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City of Versailles, MO
Morgan County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[1]
Cross Reference — As to criminal background checks for firemen, §115.200.
[CC 1974 §205.010; Ord. No. 714 §1, 3-1962]
There is hereby created and established by record, what has been only a voluntary association, City Volunteer Department consisting of a Fire Chief and such members of said Fire Department as may from time to time be provided by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. Members will be appointed and selected in the manner provided by law and this agreement.
[CC 1974 §205.020; Ord. No. 714 §2, 3-1962]
The Fire Chief shall have the control, subject to the order and direction of the Board of Aldermen, of the Fire Department and all fire apparatus belonging to the City. Whenever any fire apparatus needs repairing, said Fire Chief shall cause the same to be done without delay.
[Ord. No. 1204 §§1 — 2, 2-7-1989]
A. 
There is hereby created the office of Fire Commissioner of the City of Versailles, said Fire Commissioner to have such duties as shall be prescribed by regulations of the Versailles Fire Department, said regulations being on file in the City offices and incorporated herein by reference thereto and said regulations are further approved hereby.
B. 
The person occupying the position of Fire Commissioner shall be a member of the Fire Department of the City of Versailles and shall be named by the Fire Chief of the City of Versailles and approved by this Board and shall be compensated as other fire fighters of the City of Versailles.
[CC 1974 §205.030; Ord. No. 714 §3, 3-1962]
In case of fire, the Fire Chief and his/her assistants shall rank in order named and the officer of highest rank at the fire shall take command of the Fire Department and direct the management thereof for the suppression of the fire, in the best manner possible; and when it may be necessary for the protection of other property and to prevent the spread of conflagration, the officer in command may cause said buildings to be removed, torn down or destroyed in the best manner possible.
[Ord. No. 20-003, 2-11-2020]
In the event that the Fire Chief is unable to perform his or her duties for an extended period of time due to illness, personal, vacation, or otherwise, the Board of Aldermen may appoint a member or members from the list of approved firefighters of the Fire Department to act as Temporary Fire Chief(s) to fulfill the day-to-day duties of the Fire Chief until the Fire Chief returns to duty. The Temporary Fire Chief(s) shall receive compensation at the same rate as a Reserve Police Officer for the hours worked while performing the day-to-day duties of the Fire Chief and shall not be paid for more than forty (40) hours per calendar week. The Temporary Fire Chief on duty shall not receive compensation for any fire calls that the Temporary Fire Chief attends while on duty as the Temporary Fire Chief. If able to do so, the Fire Chief shall present to the Board of Aldermen a recommendation of the candidate or candidates from the list of approved firefighters to perform the daily operations as Temporary Fire Chief until the Fire Chief returns to duty. In the event that the Fire Chief is incapacitated or unavailable, the Fire Commissioner shall first meet with the Fire Department Officers to discuss, and then shall present to the Board of Aldermen a recommendation of the candidate or candidates from the list of approved firefighters of the Fire Department to perform the daily operations as Temporary Fire Chief until the Fire Chief returns to duty.
[CC 1974 §205.040; Ord. No. 714 §4, 3-1962; Ord. No. 1564 §1, 4-3-2002]
A. 
The Fire Department shall consist of so many members as may be decided upon by the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen. The Fire Department may have any organization approved by the Board and may hold meetings and engage in social activities and benefits with the approval of the Board.
B. 
The Secretary and Treasurer of the organization shall keep a record of all the meetings and make a report to the Board of all meetings and activities and no officer shall be appointed to the organization without the consent of the Mayor and Board.
C. 
If the applicant receives three (3) negative votes, his/her name shall not be submitted to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen for action, unless the Chief of the Versailles Fire Department, after such consultation with other City Fire officers that the Chief deems appropriate, submits an applicant to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen for action.
[CC 1974 §205.050; Ord. No. 714 §5, 3-1962]
The Fire Chief shall keep or cause to be kept a record of all meetings of the company and the attendance of the members, a record of all fires and during the last week in each April file with the City Clerk a full report of such records, attendance and fires, which report shall be under oath.
[CC 1974 §205.060; Ord. No. 714 §6, 3-1962]
It shall be the function and the duty of the Fire Department and every member thereof to extinguish accidental and destructive fires and to prevent the occurrence or spread of such fires.
[CC 1974 §205.070; Ord. No. 714 §7, 3-1962]
All firemen in attendance at a fire who shall neglect or refuse to obey the orders of command at such fire shall upon conviction be fined not less than five dollars ($5.00) nor more than fifty dollars ($50.00) for such offense.
[CC 1974 §205.080; Ord. No. 714 §8, 3-1962]
Every male person above the age of eighteen (18) years who shall be present at a fire shall be subject to the orders of the officer in command at such fire and shall render all assistance in his/her power and in such manner as he/she may be directed in the extinguishment of the fire and in the removal of and protection of property and any person refusing to obey such order shall upon conviction be fined in any sum not exceeding two hundred dollars ($200.00), provided no person shall be bound to obey unless such officer's official character is made known to such person.
[CC 1974 §205.090; Ord. No. 714 §9, 3-1962]
It shall be the duty of all officers of the Fire Department and all Police Officers of the City to see that the provisions of this Chapter are enforced on view of any person who shall be found violating any of the provisions of this Chapter or who shall hinder, resist or refuse to obey such officer in the discharge of his/her duty and to that end all such officers are vested with the usual power and authority of Police Officers.
[CC 1974 §205.100; Ord. No. 714 §10, 3-1962]
It shall be and hereby is declared unlawful for any person or persons to enter the Fire Department house or any place where the fire equipment and apparatus is stored at any time except on business appertaining to the Fire Department or other City business. The penalty for any such violation on conviction shall be a fine of not less than three dollars ($3.00) nor more than ten dollars ($10.00).
[CC 1974 §205.110; Ord. No. 714 §11, 3-1962]
Members of the Fire Department are authorized to go outside the corporation limits for the purpose of rendering aid to other Fire Departments and extinguishing fires. Provided that said Fire Department shall not render any such services outside the corporate limits of the City except on order from the Fire Chief, the Assistant Fire Chief or Mayor; except where the City is under contract to render service to property outside the corporate limits of said City, when Fire Department shall be authorized to leave said limits to carry out contract.
[Ord. No. 1030 §§1 — 8, 8-7-1979; Ord. No. 1086 §§1 — 8, 11-3-1981; Ord. No. 1228 §1, 12-5-1989; Ord. No. 1263 §1, 3-5-1991; Ord No. 1293 §1, 3-3-1992]
A. 
The City of Versailles hereby contracts with the Cities of Sunrise Beach, Camdenton, Gravois Mills, Laurie, Versailles Rural, Stover, Eldon and Tipton for the interchange of service of the Fire Departments of the parties hereto upon the conditions and provisions hereinafter contained.
B. 
The City of Versailles may call upon Fire Department help under emergency conditions from the Cities of Sunrise Beach, Camdenton, Gravois Mills, Laurie, Versailles Rural, Stover, Eldon and Tipton and said City Fire Departments shall respond, if possible, to such calls.
C. 
This contract shall take effect and be in force commencing on the seventh (7th) day of August, 1979.
D. 
This contract may be terminated at any time during its term on the passage of an ordinance to the effect by the legislative body of any of the municipalities concerned and written notice given to the other parties hereto by serving on the City Clerk of such other municipalities a certified copy of such ordinance terminating this agreement. The termination shall take effect sixty (60) days from the date of service of such written notice.
E. 
The consideration for the service of the Fire Department of each municipality shall be the service given for the protection of lives and property in such municipality by the service of the Fire Department of the other parties hereto and no compensation shall accrue or be paid by either party for the service of the Fire Department of the other party hereto.
F. 
Neither municipality shall be liable to the other for failure to respond to any call by the other of such municipalities or for delay or negligence or mistake in receiving or responding to any call, nor shall this contract be interpreted as being an agreement for the benefit of any third (3rd) person.
G. 
Neither municipality shall be liable by reason of this contract to any fireman, official or employee of the other, nor shall any fireman, official or employee of any municipality be considered for any purpose a fire official or employee of any municipality other than the one by which he/she is regularly employed.
H. 
In case of loss or damage to the equipment or property of either municipality while responding to fire alarms, such loss or damage shall be borne by the City owning such equipment or property.
[CC 1974 §205.120; Pg. 53 R.O. 1939]
It shall be the duty of the Chief of the Fire Department to inspect or cause to be inspected by Fire Department officers or members, as often as may be necessary but not less than twice a year in outlying districts and four (4) times a year in the closely built portions of the City, all buildings, premises and public thoroughfares for the purpose of ascertaining and causing to be corrected any conditions liable to cause fire or any violations of the provisions or intent of any ordinance of the City affecting fire hazards. In private dwellings such inspections shall be restricted to basements and cellars.
[CC 1974 §205.130; Pg. 53 R.O. 1939]
Whenever any officer or member shall find in any building or upon any other premises or place combustible or explosive matter or dangerous accumulations of rubbish or unnecessary accumulations of waste paper, boxes, shavings or other highly inflammable materials especially liable to fire and which is so situated as to endanger property or shall find obstructions to the fire escapes, stairs, passages, doors or windows liable to interfere with the operations of the Fire Department or egress of occupants in case of fire, he/she shall order the same to be removed or remedied and such order shall be forthwith complied with by the owner or occupant of such premises or buildings, subject to appeal within twenty-four (24) hours to the Mayor who shall within ten (10) days review such order and file his/her decision thereon and unless the order is revoked or modified, it shall remain in full force and be obeyed by the owner or occupant.
[CC 1974 §205.140; Pg. 53 R.O. 1939]
Any owner or occupant failing to comply with such order within ten (10) days after such appeal shall have been determined or if no appeal is taken within ten (10) days after the service of such order shall be liable to a penalty as hereinafter enacted.
[CC 1974 §205.150; Pg. 53 R.O. 1939]
The service of such notice shall be made upon the occupant of the premises to whom it is directed by delivering a true copy of the same to such occupant personally or by delivering the same to and leaving the same with any person in charge of the premises or, in case no such person is found, upon the premises by affixing a copy thereof in a conspicuous place on the door to the entrance to said premises. Whenever it may be necessary to serve such an order upon the owner of premises, such order may be served either by delivering to and leaving with said person a true copy of said order or, if such owner is absent from the jurisdiction of the office making the order, by mailing such a copy to the owners last known post office address.
[CC 1974 §205.160; Pg. 53 R.O. 1939]
Any person, persons, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this Chapter, Sections 203.120 through 203.150 shall upon conviction forfeit and pay a fine of not more than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for each offense and not more than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for each day thereafter so long as said violation exists and a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) for subsequent violations.
A. 
All firemen of the Versailles Volunteer Fire Department shall be subject to call only by the telephone and the system of telephone-siren previously agreed upon.
B. 
All volunteer firemen are on a voluntary basis and can resign in writing any time.
C. 
All members of the Fire Department shall be given a certificate to show their authority to act as such and also a badge which they may or should wear at the fire along with the regular fireman's hat furnished by the City.
D. 
All firemen shall be selected by the Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief and the Mayor of the City of Versailles.
E. 
All firemen shall draw the sum of five dollars ($5.00) for each fire call they make.
F. 
Each member of the Fire Department shall be entitled to extra pay for fire calls out of Versailles or for prolonged fire fighting within the City. The Fire Chief shall have the authority to order food or clothing for medical attention at the expense of the City of Versailles when in his/her discretion he/she thinks the expense if reasonably justifiable.
G. 
The City and the fire company through its officials are to make a contract for insurance that will insure the lives of any fireman lost in fire fighting or provided for his/her pay or sustenance if not otherwise provided for the injured fireman and his/her family as is furnished to workers who come under Workmen's Compensation.
H. 
Since this Chapter designates the Versailles Volunteer Fire Department as the agency of the City of Versailles and the official fire insurance company, then Firemen going to and from fire and while fighting fire will enjoy the immunity and official status as City employees of the City.
[CC 1974 §265.010; Ord. No. 648 §1, 6-1955]
This Article shall apply to all persons, firms, corporations, co-partners, governmental agencies except Federal and voluntary associations transporting and delivering flammable liquids on and over the streets, alleys and thoroughfares of the City of Versailles.
[CC 1974 §265.020; Ord. No. 648 §2, 6-1955]
As used in this Article, the following terms shall have these prescribed meanings:
CARGO TANK
Any container having a liquid capacity in excess of one hundred (100) gallons used for the carrying of flammable liquids and mounted permanently or otherwise upon a tank vehicle, it shall not apply to any container used solely for the purpose of supplying fuel for the propulsion of the tank vehicle upon which it is mounted.
FLAMMABLE LIQUID
A liquid having a flash point below two hundred degrees Fahrenheit (200°F) and such liquids shall be divided into two (2) classes, viz., Class "A" those embracing flammable liquids having a flash point below seventy degrees Fahrenheit (70°F) and Class "B" those liquids embracing flammable liquids having a flash point from above seventy degrees Fahrenheit (70°F) and below two hundred degrees Fahrenheit (200°F). Tests for flash points shall be made in accordance with the method adopted by the American Society for Testing Materials and approved by the American Standards Association using Tagliabue closed cup tester.
TANK FULL TRAILER
Any vehicle, without motive power, equipped with a cargo test mounted thereon or built as an integral part thereof and used for the transportation of flammable liquids and so constructed that, when drawn by a truck or tractor, no part of its weight rests upon the towing vehicle.
TANK SEMI-TRAILER
Any vehicle, without motive power, equipped with a cargo tank mounted thereon or built as an integral part thereof and used for the transportation of flammable liquids and so constructed that, when drawn by a tractor by means of a fifth-wheel connection, some part of its load and weight rests upon the towing vehicle.
TANK TRUCK
Any single self-propelled motor vehicle equipped with a cargo tank mounted thereon and used for the transporting of flammable liquids.
TANK VEHICLE
Any tank truck, tank fuel trailer or tractor and tank semi-trailer combination.
[CC 1974 §265.050; Ord. No. 648 §5, 6-1955]
Tank vehicles shall not be operated unless they are in proper repair, devoid of accumulations of grease, oil or other flammables and free of leaks.
[CC 1974 §265.060; Ord. No. 648 §6, 6-1955]
A. 
The driver, operator or attendant of any tank vehicle shall not leave the vehicle while it is being filled or discharged. Delivery hose, when attached to the tank vehicle, shall be considered to be a part of the tank vehicle.
B. 
Motors of tank trucks or tractors shall be shut down during making and breaking hose connections. If loading or unloading is done without the use of the automotive power of the tank vehicle, then the tank truck or tractor motor shall be shut down throughout such operations.
C. 
During the filling operation an electric conducting contact shall be maintained between the fill pipe and the tank vehicle.
D. 
In every cargo tank or compartment for flammable liquids sufficient space shall be left vacant to prevent leakage or distortion by expansion of the contents due to rise in temperature in transit. No cargo tank or compartment for flammable liquid shall be loaded to a volume in excess of ninety-nine and one-fourth percent (99¼%) of its capacity.
[CC 1974 §265.070; Ord. No. 648 §7, 6-1955]
Each tank vehicle shall be equipped and maintained with at least one (1) approved hand fire extinguisher of suitable type. The number and type shall conform with nationally recognized good practices.
[CC 1974 §265.080; Ord. No. 648 §8, 6-1955]
Smoking by tank vehicle drivers or their helpers shall be prohibited while driving, making deliveries, filling or making repairs to tank motor vehicles.
[CC 1974 §265.090; Ord. No. 648 §9, 6-1955]
Operators of tank vehicles shall exercise precautions against the intermixing of flammable liquids. Compliance with National Fire Protection Association Standard No. 385 for Tank Vehicles for Flammable Liquids shall be deemed compliance with this Section.
[CC 1974 §265.100; Ord. No. 648 §10, 6-1955]
Tank vehicles for transporting flammable liquids shall be constructed and equipped in accordance with nationally recognized good practices. Compliance with the provisions of National Fire Protection Association Standard No. 385 for tank vehicles for flammable liquids shall be deemed to be compliance with this Section.
[CC 1974 §265.110; Ord. No. 648 §11, 6-1955]
A. 
Every tank vehicle used for the transporting of any Class "A" flammable liquid shall be conspicuously and legibly marked on each side and the rear thereof in letters at least three (3) inches high in a background of sharply contrasting color with a sign or lettering on the tank vehicle with the word "FLAMMABLE" or other marking in conformity with the regulations of the Interstate Commerce Commission.
B. 
Every cargo tank shall be marked with the name of the owner thereof.
[CC 1974 §265.120; Ord. No. 648 §12, 6-1955]
The Mayor shall have the power to grant exemption from application of Section 203.180 upon request in writing so to do when such request shows that enforcement of the Section will cause unnecessary hardship to the petitioner, provided such request shall not be granted where the requested use will constitute a distinct hazard to life of adjoining property. The particulars of such exemption when granted shall be entered upon the permit issued. A copy thereof shall be retained by the City Clerk.
[CC 1974 §265.130; Ord. No. 648 §13, 6-1955]
A. 
An owner, lessee, agent, operator or occupant aggrieved by any order issued pursuant to this Chapter may file an appeal to the Board of Aldermen within ten (10) days from the service of such an order and the Board of Aldermen shall fix a time and place not less than five (5) days nor more than ten (10) days thereafter when and where such appeal may be heard by it. Such appeal shall stay the execution of such order until it has been heard and reviewed, vacated or confirmed.
B. 
The Board of Aldermen shall at such hearing affirm, modify, revoke or vacate such order. Unless revoked or vacated, such order shall then be complied with.
C. 
Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to deny the right of any person, firm, corporation, co-partnership or voluntary association to appeal from an order or decision of the Board of Aldermen to a court of competent jurisdiction. Such appeals shall stay the execution of such order until it has been heard and reviewed, vacated or confirmed.
[CC 1974 §265.140; Ord. No. 648 §14, 6-1955]
Any person who shall fail to comply with the provisions of this Article or with an order of the Mayor issued pursuant thereto and from which no appeal has been taken or with which such an order as affirmed or modified by the Board of Aldermen or by a court of competent jurisdiction within the time fixed therein shall be fined not less than five dollars ($5.00) or more than one hundred dollars ($100.00). The imposition of one (1) penalty for the violation of such order shall not excuse the violation or permit it to continue.