[Adopted 3-21-1973 by Ord. No. 1973-6 (Ch.
47, Art. II, of the 1977 Code); amended in its entirety 11-28-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-21]
A.
Reestablishment
of Department. There is hereby reestablished a Fire Department and
for the Borough of South River, to be known as the "South River Fire
Department" and to consist of three companies, namely, Engine Company
No. 1, Reliable Fire Company and Summit Engine Company. The fire companies
hereby created shall comply with all the requirements of this article
and any rules or regulations promulgated hereunder.
B.
Compensation.
The officers and members of the South River Fire Department shall
receive such annual compensation as may be determined by the governing
body.
C.
Equipment.
All apparatus, accessories, vehicles, equipment and supplies necessary
for the maintenance and operation of the said Fire Department shall
be bought and paid for by the Borough of South River.
A.
Qualifications.
(1)
No person shall hereafter become a member of the Fire Department
of the Borough of South River or any company thereof unless he/she
shall:
(a)
Have attained the age of 18 years.
(b)
Be a citizen of the United States or legal resident with a social
security card.
[Amended 6-26-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-14]
(c)
Work and/or live within a ten-mile radius of the Borough at all times
during membership in the Department.
(d)
Be physically fit to perform the duties of a fireman as evidenced
by a certificate to that effect by a licensed practicing physician
of the State of New Jersey.
(e)
Be in good moral standing.
(2)
All prospective members of any of the companies of the South River
Fire Department shall be subject to criminal background investigation
by the South River Police Department and the New Jersey State Police.
In order to facilitate the background check, prospective members shall
be subject to fingerprinting administered by the South River Police
Department. Disclosure of the results of the criminal background investigation
shall not be considered public information. Said results may be released
only to the governing body, Business Administrator, Borough Attorney
and Fire Chief.
(3)
Each new member appointed by the Mayor and Council shall, within
two years of acceptance, submit a certificate stating that he/she
has completed a course set forth by the New State Division of Fire
and Safety at an approved Fire School. Failure to do such shall be
a cause for removal from the Fire Department.
(4)
Any individual from another fire department seeking membership to
the South River Fire Department must submit a letter of reference
from their current department along with the application and possess
all certificates needed for the position they are seeking.
(5)
Each person seeking to join the Fire Department shall make application
to the fire company which he/she desires to join, and upon his/her
appointment to membership of the company, he/she shall become a member
in good standing of the Fire Department. After appointment by the
Mayor and Council, said individual's name shall be entered onto the
roll as a firefighter kept by the Municipal Clerk. Said individual
shall be given a badge of membership by his/her unit.
B.
Disciplinary
proceedings.
(1)
The Chief of the Fire Department and the Fire Committee shall be
responsible to see that this article is carried out by the officers
and members of the Fire Department.
[Amended 8-2-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-11]
(2)
In the event that disciplinary action is taken against a member by
the Chief, the member has the right to appeal before the three Chiefs
and all line officers of the South River Fire Department.
D.
Exempt
certificates. Exemption certificates will be issued to members of
the South River Fire Department who shall have served seven years
in active duty, under municipal control, as required by law. Said
certificates shall be signed by the municipal officers and the Chief
of the Department.
E.
Fire
Police; Each individual shall be a member of the South River Fire
Department. Fire Police shall serve for a term of one year commencing
January 1, be recommended by the Fire Chief and appointed by the Mayor
with the advice and consent of the Borough Council. Fire Police will
attend training set forth by the New Jersey Division of Fire and Safety,
and shall have the same qualifications, discipline and duties as set
forth within this chapter.
A.
The
officers of the South River Fire Department shall consist of a Chief,
a First Assistant Chief and a Second Assistant Chief. A person nominated
to serve as Chief or First Assistant Chief shall have first served
in the rank immediately below the rank in the South River Fire Department
for which the position is sought. The officers of each company shall
consist of a Captain, a Lieutenant, a President, a Vice President,
and a Secretary and such other officers as each company may select.
Each January the three Chiefs shall appoint an Incident Safety Officer
(ISO). Said individual's term shall be for one year commencing January
1. The ISO shall follow all guidelines set forth by the Public Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (POSHA) and New Jersey Division of
Fire and Safety and the Chiefs of that year. An individual shall qualify
to be appointed as an ISO if he has been a regular member of the South
River Fire Department for at least seven years and the individual
shall have completed an approved ISO training course set forth by
the New Jersey State Division of Fire and Safety.
B.
Election
of officers.
(1)
On the first Monday of December at 8:00 p.m. (EST), the Fire Department
shall elect a Chief, First Assistant Chief and Second Assistant Chief.
The terms of office shall commence on January 1 of the following year,
and the Chiefs serve a term of one year or until their successors
are confirmed by the Mayor and Council.
(2)
At least two weeks before said election, the Borough Clerk shall
post notices in each of the fire stations. Prior to the December election,
one candidate from each company shall be elected by his/her company
at their regular monthly meeting. The positions of Chief, First Assistant
Chief and Second Assistant Chief shall be filled by a member of a
different company. The individual elected by each company shall have
at least three years membership in the South River Fire Department
and shall have served as a Captain and/or Lieutenant in a Fire Department.
At the time of election the individual shall meet the requirements
set forth by the New Jersey State Division of Fire Safety for such
position. The Chairman of the Public Safety Committee shall preside
at and conduct such election. In the event that a person elected to
one of the Chief positions shall be unable to complete a full term
due to incapacity, resignation or other reason, the company in which
the vacancy arises shall hold a special meeting pursuant to its bylaws;
at said meeting members of the company shall fill the vacancy for
the unexpired term with a qualified individual set forth in this article.
A.
The
Chief of the South River Fire Department shall be responsible for
heading the South River Fire Department and shall be the chief executive
officer of the Fire Department.
B.
The
Chief, First Assistant and/or Second Assistant Chief shall attend
all business meetings held by the Mayor and Council, and any other
meeting deemed necessary by the Fire Chief of that year.
C.
The
Chief shall report to the Chairman of the Public Safety Committee
on all drills held each month, stating date, time and purpose.
D.
The
Chief shall be responsible for all Fire Department property, excluding
buildings and grounds.
E.
The
Chief shall be responsible for preparing the annual budget request
and for the proper expenditure of funds as prescribed in the fiscal
policy of the Borough.
F.
It
shall be the duty of the Chief to examine thereafter all reports each
month for all apparatus and request the annual hydrant report from
the water department.
A.
It
shall be the duty of the Captain of each company to keep a permanent
record of attendance for fires and drills for each member of his company.
The Captain shall submit each January 31 of the following year a signed
certified report stating members that have qualified for L.O.S.A.P.
B.
The
Captain of each company shall submit monthly a truck and equipment
maintenance report to the Chief of the Fire Department.
[Added 8-2-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-11]
B.
General duties.
(1)
It shall be the responsibility of the Fire Committee(s) to assist the Chief of the Department in assuring that this article is carried out by the members and officers of the Fire Department as is mentioned in § 72-3B.
(2)
It shall be the responsibility of the Fire Committee(s) to monitor
and regulate the operation and use of their respective fire stations.
Any outside or non-Fire-Department use of the fire stations must be
approved by the Fire Committee.
(3)
The Fire Committee will annually appoint a building manager(s), who
will act as a liaison to the Business Administrator for maintenance
and repairs.
In the absence of the Chief, his command shall devolve upon
and his duties be performed by the First Assistant Chief; in the absence
of the Chief and the First Assistant Chief, command shall devolve
upon and the duties shall be performed by the Second Assistant Chief;
and in the absence of the Chief, First Assistant Chief and Second
Assistant Chief, said command and duties shall devolve upon the next
senior officer of the Fire Department in attendance at said incident.
In the absence of any line officer, the driver of the first arriving
apparatus shall assume command.
A.
Each company shall have a Secretary, who shall be elected by ballot
at the annual meeting of the company in each and every year.
B.
It shall be the duty of the Secretary of each company to submit to
the Secretary of the Local Firemen's Relief Association a complete
list of all active members of his company; said list when filed shall
carry the name of the member, date of joining the Department and age
at the time of joining.
C.
It shall be the duty of the Secretary of each company to notify the
Mayor and Council of any membership changes.
D.
It shall be the duty of the Secretary of each company to notify the
Chairman of the Public Safety Committee of their respective company's
nomination for the position of Chief, First Assistant, and Second
Assistant Chief prior to the first Monday of December.
Each company shall have the power to adopt bylaws
for the conduct and management of such company and the officers and
members thereof, not inconsistent with the provisions of this article
or any ordinance of the Borough of South River or any statutory law
applicable thereto.
