There shall be three classes of membership in the Department:
active, active life and inactive.
A.
An active member is one who has attended a minimum of 50% of required
fire duty as prescribed pursuant to this chapter.
B.
An active life member is one who has served 25 years as an active
member and who maintains his residence in the Township of Rochelle
Park and performs at least 50% of fire duty as prescribed pursuant
to this chapter.
C.
An inactive member is one who becomes incapacitated pursuant to this
chapter or reaches the age of 62 years, provided that he has been
a member for a minimum of seven years.
A.
Qualifications of membership are as follows:
(1)
At the time of his appointment, each member shall be at least 18
years of age.
(2)
An applicant shall be physically fit and sound of mind as certified
by a licensed physician of the State of New Jersey. An allowance in
the maximum amount of $100 shall be authorized by the Township of
Rochelle Park for said examination, after successful completion of
his/her probationary period.
(3)
An applicant must be a citizen of the United States of America.
(4)
An applicant must be a resident of Rochelle Park or reside within
two miles of the Township at the time of his appointment.
(5)
An applicant shall be of good moral character and shall not have
been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude which would, in
the judgment of the Township Committee, be prejudicial to the morals
of the Fire Department.
(6)
An applicant must meet any other qualifications as may be prescribed
from time to time pursuant to this chapter.
(7)
An applicant must comply with the requirements of the Code of the
Township of Rochelle Park by successfully completing a police background
check in accordance with the requirements of that provision of the
Township Code. Results of the background check shall be submitted,
by the Township Administrator, to the Board of Fire Officers, which
shall consider the same as part of an application for new membership
and as part of a requirement for continued membership in the Fire
Department.
B.
An applicant who is a member in good standing of a Fire Department
which was under municipal control in any other municipality of the
State of New Jersey may become a member of the Rochelle Park Fire
Department, provided that he meets all of the qualifications of membership.
C.
Auxiliary members.
(1)
Any applicant who applies as an auxiliary member must work in Rochelle
Park, regardless of his residence.
(2)
He must have prior Fire Department experience, including New Jersey
Level 1 Firefighter Certification.
(3)
The limit on auxiliary members at any one time is 10.
(4)
He shall be entitled to 1/2 the clothing allowance allowed to full-time
active members.
(5)
Auxiliary members shall not be allowed to hold any office of the
Fire Department.
(6)
Auxiliary members shall not have any voting authority in the Fire
Department.
(7)
Auxiliary members will respond to fire calls only during their assigned
hours of work in Rochelle Park or as needed by the Chief of the Department.
All applications for membership in the Rochelle Park Fire Department
shall be presented to the Board of Fire Officers of the Fire Department.
A.
An applicant shall be accepted only by the Board of Fire Officers
of the Fire Department. Acceptance shall be certified by the Secretary
to the Township Committee, which acceptance shall be subject to the
approval of the Township Committee.
(1)
The admission of such applicant to the Fire Department shall be for
a temporary period of one year. At the expiration of the temporary
one-year period and the completion of the New Jersey Level 1 Firefighter
Certification, the applicant shall be admitted to full membership
of the Fire Department upon recommendation of the majority of the
members of the officers, subject, however, to the approval and confirmation
by the Township Committee.
B.
A rejected applicant may appeal to the Township Committee within
30 days after notice of rejection by filing with the Township Committee
and the Board of Fire Officers a written notice of his appeal and
a request for a date for hearing of same. The Township Committee shall
hear the appeal on the date fixed by it and shall give a representative
of the Board of Fire Officers an opportunity to present the Board's
reasons for rejection. The Township Committee shall determine whether
or not the applicant shall be admitted to membership, and its decision
shall be final.
Every fireman who shall present satisfactory evidence to the
New Jersey State Exempt Association that he has attended at least
50% of the calls occurring in the Township of Rochelle Park and that
he has served the Township seven years as an active fireman shall
be entitled to a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Township
Committee, the Township Clerk and the Fire Chief, together with a
badge of such status.
A.
Any member of the Rochelle Park Fire Department may, upon written
request of the Board of Fire Officers and the Township Committee,
receive a six-month leave of absence, subject to the approval of the
Board of Fire Officers.
B.
This leave may be extended for another six-month period, subject
to another written request to the above-mentioned bodies, which leave
is subject to the approval of the Board of Fire Officers.
C.
No leave of absence will be granted for more than 12 consecutive
months.
A.
Any member of the Fire Department wishing to resign shall file a
resignation with the Board of Fire Officers, who in turn will notify
the Township Committee.
B.
Active members who move out of Rochelle Park within two miles may
be allowed to stay active in the Fire Department, with the following
exceptions:
(1)
Any member moving from the Township or ceasing to be a resident of
the same, if further than two miles, shall, upon failure to file a
resignation within 90 days, be dropped from the Fire Department and
his company
