[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Borough of Bellevue as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 1-23-2024 by Ord. No. 24-01]
The Bellevue Fire Department is hereby reorganized to be under the direction of a full-time career fire chief, who shall be appointed by Bellevue Borough Council, and a staff that consists of full-time and part-time career fire officers and/or firefighters as may be appropriate. The Fire Department shall be supported and equipped from appropriations by the Borough of Bellevue and from such other contributions and revenue as may be received from time to time. All apparatus, equipment, and supplies of the Fire Department shall be purchased with the approval of the Fire Chief in accordance with municipal purchasing requirements and shall be and remain the property of the Borough of Bellevue. The Fire Department shall be supported by a volunteer fire company and volunteer fire relief association. Unless expressly stated to the contrary, all references to the "Fire Department" shall include the career staff and any approved volunteer organizations.
The Council of the Borough of Bellevue shall provide financial resources for the operation of the Fire Department in its annual budget. Any other funds received by the Fire Department, whether through fundraising efforts, grant awards, or through any other sources, may be accepted by the Council and shall be applied as may be directed by the respective donors. In the absence of such direction, funds shall be applied as per the direction of the Fire Chief. All equipment, materials, supplies, etc. purchased through said contributions shall become the exclusive property of the Borough of Bellevue.
The Fire Department shall act as an all-hazards emergency service organization and shall have the following objectives, as may be amended from time to time:
A. 
To take all appropriate measures to prevent uncontrolled fires.
B. 
To prevent the loss of life and property by fire or other hazards.
C. 
To confine fires to their places of origin.
D. 
To extinguish uncontrolled fires.
E. 
To reduce morbidity and mortality from trauma, medical, and other life-threatening emergencies by providing emergency medical care at the highest level practicable based on the equipment and training of Fire Department personnel.
F. 
To perform such rescue work as is practicable based on Fire Department equipment and/or personnel training.
G. 
To assist Code Department personnel with code enforcement and building inspections as directed.
H. 
To assist the Bellevue Fire Marshal in fire investigations and other duties as requested.
I. 
To plan, prepare for, and respond to natural and man-made disasters as part of the community's emergency management plan by serving as the emergency management agency of the Borough of Bellevue, in cooperation with Allegheny County Emergency Management Agency and PEMA.
J. 
To protect life, property, and the environment from the unintended release of chemical, biological, and radiological hazardous chemicals and substances to the extent permitted by personnel training and available equipment.
K. 
To plan, prepare for, and respond to any other life-threatening hazards based upon the anticipated risk to the community, and to the extent permitted by personnel training and available equipment.
L. 
To provide information, education, and/or training related to fire safety and community risk reduction information to the citizens and businesses of Bellevue Borough in order that they may protect themselves from harm.
The Chief of the Bellevue Fire Department, under the direction of the Borough Council, through the Director of Administrative Services, shall establish and direct the organization of the department, making such work assignments and formulating and enforcing such rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and guidelines as shall be necessary for the orderly and efficient operation of the Fire Department. The career Fire Chief shall have full authority and control of the career staff, the volunteer fire company, and affiliate associations as provided for in this and other applicable ordinances of the Borough of Bellevue. In the absence of the career Fire Chief, his or her designated representative shall assume a supervisory role and shall act with the authority conferred by the Chief.
The Bellevue Volunteer Fire Company is hereby recognized and authorized by Bellevue Borough Council to supplement the efforts of the Bellevue Fire Department. The officers and members are directed to maintain said volunteer fire company in accordance with the bylaws of their organization and all applicable rules, regulations and ordinances of the Borough of Bellevue, and all applicable state or federal laws. The members of the Bellevue Volunteer Fire Company are hereby authorized to elect from their numbers such officers as they may require for the proper operation of a volunteer fire company. All appropriations made by the Borough of Bellevue to, or for the use of, the Volunteer Fire Company, whether of cash and/or physical assets, shall continue to be the property of the Borough of Bellevue, and any expenditures voluntarily made by the Volunteer Fire Company or Bellevue citizens on behalf of the Volunteer Fire Company related to the purchase, repair, ornamentation, or maintenance of any fire apparatus belonging to the Borough of Bellevue shall be deemed as the property of the Borough of Bellevue and no fire apparatus shall be permanently removed from the Borough without the prior consent of Bellevue Borough Council.
The Chief of the Bellevue Fire Department shall:
A. 
Prepare the annual departmental budget request for consideration by the Council of the Borough of Bellevue.
B. 
Keep adequate records related to fires, inspections, apparatus, equipment, personnel, training, maintenance, and activities of the department. Such written reports shall be submitted by the Chief to such individuals and/or entities as required by the Director of Administrative Services, Bellevue Borough Council, and/or federal or state agencies.
The chief of the Bellevue Fire Department shall have the authority to suspend or dismiss any member of the Fire Department, whether paid or volunteer, as he or she deems necessary for the good of the department and in accordance with the Home Rule Charter of the Borough of Bellevue, the Borough's Administrative Code and Personnel System, the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Borough of Bellevue and the International Association of Firefighters Local 4014 and any other applicable ordinance, state, or federal law.
The Fire Department shall respond to fires and other emergencies for which it is prepared by reason of training and appropriate equipment, within the limits established by the Council of the Borough of Bellevue. Personnel and/or equipment of the Bellevue Fire Department may be used for fighting any fire, or assisting with emergencies, outside the town limits under the following circumstances:
A. 
When, in the opinion of the Fire Chief, the fire or emergency is in such hazardous proximity to property owned or located within the Borough as to endanger the property of a Borough resident; or
B. 
When the Borough Council has developed policies for providing emergency services outside of Borough limits; or
C. 
When the Borough has entered into a contract or mutual aid agreement with the municipality where the emergency is located.
Any person who shall willfully deface, injure, or destroy any property of the Fire Department, or who shall hinder or obstruct any Fire Department member or apparatus from freely travelling the streets of the Borough to or from an emergency, or who shall, in any manner, hinder or prevent said Fire Department member thereof from operating at the scene of an emergency incident, shall be subject to all applicable laws of the Commonwealth.
Failure by any member of an emergency service organization recognized by Bellevue Borough Council to properly operate and/or maintain the property of the Borough may result in the retaking of said property by Bellevue Borough Council. Further, the failure of any such organization to preserve discipline and good order, or failure of any member of said organization to perform as directed by the Fire Chief or his or her designee at the scene of any emergency incident may result in the discharge of said organization and its members from the service of the Borough. In the event the said organization is discharged from the service of the Borough, all property of the Borough relating to the Fire Department that may be in the possession or control of said organization and/or any member thereof shall be returned to the Borough upon demand of the Borough Council.
[Adopted 7-23-2024 by Ord. No. 24-07]
A. 
Findings: The Borough of Bellevue recognizes that the duties of the Bellevue Fire Department require the use of specialized emergency rescue tools and equipment, emergency rescue materials, hazardous material abatement equipment, and hazardous abatement materials and fire suppression tool and equipment during their emergency responses. The Borough of Bellevue also recognizes that the costs of the maintenance and replacement of this equipment added to the replacement costs of damaged or expended materials places an increasing financial burden on the Borough of Bellevue.
B. 
Borough council intent: It is intended to grant the Bellevue Fire Department the authority to seek recovery of all reasonable costs of responding to such emergency incidents, as allowed by applicable law.
A. 
This Bellevue Fire Department is hereby authorized to recover reasonable costs for the use of emergency rescue tools, equipment and materials; hazardous material abatement tools and equipment, hazardous abatement materials, fire suppression tools and equipment; and personnel hours involving any hazardous material, environmental, fire safety, and/or rescue incident or operation including but not limited to vehicular accidents and fires.
B. 
A rate schedule of reasonable costs (Sec. 10-54), for the aforementioned tools, equipment, materials and hourly rates for personnel, shall be set forth by the Bellevue Fire Department and reviewed/updated front time to time, and shall only be applied to the recovery of costs arising out of incidents that occurred subsequent to the setting of the rate schedule. A copy of the rate schedule shall be on file for review at the business offices of the Borough of Bellevue.
C. 
The reasonable costs outlined above may be recovered from any identified insurance carrier or person or persons, directly by the Borough or by an attorney, or through a third-party billing service acting as a contracted authorized agent for the collection of such costs, In addition to the reasonable costs as set forth in the above-mentioned rate schedule, the Borough, attorney, or the third-party billing service shall hereby be authorized to collect, in addition to the reasonable costs, reasonable interest, legal, administrative and any other collection fees associated for collecting the said costs and fees.
D. 
In the event that any insurance carrier or person or persons should fail to pay any bill or invoice within 30 days of the mailing or delivery of such notice of charges, the Borough, attorney or the third-party billing agency who mailed or delivered the bill or invoice may enforce the provisions of this article by turning over to a third-party collection agency or, if deemed appropriate, may be enforced by filing a civil action at law in a court of competent jurisdiction for the collection of any amounts due to the Borough, together with statutory interest, court costs, collection fees and associated reasonable attorney's fees.
A. 
Any insurance carrier or person shall be liable for the reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred by the Borough, as outlined in this Article, unless that person has paid to the Borough of Bellevue a tax which funds, at least in part, the services which the Borough of Bellevue Fire Department provides. Individuals who intentionally set fires and motor vehicle accidents in which the fault drivers are found to be driving under the influence will not be omitted by the above.
B. 
The Borough shall not be obligated to pursue collection efforts against any insurance company or person in the event that the Borough reasonably determines that collection efforts will not be successful or that the costs of collections will exceed the amount due set forth by resolution.