The member companies of the Fire Department shall be the following volunteer fire companies and such additional volunteer fire companies as the Board of Commissioners may from time to time receive into the Fire Department:
A. 
The Belmont Hills Fire Company.
B. 
The Bryn Mawr Fire Company.
C. 
The Gladwyne Fire Company.
D. 
The Merion Fire Company of Ardmore.
E. 
The Penn Wynne-Overbrook Hills Fire Company.
F. 
The Union Fire Association of Lower Merion.
G. 
The Narberth Fire Company.
A. 
The Board of Directors of the Fire Department shall consist of the elected Presidents and Fire Chiefs of the volunteer fire companies, or their alternates, the Chairman of the Fire Committee of the Board of Commissioners, the Township Manager and the Chief Fire Officer. The Superintendent of Police and the Chief of Operations of the Volunteer Medical Service Corp. shall attend meetings of the Board of Directors of the Fire Department, but they shall not have voting power.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839; 5-15-1985 by Ord. No. 2076; 3-19-2008 by Ord. No. 3844]
B. 
The Board of Directors shall make recommendations to the Chief Fire Officer and/or the Board of Commissioners in such matters as Fire Department administration, training, fire-fighting methods, developing specifications for and ordering of new equipment, fire alarm operation, fire alarm response and other matters pertaining to the management of the Fire Department.
[Amended 5-15-1985 by Ord. No. 2076]
C. 
The Board of Directors shall be responsible to the Fire Committee and to the Board of Commissioners.
D. 
The Board of Directors shall be governed by bylaws, as adopted from time to time.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839]
A. 
The personnel of the Fire Department shall consist of the Chief Fire Officer, who shall also be known as the "Fire Marshal," one Deputy Chief Fire Officer and one or more Deputy Fire Marshals. They shall be appointed in accordance with regulations and procedures of the Township governing the appointment of all Township personnel.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839; 5-15-1985 by Ord. No. 2076]
B. 
In appointing the personnel of the Fire Department, careful consideration will be given to recommendations of the Board of Directors of the Fire Department as to qualified applicants.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839; 5-15-1985 by Ord. No. 2076]
A. 
The Chief Fire Officer shall be the chief officer of the Fire Department and shall have the power and responsibility of carrying out the provisions of this chapter. The Chief Fire Officer shall be answerable to the Board of Commissioners through the Township Manager. He shall receive and give careful consideration to all recommendations submitted by the Board of Directors of the Fire Department and, when feasible, arrange for the implementation of such recommendations, and shall be in charge of the proper dispatching of apparatus to any fire or emergency through the Montgomery County communications center. In all matters not specifically set forth in §§ 78-4, 78-5 and 78-6 of this chapter, compliance with the bylaws of the Fire Department and/or recognized practices and procedures shall be deemed compliance with the intent of said sections.
[Amended 3-19-2008 by Ord. No. 3844]
B. 
The Chief Fire Officer or, in the absence of the Chief Fire Officer, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer shall respond to and assume command at all alarms and fires to which more than two fire companies respond. However, the Chief Fire Officer or the Deputy Chief Fire Officer shall respond to and assume command when two fire companies have responded only if conditions at the fire grounds make such action necessary to protect life and property, as well as in the case of an emergency of a serious nature. Until then, the Fire Chief or, in the absence of the Fire Chief, the Fire Chief's subordinate officers in whose district the fire occurs shall be in command. In the event that the Chief Fire Officer or Deputy Chief Fire Officer assumes command, all orders of the Chief Fire Officer or Deputy Chief Fire Officer should be transmitted through the Fire Chief or the subordinate officers of the volunteer member fire company in whose district the fire occurs.
C. 
The Chief Fire Officer shall obtain maps and plans showing the location and size of all waterlines and fire hydrants and the quantities of water and water pressure in such lines and hydrants and shall make such information available to the volunteer fire companies and keep the same up-to-date. The Chief Fire Officer shall be familiar with the supply of water and shall promptly report any deficiency in the supply of water to the appropriate company, the Board of Directors of the Fire Department and the Township Manager, with his recommendations for remedying the condition. He shall also act as liaison between the water company and the volunteer fire companies and shall work closely with the officials of the water company for the purpose of making certain that an adequate supply of water is provided at all fires.
[Amended 3-19-2008 by Ord. No. 3844]
D. 
The Deputy Chief Fire Officer and Deputy Fire Marshal, as staff members, shall report to and be responsible directly to the Chief Fire Officer.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839; 5-15-1985 by Ord. No. 2076]
The Deputy Chief Fire Officer, when on duty and in the absence of the Chief Fire Officer, shall have the same authority and responsibilities as the Chief Fire Officer. However, when the Chief Fire Officer assumes command of any fire or emergency, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer shall be the direct assistant of the Chief Fire Officer and shall carry out commands as directed by the Chief Fire Officer. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer shall, under the direction of the Chief Fire Officer, prepare prefire plans for occupancies having large or complex fire potentials in cooperation with the district chiefs. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer shall support and check on the effectiveness of the training program, shall arrange for annual capacity tests of pumpers and ladder trucks, shall check on the operating condition of other fire apparatus and shall supervise the maintenance of the fire tower and training grounds and the testing of all fire hoses at least annually, according to accepted standard practices.
[Amended 5-15-1985 by Ord. No. 2076]
A. 
The Fire Marshal shall have the power and responsibility of enforcing all laws, ordinances and regulations with respect to:
(1) 
The prevention of fires.
(2) 
The storage and use of explosives and flammables.
(3) 
The installation and maintenance of automatic and other fire alarm systems and fire-extinguishing equipment.
(4) 
The maintenance and regulation of fire escapes and the means and adequacy of exits, in case of fire, from factories, schools, apartments, hotels, lodging houses, mental and other hospitals, churches, halls, theaters and all other places in which numbers of persons work, live or congregate from time to time for any purpose.
(5) 
The investigation of the cause, origin and circumstances of fires.
B. 
The Fire Marshal shall be assisted in his work by the Deputy Chief Fire Officer and one or more Deputy Fire Marshals.
A. 
Each volunteer fire company shall operate under its own bylaws, which shall be in accordance with generally accepted standards for similar organizations and with accounting procedures approved by the certified public accountants of the Township. Nothing in this chapter is intended to restrict or hamper the internal organization of the volunteer fire companies.
B. 
The Fire Chief and the subordinate officers of each volunteer fire company shall be in command of their companies at fires. They shall also, under the direction of the Chief Fire Officer, train the members of their companies. All companies shall adhere to uniform Fire Department procedures, as recommended by the Board of Directors of the Fire Department and approved by the Board of Commissioners.
[Amended 5-15-1985 by Ord. No. 2076]
C. 
The Fire Chiefs and their subordinate officers shall continue to be responsible for the maintenance, efficiency and conduct of their respective companies.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839; 5-15-1985 by Ord. No. 2076]
The Chief Fire Officer shall, annually, render a report to the Board of Commissioners of the Township. Said report shall contain a record of all proceedings under the Fire Prevention Code during the preceding twelve-month period. It may also contain such statistics as the Chief Fire Officer/Fire Marshal may wish to include therein. The Chief Fire Officer/Fire Marshal shall also recommend to the Board of Commissioners any amendments to the Fire Prevention Code and this chapter which, in such officer's judgment, shall be desirable.
[Amended 3-19-2008 by Ord. No. 3844]
The Fire Committee of the Board of Commissioners, in conjunction with the Board of Directors of the Fire Department, shall appraise annually the volunteer fire companies and the fire protection services in the Township for the purpose of recommending to the Board of Commissioners whatever changes are necessary in organization and operational methods and practices of firefighting made necessary by the continued growth of the Township and/or new fire-fighting techniques. In making such appraisal, consideration shall be given to the activities of the Fire Department in the year immediately preceding, with proper emphasis on fire loss statistics, equipment requirements, manpower needs, and methods and procedures for training firefighters. The annual appraisal shall take place prior to the preparation of the annual Fire Department budget.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1839; 3-19-2008 by Ord. No. 3844]
A. 
Annual appropriations shall be made by the Board of Commissioners to each volunteer fire company in the Township which is a member of the Fire Department, subject to such reasonable conditions as the Board of Commissioners may from time to time see fit to impose. In determining the amount of the appropriation to a particular volunteer company, the Board of Commissioners will give consideration to the needs and requirements of that company for compensation to paid firefighters, reduction of mortgage indebtedness, the purchase and maintenance of fire-fighting apparatus and equipment required to comply with fire underwriters' standards for minimum service and the orderly accumulation of funds for replacement of such apparatus and equipment.
B. 
Each volunteer fire company shall submit its needs and requirements to the Chief Fire Officer on or before July 31 for the ensuing year.
[Added 7-15-2015 by Ord. No. 4061]
A. 
All volunteer members of The Penn Wynne/Overbrook Hills Fire Company, the Belmont Hills Fire Company, the Bryn Mawr Fire Company, the Gladwyne Fire Company, the Merion Fire Company of Ardmore, and the Union Fire Association of Lower Merion (hereafter the "fire companies"), each of which fire companies serves the inhabitants of the Township of Lower Merion, shall be considered employees of the Township for purposes of receiving compensation pursuant to the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act (Act of June 2, 1915, P.L. 736, as amended), 77 P.S. § 1031(a)(1), for injuries sustained while actively engaged in performing the following duties:
(1) 
Responding to alarms, including all emergency and firefighting activities related thereto; auto rescue; water rescue; hazardous materials alarms; and assistance to other municipalities (whether on an emergency scene in another municipality or on standby at the fire company when requested by another municipality); assistance to the fire police; and all special alarms as authorized by the Fire Chief or the Officer in Charge or the fire company. For purposes of this subsection, "responding to alarms" shall include the volunteer firefighter's travel from and the direct return to a firefighter's home, place of business or other place where he or she shall have been when he or she received the call or alarm.
(2) 
Answering any emergency calls for any purpose or while riding upon the fire apparatus which is owned or used by the fire companies.
(3) 
Performing repair, maintenance of or other work on fire company equipment, buildings and property at the direction of the Fire Chief or Officer in Charge.
(4) 
Participating in instruction fire drills and other training exercises pertaining to the operation and certification of the fire company, including training exercises in conjunction with fire companies in other municipalities, as authorized by the Fire Chief or Officer in Charge. Participation in training activities of any kind at all other locations outside of the Township shall not be allowed without the prior written authorization of the Township of Lower Merion Chief Fire Officer acting on behalf of the Township of Lower Merion.
(5) 
Participating in Fire Prevention Week activities in the Township and with fire companies in other municipalities, when authorized by the Fire Chief or the Officer in Charge.
(6) 
Participating in fund-raising events sponsored by the fire companies at their firehouses or on Lower Merion Township property. Participation in fund-raising activities of any kind at all other locations shall not be allowed without the prior written authorization of the Township of Lower Merion or the Chief Fire Officer acting on behalf of the Township of Lower Merion.
(7) 
Participating in parades, equipment housings and funerals for fire personnel within the Township of Lower Merion and in other municipalities only with prior written authorization by the Township of Lower Merion or the Chief Fire Officer acting for the Township of Lower Merion.
(8) 
Participating in any and all additional events or activities for which such participation is expressly pre-authorized in writing by the Township of Lower Merion or the Chief Fire Officer acting for the Township of Lower Merion.
B. 
Except where otherwise stated herein, nothing contained in this section shall be considered to limit in any way the activities for which compensation is available to volunteer fire personnel or volunteer ambulance corpsmen pursuant to the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act (Act of June 2, 1915, P.L. 736, as amended), as set forth in 77 P.S. § 1031(a)(1) and/or (2).