[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of
the City of Egg Harbor as indicated in article histories. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
The Volunteer Fire Department of said city shall
be under the control of the Common Council and under the more direct
charge of its Fire Committee as heretofore, nevertheless with such
restrictions, limitations and powers as hereinafter mentioned and
set forth.
A Fire Chief shall be appointed annually by
the Common Council from among the members of said Fire Department,
who shall hold office for one year and until his/her successor is
duly appointed and qualified.
The Fire Chief shall have charge and control
of all the volunteer fire fighters and all the officers and employees
constituting the Fire Department and shall also have charge and control
of all other persons offering their services or suffered or allowed
to serve at a fire or fire drill.
[Amended 5-10-1979 by Ord. No. 6-1979]
All fire fighters, officers and employees of
said Fire Department hereafter elected or appointed shall reside within
the boundaries of Atlantic Avenue and Indian Cabin Road and Hamburg
Avenue and Bremen Avenue, Egg Harbor City, New Jersey; provided, however,
that any member who obtains seven years of service and receives his
or her exemption certificate from the Egg Harbor City Fire Department
shall be authorized to remain on the active list if such person moves
outside the boundaries of Egg Harbor City. In order to remain on the
active list, such individual shall maintain at least 50% attendance
at fies, drills and meetings annually.
All volunteer fire fighters refusing or neglecting
to execute any or all orders given by the Fire Chief or by his/her
assistants at any fire or fire drill shall or may be suspended by
him/her and reported to the Fire Committee or to Common Council, and
any fire fighter so suspended shall be tried on the charges preferred
against him/her by the Common Council in meeting for such purpose
called and, in case of conviction, shall or may be dismissed from
the services of said Fire Department and thereupon shall be deprived
of and from all benefits and emoluments of such office.
In case of fire call, every volunteer fire fighter shall report for duty and shall attend to the fire or fire drill and shall immediately thereafter report to the officer designated for the purpose according to the rules of the Department and shall, in case of sickness or absence from the city, have his/her excuse, in writing or in person, to his/her respective company at its next regular meeting. Every volunteer fire fighter who has failed or neglected to report in the manner aforesaid for three consecutive times, and every fire fighter, officer or employee of the Fire Department removing from the above-named district in Egg Harbor City, shall be suspended and may be dealt with as if he/she had refused to obey orders as mentioned in § 38-5.
The Fire Chief and all officers and employees
and all other persons connected with the Fire Department shall receive
such compensation as shall be set out and determined by Common Council.[1]
The Fire Committee of Common Council, in connection
with the Fire Chief, shall have charge of all firehouses, not including
the Council Chamber property, and apparatus now or hereafter owned
by the City of Egg Harbor City and used or to be used for the protection
of property from destruction by fire, including the fire alarm system
and the fire hydrants. It shall be the duty of the Fire Chief to inspect
such apparatus, property, firehouses, fire alarm system, fire hydrants
and all other things and goods entrusted to the respective fire companies
and the property of the City of Egg Harbor City and, in case of any
defects thereof or neglect by the respective fire companies to repair
and maintain the same or keep the same in good order, to report such
neglect or defect to said Fire Committee or to Common Council. Said
Fire Committee shall have the power:
A.
To lease quarters for firehouse purposes and to purchase
such engines, trucks, apparatus, furniture, paraphernalia and supplies,
and to make such repairs as it may deem expedient and advisable, but
no expenditures for any purpose shall be made except from the regular
appropriations and with the consent of the Common Council.
B.
To determine and recommend such compensation, terms
of employment of all persons under the authority of this chapter and
to establish such rules as shall appear necessary for the proper government
and control of said Department.
C.
To sell by advertisement any and all apparatus and
property, except real estate, that is not needed by the Department,
and all money derived from such sale shall be paid to the City Treasurer
and added to the appropriations for the support of said Volunteer
Fire Department.
It shall be unlawful for any person or persons
to injure, deface or in any manner destroy any building or fire apparatus
or property of the Fire Department of the City of Egg Harbor City
or any police or fire alarm telegraph box or connection of or with
the same; or hinder or obstruct any engine or hook-and-ladder wagon,
hose cart or any employee or officer of said Department from freely
passing along the streets of said city to or from a fire; or in any
manner hinder or prevent any of said fire apparatus or any employee
or officer of the Department from operating at any fire.
Each and every person violating any of the provisions
of this chapter shall be subject, upon conviction thereof, to a fine
not exceeding $1,000, a term of imprisonment not exceeding 90 days
or a period of community service not exceeding 90 days, or any combination
thereof, in the discretion of the Judge before whom said conviction
shall be had.
There shall not be more than one fire company
to consist of volunteer fire fighters.
No person shall hereafter be admitted to membership
to said company who shall not have reached the age of 18 years, nor
one who shall be over 45 years of age, nor one who is physically disabled
to perform the duties of a fire fighter, and must possess a valid
New Jersey driver's license. An applicant for membership shall be
a minimum of 18 years of age and shall not be a full-time high school
student.
It shall be the duty of said company to make
or cause to be made monthly inspections of all fire apparatus or implements
and of every well, pump, engine or other device for the protection
against fire in the city aforesaid, and to make report thereof, in
writing, to the Common Council at each of its stated monthly meetings.
It shall be the duty of the Fire Chief to assume
the control and management of every fire, and each and every member
of such company is required to respond to every call of fire and shall
not leave the premises until allowed to do so by the Fire Chief and
shall assist in returning to the respective station any engine, ladder,
truck or other implement used at the fire, and the Fire Chief shall
make report of the origin, cause and extent of every fire at the next
following stated meeting of Common Council.
The Secretary shall make an annual report to
the Common Council at the stated meeting in April of each year, which
report shall contain the names of every member of such company and
the date of his/her admission as member, together with a record of
the attendance of each member at inspections or fires.
