[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council
of the Borough of Kinnelon 9-18-1969 by Ord. No. 5-69 (Ch. 13 of the 1972 Code).
Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 5-1-1972 by Ord. No. 9-72]
The Fire Company of the Borough of Kinnelon
shall be known as the "Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Company."[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: The Fire Company of the Borough
of Kinnelon was originally established by ordinance adopted 4-16-1942.
The Fire Company shall consist of a Chief and
two Assistant Chiefs and the firemen at the present time constituting
the Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Company, provided that they shall promise
and engage under oath to perform the duties of firemen as are now
or may hereafter be prescribed by this chapter or otherwise within
30 days after the passage of this chapter, and such firemen as may
hereafter be recommended by the Fire Company and approved by the Mayor
and Council.
In addition to the complement of firemen herein
provided for, there shall also be appointed Fire Chaplains and Fire
Surgeons. They shall be recommended by the Fire Company and approved
by the Mayor and Council. The age limits set forth in this chapter
shall be inapplicable to the Fire Chaplains and the Fire Surgeons.
There may be established under this chapter
such companies as may be deemed necessary by the Fire Company and
approved by the Mayor and Council.
[Amended 9-20-1973 by Ord. No. 6-73; 1-17-1991 by Ord. No. 2-1991]
The following qualifications shall be criteria
for appointment to the Fire Department, but no active firemen now
in good standing shall be barred from farther active membership in
the Fire Company. Each applicant shall be:
[Added 6-17-1993 by Ord. No. 10-93]
A.
Members of the Fire Company who are 60 years of age
or older and who have not less than 10 years' prior active service
as a firefighter may apply in writing to the Fire Company Chief and
to the Corporate President of the company for reclassification as
a senior firefighter. Such appointment shall be subject to the approval
of the Mayor and Council.
B.
Each senior firefighter shall perform all fire-fighting
duties and other Fire Company functions within the physical ability
or limitations of that member, including response to fire calls between
6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
D.
The membership roster of the Fire Company shall include
all senior firefighters who shall remain eligible for all benefits
provided to the company. Continuation on the membership roster of
the Fire Company shall be determined annually upon a review during
the month of January of the performance of each senior firefighter.
Every member of the Fire Company shall, upon
taking his oath as a fireman, receive a metallic badge which shall
be the property of the Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Company. The term of
service of each fireman shall begin as of the date of his taking oath
as a fireman.
The Chief shall be recommended by the Fire Company
and approved by the Mayor and Council for a term of one year. Said
approval shall be made at the organization meeting of the Mayor and
Council each year.
The members of each company shall themselves
elect a Captain, a First and a Second Lieutenant each.
It shall be the duty of said companies, if any
fire breaks out, to proceed immediately to their respective firehouses
and to convey their apparatus to the fire, unless otherwise authorized
by the officer present, and to remain under their officer's direction
until released.
The Chief and Assistant Chiefs, in the order
of their rank, shall have entire charge of the apparatus while it
is actually engaged in active fire duty, while on parade or inspection
or when employed in drills, and it shall be their duty to see that
all apparatus is returned to its place of deposit on each occasion,
properly cleaned and washed. In all cases of fire, the Chiefs, in
order of their rank, shall have full and absolute command and shall
cause the firemen and the apparatus to work in the most advantageous
manner.
Should both the Chief and the two Assistant
Chiefs be absent from any fire, the several companies shall work under
the command of the Captain or officers in whose area the fire is located.
It shall be the duty of the Chief to report
monthly to the Mayor and Council the condition of all fire-fighting
apparatus and appurtenances, the number and date of all fires during
the month, probable cause and the number of active firemen in each
company and to make at that time such recommendations as will in his
opinion make for the efficiency and betterment of the company.
The Chief and the two Assistant Chiefs or officers
in command at any fire are hereby clothed with full and complete police
power and are hereby authorized to call upon the head of any municipal
department for aid and assistance.
[Amended 5-1-1972 by Ord. No. 9-72]
Each member of the Fire Company shall in each
and every year perform at least 60% of duty, said 60% being composed
of attendance at 12 company meetings, at not more than 40 drills per
year called at the discretion of the Chief, and at fires or emergencies.
It shall be the duty of the Chief to arrange
the drills so that they will include the proper use of all appliances
and apparatus, the quick handling, laying of hose, hand nozzles, Siamese
connections, ladder work, life saving and other improved methods of
extinguishment of fires and handling of hose.
Any fireman who refuses or willfully neglects
to respond to fires or emergencies shall be liable to expulsion or
suspension from the company on the complaint of the Chief to the Mayor
and Council.
Any member of the Fire Company who has served
for seven years and has attended 60% of all fire duty shall, upon
proper verification, be entitled to an exempt certificate.
Any member failing to perform 60% of all fire
duty as specified in the Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Company bylaws within
one calendar year shall be automatically expelled from the Fire Company,
with the right to appeal to a review board for a hearing.
The Fire Chief shall cause a record to be kept
of the members of the company, which record shall consist of the name,
address, when admitted, company assigned to, fire duty performed,
when membership expires and such other information as the Mayor and
Council shall from time to time request.
All buildings, furnishings, apparatus and other
personal property which the Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Company may have
title to at the present time, as shown by an inventory dated January
1, 1969, or which it may hereafter purchase, shall remain and be the
property of said company but shall not be disposed of by sale or otherwise
for a period of at least 90 days following notice to the Mayor and
Council in writing at a regular meeting so that the Borough may have
full opportunity to acquire title to same by purchase at market value.
[Added 3-19-1981 by Ord. No. 3-81]
There is hereby established an auxiliary to
the Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Company to be known as the "Junior Firemen's
Auxiliary," which shall operate under and pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:14-95
et seq.
[Added 3-19-1981 by Ord. No. 3-81]
Any individual between 16 and 18 years of age
shall be eligible for membership in a Junior Firemen's Auxiliary.
No individual shall become a member of a Junior Firemen's Auxiliary
unless permission shall be obtained from such individual's parents
or legal guardian. Such permission shall be in writing and acknowledged
or proved by the Clerk of the Borough of Kinnelon in the manner required
by law for deeds to real estate to be recorded. A copy of the written
permission shall be forwarded by the Clerk of the Borough of Kinnelon
to the Borough Fire Chief.
[Added 3-19-1981 by Ord. No. 3-81]
Members of the Junior Firemen's Auxiliary shall
be insured under statutory New Jersey state and federal accident compensatory
insurance benefits, in addition to selected occupational accident
insurance programs paid for by the Volunteer Fire Company.
[Added 3-19-1981 by Ord. No. 3-81]
The Borough Council hereinafter establishes
the following rules and regulations designed to provide for the training
of the auxiliary for eventual membership in the Volunteer Fire Company
and to govern the activities of the auxiliary:
A.
No junior fireman shall be required to perform duties
which would expose the junior fireman to the same degree of hazard
as a regular member of the Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Company.
B.
No junior fireman shall be permitted to engage in
fire fighting or be in the immediate vicinity of a hazardous condition
involving the handling of dangerous or poisonous acids or dyes or
injurious quantities of toxic or noxious dust, gases, vapors or fumes.
C.
A junior fireman shall be on probation until the age
of 18 years and may be expelled from the auxiliary for just cause.
D.
A junior fireman shall comply with the constitution
and bylaws of the Volunteer Fire Company, as well as any bylaws established
by the Auxiliary itself.
E.
A junior fireman shall obey the commands of the Fire
Chief or any other officer of the Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Company
in charge of a drill or other Department activity.
F.
Training shall include instruction concerning industrial
fire systems; breathing apparatus; municipal water systems; hydrants
and alternate water sources; care, testing and handling of fire hoses;
types and uses of hand-held fire extinguishers; procedures for handling
alarms; radio procedures; care, cleaning and basic maintenance of
apparatus; preparation of knots for hoisting equipment; safety measures
for riding on apparatus; use of personal safety equipment and hand
tools, theory of pumps and hydraulic fire systems; and the use of
ladders, including their care and testing. Actual use of the equipment
shall be encouraged whenever it shall be deemed advisable by the Volunteer
Fire Company, provided that a junior fireman shall not be exposed
to any danger. Adequate supervision shall be provided, and all possible
safety precautions shall be taken.
G.
Junior firemen may apply for an adult class of membership
upon achieving the age of 18 years by completing the appropriate application
forms in accordance with Fire Company procedures.
H.
Subject to the approval of the Mayor and Council,
these rules and regulations may be supplemented by the Volunteer Fire
Company.
