The Fire Department shall be divided into fire companies known and designated as "Company No. 2," "Company No. 3" and "Company No. 4," together with any additional fire organizations or fire companies as may be hereafter become duly constituted by law, and provided that any new company so organized shall be approved by the majority vote of the Mayor and Council of Hopatcong. The additional fire organizations or fire companies receiving the aforesaid majority vote shall come under municipal control, and no fire company in the Borough of Hopatcong shall have membership exceeding 40 active members, and this limitation shall apply to the companies in existence and to any other company organized and approved by the governing body.
A. 
Officers.
[Amended 11-7-1996 by Ord. No. 24-96; 12-6-2006 by Ord. No. 38-2006]
(1) 
The officers of the Fire Department of the Borough of Hopatcong shall consist of Chief, First Assistant Chief, Second Assistant Chief, ranking in the order named, a Department Secretary-Treasurer and a Chief Engineer.
(2) 
The term of office of the Chief shall be for a two-year calendar-year period. He or she shall not be eligible to succeed himself or herself in this position.
(3) 
The term of office of each of the Assistant Chiefs shall be for a two-year calendar-year period. He or she shall not be eligible to succeed himself or herself.
(4) 
Any vacancy in the office of the position of Chief or First Assistant Chief shall be filled by the junior officer next in line. The succeeding officer shall serve the remainder of the term vacated and shall also serve the regular two-year term to which the officer would have assumed pursuant to this section.
(5) 
Any vacancy in the office of Second Assistant Chief shall be filled by the company scheduled to fill the next vacancy in said position within a forty-five-day period. Any objection by any fire company not selecting the Second Assistant Chief to the person selected must be for cause. The determination of cause shall be made by the Executive Board. If cause is found, the only remedy available to the Executive Board shall be to direct the nominating company to submit a new nominee for the position of Second Assistant Chief.
(6) 
In order to be eligible to become Chief of the Hopatcong Fire Department, the candidate must have successfully completed Firefighter I and Firefighter II courses together with incident command and a staff and command level course approved by the National Fire Academy and/or the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs by the time that the individual has completed the term of Second Assistant Chief. The candidate shall also have satisfied any other state- or county-mandated qualifications for the position of Chief. Failure to meet any of the requirements of this subsection shall result in the removal of the individual from the office in question. The individual shall have the right to appeal any such decision to the Executive Board of the Hopatcong Fire Department.
(7) 
In order to be eligible for nomination for the position of Second Assistant Chief, the nominee must have been a member in good standing of the Hopatcong Fire Department for a minimum of four years and shall have served at least one full year in the position of either Captain or Lieutenant in the Department. Additionally, the candidate shall have completed both Firefighter I and Firefighter II courses.
(8) 
It is the intent of this subsection that the position of Chief, First Assistant Chief and Second Assistant Chief shall be served on a rotational basis by a member of Company No. 2, Company No. 3 and Company No. 4. This rotation office holding shall commence as of January 1, 2006, with a member of Company 2 serving as Chief for the initial term of two years, with a member of Fire Company No. 3 serving an initial term of two years as First Assistant Chief and a member of Fire Company No. 4 serving an initial two year term of Second Assistant Chief.
B. 
Executive Board.
(1) 
The Executive Board shall be comprised of the Chief, all three Assistant Chiefs, the Captain and President of each Fire Company. The Company Lieutenants and/or Vice President shall serve as alternates as necessary.
[Amended 11-7-1996 by Ord. No. 24-96]
(2) 
Board meetings shall be called by the Chief of the Department in accordance with the ordinance and bylaws of the Hopatcong Fire Department. Any five members of the Executive Board may require the Chief to convene a meeting.
(3) 
A quorum will be required to reach a decision and shall require 2/3 attendance with at least one member of each fire company present.
C. 
The officers of each fire company shall consist of a Captain, President, Secretary and such other officers as each company may select according to its respective bylaws.
[Added 11-7-1996 by Ord. No. 24-96]
A. 
The only persons eligible for election to the position of Chief, First Assistant Chief and/or Second Assistant Chief shall be the individual who held the immediate subordinate role during the prior term of office.
[Amended 12-6-2006 by Ord. No. 38-2006]
B. 
The candidate for the position of Third Assistant Chief shall be selected on a rotational basis in accordance with the bylaws of the Hopatcong Fire Department. Said bylaws and any amendments thereto shall be subject to approval by the Hopatcong Borough Council. The officer of the department shall be selected so that each of the three fire companies of the Borough is represented among the four Chief appointments.
C. 
The company who is scheduled to select the Third Assistant Chief on the rotational basis shall meet in November of each year and, by majority vote of its membership, nominate one proposed Third Assistant Chief. The Secretary of the company shall notify the Department Secretary in writing.
D. 
By November 30 of each year. The Department Secretary shall notify the Hopatcong Borough Clerk in writing of the names of the persons so selected by the department for the positions of Chief and Assistant Chiefs. Said selections must be approved by the Mayor and Council, which shall have the discretionary right to determine that any selected individual shall be eligible for the position.
E. 
All proposed officers must meet the requirements of the Hopatcong Fire Departments, departmental bylaws as well as the State of New Jersey or County of Sussex mandated requirements.
F. 
The Chief, First Assistant Chief and Second Assistant Chief shall hold their offices, respectively, for two years from the first day of January of the next ensuing year. All other officers shall hold their offices, respectively, for one year from the first day of January of the next ensuing year.
[Amended 12-6-2006 by Ord. No. 38-2006]
G. 
The Department Secretary-Treasurer and the Chief Engineer shall be appointed by the Chief for a term of one year. The Chief may also, as deemed necessary, appoint assistants to these positions. All appointments shall be approved by the Mayor and Council. The persons so appointed must be an active member in good standing of the Hopatcong Fire Department.
H. 
The Chief may also appoint one or more Department Chaplains. These appointments shall be for terms of one year, and said appointments must be approved by the Mayor and Council. These appointments shall give the person or persons full membership in the Hopatcong Fire Department for the term of said office.