized to provide such services as determined by the Board of Supervisors and outlined in their respective service agreements. These services include, but are not limited to, fire prevention activities, fire suppression activities, rescue services, emergency medical services, hazardous materials incident responses, responses to natural or man-made phenomena and other dangerous and emergency situations as called upon.
B. 
The Department may respond to calls and provide services to municipalities outside of the Township when requested as mutual or automatic aid through the Montgomery County Emergency Dispatch Services.
C. 
The Department, and contract emergency service providers, may also conduct and participate in training activities and drills either within or outside the Township, as may be deemed necessary to maintain proficiency in providing services as outlined in § 23-4A and B.
A. 
Each contract emergency service provider shall operate under its own organizational bylaws, which shall be in accordance with generally accepted standards for similar organizations, with accounting procedures approved by the Department and Board of Supervisors through the Township's auditors.
B. 
The contract emergency service provider's chief officer, or designee, shall continue to be responsible for the maintenance, efficiency, and conduct of their respective company's personnel and equipment with respect to services provided within the Township of Upper Providence.
C. 
All tax revenue appropriations made by the Township of Upper Providence to or for the use of the fire company situated within municipal boundaries, whether of money or property, and all equipment purchased by the fire company by use of such appropriations or purchased by the Township of Upper Providence for use by the fire company, shall be deemed to be and shall continue to be the property of the Township.
A. 
The Chief of Fire and Emergency Services shall be a duly sworn officer of the Township, hired by the Township.
B. 
The Chief of Fire and Emergency Services shall have the authority to establish policies and procedures for the Department, and contract emergency service providers, such policies and procedures to be consistent with this chapter.
C. 
The Chief of Fire and Emergency Services shall be authorized to implement disciplinary actions for any contract emergency service provider or member in violation of implemented policies, procedures, and guidelines. Said discipline may include but not be limited to verbal or written reprimand and/or suspension and/or permanent removal from responding to and operating at fires and emergencies within the municipal boundaries of the Township of Upper Providence or any incident to which the Township of Upper Providence Fire Department responds.
D. 
The Chief of Fire and Emergency Services shall be responsible for determining proper dispatching of emergency units to any fire or emergency and shall coordinate communications to and from Montgomery County Emergency Dispatch Services regarding emergency assignments and similar matters.
E. 
The Chief of Fire and Emergency Services shall be the designated liaison between the Township elected officials, the Department, and all contract emergency service providers.
F. 
The Chief of Fire and Emergency Services, or designee, when on scene, shall have the authority to assume the role of Incident Commander and shall have direct oversight of the Department.
G. 
The Chief of Fire and Emergency Services shall prepare at the request of the Township Manager a budget for the annual operation of the Department for approval by the Board of Supervisors.
H. 
The Chief of Fire and Emergency Services shall, annually, render a report to the Township Manager.
A. 
The Chief Fire Marshal shall be a duly sworn officer of the Township, hired by the Township upon recommendation of the Chief of Fire and Emergency Services.
B. 
The Office of the Fire Marshal shall consist of the Chief Fire Marshal, Deputy Fire Marshal(s) and Assistant Fire Marshal(s), as appointed and assigned.
C. 
The Chief Fire Marshal, Deputy Fire Marshal(s) and Assistant Fire Marshal(s) shall function as Fire Code Officials as provided for in the adopted Township Fire Code,[1] and shall enforce all laws, ordinances, codes and regulations with respect to:
(1) 
The Code of the Township of Upper Providence, as amended;
(2) 
The Township's Fire Code, as amended;
(3) 
The Township's Building Code,[2] as amended.
[2]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 135, Construction Codes, Uniform.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 166, Fire Prevention.
D. 
Duties and responsibilities.
(1) 
The Chief Fire Marshal, Deputy Fire Marshal(s) and Assistant Fire Marshal(s) shall be duly sworn officers of the Township.
(2) 
The Office of the Fire Marshal shall work in cooperation with the Department of Planning and Zoning, and shall perform the following duties:
(a) 
Permitting of Fire-Code-related items in new construction;
(b) 
Plan review of new construction and alterations and renovations of existing systems;
(c) 
Inspections of permitted commercial construction as it relates to fire/life safety components;
(d) 
Annual inspections of commercial properties;
(e) 
Permitting of special events;
(f) 
Service request processing of fire-related items; and
(g) 
Review and comment on proposed land development projects.
(h) 
Additional Fire-Code-related duties as assigned by the Chief of Fire and Emergency Services.
(3) 
The Fire Marshal's Office shall be responsible for the investigation of the origin, cause and circumstances of fires and explosions that occur within the Township's boundaries, in support of and in cooperation with law enforcement.
(4) 
The Fire Marshal's Office is authorized to respond to fires, explosions, and other emergencies outside of municipal boundaries in accordance with adopted mutual aid agreements to assist with the investigation of said incidents.
(5) 
The Fire Marshal's Office shall be responsible for overseeing the collection and reporting of all statistical data as it relates to state and federal reporting practices.
(6) 
Training required. The Chief Fire Marshal and Deputy Fire Marshal(s) shall obtain, and maintain current certifications as required to enforce the provisions of the Township Fire Code, Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code as it relates to fire protection systems, and certification as a Fire Investigator in accordance with NFPA 1033.
(7) 
All Office of the Fire Marshal personnel, regardless of rank, shall routinely respond to and operate at fires and emergencies as directed by the Chief of Fire and Emergency Services.
A. 
The Emergency Management Coordinator (the "Coordinator") shall be appointed by the Township Board of Supervisors and confirmed by the Governor of Pennsylvania upon the recommendation of the Chief of Fire and Emergency Services.
B. 
The Coordinator shall be professionally competent and capable of planning, effecting coordination among operating agencies of government and controlling coordinated operations by local emergency preparedness forces.
C. 
The Office of Emergency Management shall consist of the Coordinator, Deputy Coordinator, and staff as assigned.
D. 
Each appointed coordinator shall:
(1) 
Attend and successfully complete the first phase of the career development program as prescribed by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency within one year after appointment;
(2) 
Attend and successfully complete the second phase of the career development program as prescribed by the agency within three years after appointment;
(3) 
Attend basic and advanced seminars, workshops and training conferences called by the state director and/or official having responsibility for providing the coordinator with in-service training; and
(4) 
Office of Emergency Management personnel, regardless of rank, shall respond as directed to fires and emergencies by the Chief of Fire and Emergency Services.
The incident command structure used by the Department and contract emergency service providers shall be the National Incident Management System.
A. 
Appropriations may be made by the Board of Supervisors to any emergency service organization as the Board of Supervisors may see fit.
B. 
Individual contracts shall be executed between the Township and any emergency services organization receiving funding from the Township.
(1) 
Failure to provide the required reporting and documentation in accordance with these reporting requirements and other regulations of the Department as outlined in any written agreement(s) will result in the forfeiture of the allocated funding for that year.