[Adopted by Ord.
No. 1-83 (§ 2-9 of the 1975 General Ordinances)]
[Amended 5-14-1997 by Ord. No. 09-97; 6-10-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-07; 9-12-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-07]
There is hereby authorized and established a fire department
in and for the Township, to be known as the Mansfield Township Fire
Department. The Fire Department shall consist of four companies. The
companies comprising the Department shall be the Mansfield Township
Fire Company, the Tri-County Fire Company No. 1, and the Mt. Bethel
Fire Company. Each fire company shall elect its own officers as its
bylaws may provide. One of the officers shall be its chief and shall
be designated as chief of the fire company.
No person shall become a member of the Fire
Department or any unit thereof unless such person shall:
A.
Be at least 18 years of age and not over 40 years
of age.
B.
Be a resident of the Township for a period of at least
six months or, if a nonresident, reside within six road miles of its
firehouse.
C.
Be a citizen of the United States.
D.
Submit a certificate of physical fitness from a practicing
physician, licensed in New Jersey, which certifies that (s)he is fit
to perform the duties and responsibilities of a fire fighter.
Every candidate for membership in the Township
Fire Department shall make written application to the company with
which (s)he desires to become affiliated. An affirmative vote of a
majority of the members of the company present and voting shall be
sufficient to elect such candidate to membership, provided a quorum
is present, subject, however, to approval of his/her membership by
the chief of the fire company in which membership is sought and his/her
further confirmation by the Township Committee.
The names of all members of the Township Fire
Department shall be entered on a roll of fire fighters to be maintained
by the Township Clerk.
The Township Committee shall appoint one of
the chiefs of the respective fire companies annually who shall be
designated chief of the Fire Department. Whenever this term is used
in this section, it shall be deemed to mean the chief for Firemen's
Relief Association purpose only.
Whenever this term is used in this section,
it shall be deemed to mean the chief of the respective fire company.
Every member of the Township Fire Department
shall, in each and every year, perform at least 60% of duty. Such
duty shall include actual attendance and duty at fires and drills.
A record shall be maintained of each member's duty and attendance
by the Chief of the Fire Department or an officer delegated by him/her
for such purpose, and a report thereof made annually to the Township
Committee.
Exemption certificates may be issued to members
of the Township Fire Department who shall have served on active duty
for seven years under Township control, pursuant to the provisions
of the laws of New Jersey.
