City of Port Jervis, NY Article II Fire Companies

§ 55-35 Election and terms of officers.

To each company organized and enrolled according to law, there shall be one Captain, a First Lieutenant, a Second Lieutenant, Secretary and Treasurer, to be elected annually by the members of each company, such officers to hold their respective places for one year and until their successors are elected, and it shall be the duty of the Secretary within three days after such election to make out under his hand and deliver to the Clerk-Treasurer of the City a certificate of such election, to be laid before the Common Council at its next regular meeting.

§ 55-36 Duties of Captains.

A. Generally. It shall be the duty of each Captain to preserve order and discipline in the company at all times when on duty and enforce on the part of his company strict compliance with the City ordinances and the orders of the Chief; to see that the engine, apparatus and all the property under his charge are kept in good order and repair, and immediately when repair is needed, to report the particulars thereof to the Chief; to take command of his company upon the alarm of fire in the City or when ordered out by the Chief; and in case of fire, to enforce the utmost diligence and sobriety on the part of each individual member, to bring his engine and apparatus into operation as speedily as possible, and on return from a fire, to see that the engine, hose and apparatus under his charge are well washed, cleaned, oiled when necessary, securely housed and arranged for inspection of the Chief.

B. At fires. At a fire it shall be the duty of the Captain to proceed first to water, unless otherwise directed, and personally superintend the operation of getting his company at work, after which he will report himself to the Chief for further orders. In the absence of the Captain, this duty will be performed by the officer provided in the bylaws of the respective companies.

§ 55-37 Duties of Lieutenants.

A. Generally. It shall be the duty of the Lieutenants to cooperate with the Captain in the discharge of all duties imposed on him by this chapter, and in case of his absence or inability to act, then the duties of Captain shall devolve upon and be performed by the Lieutenant.

B. First Lieutenant. At a fire it shall be the duty of the First Lieutenant to remain in position with his engine, and after the same has been put at work by the Captain, to take command, communicate with the Captain and Chief Assistants, repeat their orders to the company and see them obeyed with precision and dispatch. This duty, in case of his absence, devolves upon the person named in the bylaws of the respective companies, unless otherwise provided.

C. Second Lieutenant. At a fire it shall be the duty of the Second Lieutenant to take the management and direction of stretching, arranging and connecting the lines of hose, and under his direction, after the engine is at work, are the pipemen, near whom he will maintain a position. In case of his absence or disability, the place will be filled as provided in § 55-39 below, unless otherwise provided.

§ 55-38 Duties of hook and ladder officers.

A. Hook and ladder Captain. At a fire it shall be the duty of the Captain of the hook and ladder company to bring his truck on the ground, as near to the burning building as safety will permit, and report himself to the Chief without delay for orders. In case of his absence or inability, the First Lieutenant shall perform his duties.

B. Hook and ladder Lieutenants. At a fire it shall be the duty of the Lieutenant of the hook and ladder company to take position at the truck and to see that all orders from the Chief, his Assistants or Captains for equipment are obeyed with precision and dispatch. In case of the absence or inability of the Lieutenant, his duty will devolve upon the person named by the bylaws of the company.

§ 55-39 False assumption of officers' duties.

If any person, not being duly elected, shall act or attempt to act as Captain or Lieutenant of any company, he shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished as provided in Chapter 1, General Provisions, Article I, provided that this section does not apply to any person who may, in the temporary absence of the Captain or Lieutenant of any company, act as such.

§ 55-40 Selection of firemen; certificates of membership.

A. Before becoming a member of any company of the Fire Department, a person shall be elected by the company to which he desires to become such member, and his name shall then be presented at the next regular meeting of the Common Council for approval, and if approved, there shall be issued to him a certificate of membership to the following effect:

"This is to certify that __________________________ is appointed and enrolled a member of the Fire Department of the City of Port Jervis, to be attached to ________________________ Company No. __________ by order of the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Port Jervis, ____________ Dated Port Jervis, New York ___________"

B. Before delivery thereof, said certificate shall be recorded by the Clerk-Treasurer of the City in a book provided for that purpose, and the Clerk-Treasurer shall certify on such certificate the day, month and year of recording the same and the number of the page and book, and the Mayor and Common Council shall have power to revoke and annul said certificate of membership so granted as aforesaid, in case any such member shall offend against the provisions of these regulations or become disobedient to the orders and directions of the Chief or either of the Assistant Engineers or any officer of the company to which such member may belong.

§ 55-41 Expulsion of members.

A. Authority. Each company shall have the power to expel a member for disobedience or noncompliance with the bylaws of the company, said bylaws having first been approved by the Mayor and Common Council.

B. Reinstatement. Any member so expelled shall not again be admitted to membership in any branch of the Department until he shall have made himself good upon the books of the company from which he was expelled.

C. Nonpayment of dues or fines. Any member expelled for nonpayment of dues or fines may be reinstated, provided that the same is paid or tendered within three months from the date of such expulsion.

§ 55-42 Scheduling of outside events.

A. Date. No company shall be allowed to schedule any event outside the truck house or involving outside sale or solicitation unless the date requested is more than seven days prior to a date already granted another company.

B. Waiver of date requirement. If a company which has been granted a date states its agreement to waive this rule, permission to another company to schedule a date may be granted at the discretion of the Board of Officers.

C. Cooperation in single event. If two or more companies cooperate in a single event, the rules shall apply in the same manner as though the event were considered held by one company, with permission being granted jointly to the companies involved.

§ 55-43 Firemen's Fund Society.

The members of the several companies may associate themselves together for the purpose of forming a Firemen's Fund Society under such rules and regulations as they may hereafter adopt, not inconsistent with the laws of the state and City ordinances, said association to be under the general control of a Board of Direction composed of the Chief Engineer, Assistant Chiefs and not more than three representatives from each company. The object of such society shall be to raise a fund for the benefit of disabled firemen and to promote generally the interest of the Department.