There shall be a Department of Public Safety, the head of which
shall be the Business Administrator of the Borough who shall be the
Director of Public Safety.
Within the Department of Public Safety, there shall be a Division
of Police, the head of which shall be the Chief of Police. The Division,
under the direction and supervision of the Director, shall:
A.
Preserve the public peace, protect life and property, prevent crime,
detect and arrest offenders against the penal laws and ordinances
effective within the Borough, suppress riots, mobs and insurrections,
disperse unlawful or dangerous assemblages and preserve order at all
elections and public meetings and assemblages.
B.
Administer and enforce laws and ordinances to regulate, direct, control
and restrict the movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic and
the use of the streets by vehicles and persons, to protect the safety
and facilitate the convenience of motorists and pedestrians, and to
make and enforce rules and regulations not inconsistent with the Charter
and ordinances for such purposes.
C.
Remove all nuisances in the public streets, parks and other public
places, inspect and observe all places of public amusement, assemblage
and all places of business requiring any state or Borough license
or permit and report thereon to the appropriate department.
D.
Provide proper police attendance and protection at fires.
E.
Provide for the attendance of its members in court as necessary for
the prosecution and trial of persons charged with crimes and offenses,
and cooperate fully with the law enforcement and prosecuting authorities
of federal, state and county governments.
F.
Operate a training program to maintain and improve the police efficiency
of the members of the Department.
G.
Make, administer and enforce rules and regulations for the disposition,
conduct and discipline of the Department.
The Division shall consist of such officers and men as are authorized
for the Police Department on the effective date of this code until
otherwise provided pursuant to law. The Division shall also include
school traffic guards and the police reserve.
The Chief of Police shall promulgate and, from time to time,
revise and enforce a manual of police discipline, practices and procedures
for the better administration of the work of the Department and for
the discipline and efficiency of the police force not inconsistent
with existing ordinances.
Within the Department of Police there shall be a Bureau of Civil
Defense for organizational purposes only, the head of which shall
be the Civil Defense Director. The Civil Defense Council is established,
constituted and empowered pursuant to law, N.J.S.A. App. A:9-41.
There shall be a police and fire physician who shall be appointed
by the Mayor. Prior to his/her appointment, (s)he shall be a licensed
and practicing medical doctor of the State of New Jersey, and shall
perform those duties as, from time to time, may be designated by the
Mayor.
Within the Department of Public Safety there shall be a Fire
Division, the head of which shall be the Fire Chief. The Division,
subject to the direction and supervision of the Fire Chief, shall:
A.
Have exclusive jurisdiction over the control, fighting and extinguishment
of any conflagration which occurs within the Borough.
B.
Make, administer and enforce rules and regulations for control, disposition
and discipline of the Department and its officers and employees and,
within the limits available, appropriations for the establishment
and maintenance of stations and the disposition, use and care of its
equipment and apparatus.
C.
Designate and fix the location of fire alarm telegraph and signal
stations in the Borough and operate, repair and maintain a Borough
fire alarm and signal system.
D.
Investigate the cause, circumstances and origin of fires and report
to the Borough Police Department and to the County Prosecutor every
case of suspicion of arson.
E.
Be authorized to inspect and test any automatic or other fire alarm
system or fire extinguishing equipment.
F.
Be authorized to enter upon, without fee or hindrance, all premises,
grounds, structures, buildings, vessels and passages whenever necessary
to the performance of its duties.
G.
Operate a training program to maintain and improve the fire-fighting
efficiency of the members of the Department.
H.
Maintain a Bureau of Fire Prevention and Fire Safety Inspection and
administer fire prevention ordinances of the Borough, except as may
be therein specifically provided in such ordinances.
The Division shall consist of such officers and employees as
authorized for the Fire Division on the effective date of this code
unless otherwise provided pursuant to law.
The Fire Chief shall administer and enforce rules and regulations
for the control, disposition and discipline of the Department and
its officers and employees, and for the use and care of equipment
and apparatus in accordance with existing ordinances of the Borough.
The Department shall operate a training program to maintain and improve
the capability and efficiency of the members of the Department.
[Amended 12-5-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-10]
A.
Within the Department of Public Safety, there shall be an ambulance
transport division to be known as the Spotswood Emergency Medical
Services (EMS), the head of which shall be the Director to be appointed
by the Mayor. The Director shall be a certified emergency medical
technician (EMT) and shall receive a salary pursuant to the Borough
salary ordinance. The Division, subject to the Director and supervision
of the Director, shall:
[Amended 12-18-2018 by Ord. No. 2017-19]
(1)
Help implement any agreement entered into by the Borough providing
for implementation of a third-party payment plan (the "plan") for
emergency medical services provided by the Borough upon issuance by
the New Jersey State Department of Health of a license for a municipal
ambulance service (the "program") within the Borough.
(2)
Provide experience and statistics regarding such services and the
patients (or third parties) served, perform all required scheduling
and oversee day-to-day operations of such services.
(3)
Assist in obtaining a "provider number" from federal and state Medicare/Medicaid
programs which will enable the Borough to institute a third-party
payment plan.
(4)
Upon issuance of the appropriate license and provider number, coordinate
such a third-party payment plan for emergency medical services, which
shall not balance bill any deductibles or co-pays for residents of
the Borough, including those covered by Medicare/Medicaid, and which
shall provide that residents without insurance coverage shall not
be billed for any services rendered and for which services such persons
shall not have any payment obligation.
(5)
Assist the Borough Finance Department and Chief Financial Officer
of the Borough (the "CFO") to insure that the plan's billing system
is adequate.
(6)
Review annually with the Borough Auditor and CFO the internal auditing
procedures and financial controls of any administrative billing/collection
service contracted by the Borough as well as assist the CFO in obtaining
information on the average fees charged in the Central New Jersey
region for similar services in order that the governing body may determine
whether fees for the Borough's ambulance transportation service shall
be modified.
(7)
Make recommendations to the Borough Council regarding contracts with
various hospitals that provide (ALS) services to patients who will
be transported by the Spotswood Borough Municipal Ambulance Service,
allowing the hospitals to bundle bill Medicare for services rendered
so long as such contracts require a hospital to reimburse the Borough
for its transportation costs within 45 days of receiving payment.
(8)
Assist in determining whether the Borough should at any time contract
with a volunteer first aid squad to provide third-party billing as
established in this section if such an arrangement is deemed by the
governing body to be preferable to the plan established hereunder.
B.
All revenues derived from the plan will be deposited into the Borough's
current fund, and expenditures made for contracted fees and costs
will be paid in accordance with the Local Budget Law (N.J.S.A. 40A:4-1
et seq.).
C.
The fee for ambulance transportation service shall be $850, in addition
to $20 per mile for each transportation event. In addition, a fee
of $125 will be charged for refused medical attention (RMA) events.
[Amended 5-3-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-05; 12-15-2014 by Ord. No.
2014-17; 12-18-2018 by Ord. No. 2017-19]
D.
Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 34:15-43, Spotswood Emergency Medical Services
(EMS) is hereby designated as the official first aid squad of the
Borough.
[Amended 12-18-2018 by Ord. No. 2017-19]
[Amended 3-24-1997 by Ord. No. 1997-527]
The Division of Inspection is established in the Department
of Public Safety. The Division shall be under the control and supervision
of such person so designated by the Director of Public Safety. Within
the Division of Inspection there shall be the Bureau of Code Enforcement,
the Bureau of Construction Code Enforcement, and the Bureau of Fire
Prevention.
A.
The Chief Code Enforcement Officer shall:
(1)
Have the authority and responsibility to enforce:
(2)
Be authorized to issue notices of violation and orders to abate and
to issue Borough ordinance summonses and subpoena witnesses.
(3)
Keep a record of all proceedings in his/her office and a book of
all complaints made to him/her as Chief Code Enforcement Officer which
shall be open for inspection by the Director and the Borough Council
and shall be the property of the Borough.
(4)
Report each month to the Director and the Borough Council, in writing,
all permits issued by him/her with the estimated cost of work for
which the permits were issued during the preceding months and a statement
of all fees (s)he received.
B.
The Bureau of Construction Code Enforcement shall be under the direction of the Construction Official and shall include the Building Subcode Official/Inspector, Plumbing Subcode Official/Inspector, Electrical Subcode Official and Fire Protection Subcode Official/Inspector whose duties and terms are provided for under Chapter 72 of the Code of the Borough of Spotswood and the Uniform Construction Code Regulations (N.J.A.C. 5:23.)
C.
The Bureau of Fire Prevention shall be under the direct supervision and control of the Fire Marshal. The appointment and duties of the Fire Marshal and Fire Prevention Inspectors of the Bureau shall be as set forth in Chapter 98, Fire Prevention, of this revision and the regulations promulgated by the State of New Jersey pursuant to the Uniform Fire Safety Act, N.J.S.A. 52:27D-192 et seq.
