Source: https://www.ecode360.com/35965826
Timestamp: 2020-07-05 14:34:25
Document Index: 69301337

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 26', '§ 26', '§ 26', '§ 26', '§ 26', '§ 26']

Township of West Deptford, NJ Emergency Service Organizations Hereafter Referred to as Fire Companies and Emergency Squad
§ 26-1 Creation; designation of Fire Companies and Emergency Medical Services ("EMS") Providers.
§ 26-2 Jurisdiction.
§ 26-3 Coordinating Council; responsibilities.
§ 26-5 Duties of Township Committee.
§ 26-6 Coordinating Council; Additional responsibilities.
§ 26-7 Designation of Color of Fire Apparatus.
Chapter 26 Emergency Service Organizations Hereafter Referred to as Fire Companies and Emergency Squad
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of West Deptford 6-18-1970 as Section 2:7-6 of the General Ordinances. Amended in its entirety 3-7-1991 by Ord. No. 91-2. Further amended in its entirety 6-17-1993 by Ord. No. 93-10. Further amended in its entirety 9-2-1993 by Ord. No. 93-16. Further amendments noted where applicable.]
Creation. Upon the application of various residents of the Township of West Deptford wishing to associate themselves into fire companies and EMS providers, and as the fire fighting force and providers of emergency service within the township, those companies and emergency squad referred to in Subsection B are hereby designated as fire companies and EMS providers in and for the Township of West Deptford within the territories as are provided.
Designation. The following fire companies and Emergency Squad are hereby designated as fire companies and EMS providers of the Township of West Deptford:
Thorofare Volunteer Fire Company #1.
Verga Fire and Rescue Company #1.
Colonial Manor Fire Association.
Greenfields Volunteer Fire Association.
Gloucester County EMS.
[Amended 4-6-1995 by Ord. No. 95-6; 8-16-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-13]
The following shall constitute the jurisdictional boundaries for the fire companies and EMS providers:
Thorofare — Center of Kings Highway west to the center of the Delaware River from the center of the Mantua Creek north to the center of the Woodbury Creek.
Verga — West center of Route #130 beginning at the Borough of Westville going south up the ramp to Academy Avenue, east on Academy Avenue to Hessian Run Stream south to a drainage ditch behind West Deptford High School south to Red Bank Avenue turning east center of Red Bank Avenue to the City of Woodbury line south to the Woodbury Creek centerline to the Delaware River centerline north to the Borough of Westville line.
Colonial Manor — East center of Route #130 beginning at the Borough of Westville going south up the ramp to Academy Avenue east on Academy Avenue to Hessian Run Stream south to a drainage ditch behind the West Deptford High School south to center of Red Bank Avenue turning east to City of Woodbury line out to Broad Street north to Llenroc Lane back over to Route #130.
Greenfields — Beginning center of Route #45 at City of Woodbury limits heading south to Mantua Creek centerline east to Kings Highway centerline north to the City of Woodbury line east to Route #45.
Gloucester County EMS — All areas within the boundaries of West Deptford Township. Mutual aid agreements shall be subjected to Coordinating Council review and approval.
[Amended 4-5-1995 by Ord. No. 95-6; 8-16-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-13]
Township Committee reserves the right to alter jurisdictional boundaries based upon fire protection and emergency medical needs, but shall consult with the Coordinating Council before any action is taken.
An elected official and inter-agency fire Prevention and Control Coordinating Council charged with ensuring that each local government agency is aware of and carries out its responsibilities associated with fire prevention and emergency medical services. The Council is also charged with the responsibility of maintaining awareness of Federal, State, and local activities and events which impact the services being provided, and for recommending rules and regulations designed to ensure the necessary degree of competency within the companies and squad operating within the township. Other responsibilities to include but not limited to:
Recommendation on purchasing for all fire departments.
Gloucester County EMS will maintain training and equipment standards equal to or greater than the standards for medical personnel set forth by the following organizations:
N.J. Office of Emergency Medical Services.
N.J. Department of Transportation.
Membership qualifications, driver qualifications, and physicals.
Compliance with NFPA, OSHA, and ISO standards, as required, with regards to apparatus, equipment, and protective clothing.
Structure of Council is as follows:
Each volunteer fire department listed in Section 26-1B would be represented and receive one vote only, for a total of four votes. The Chief or his designee shall serve as representative to the Coordinating Council. Names of representatives and alternates are to be submitted to the Chairman by January 15th of each year. The Township Clerk will forward the names of township representatives by the same date and reorganization can take place on or about January 25th of each year.
The Mayor shall hold a seat and have one vote.
The Director of Public Safety shall hold a seat and have one vote.
The Township Liaison appointed by the Public Safety Director shall hold a seat and have one vote.
The Mayor shall appoint two citizens at large to sit on the Council; said citizens shall have one vote each.
[Amended 8-16-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-13]
All representatives shall be allowed one alternate to act in their absence.
All representatives must be township residents.
Voting Guidelines. The Council Chairman and Vice-Chairman must be selected from the voting members of the Council or the alternates. The organization or appointment to which the presiding Chairman or Vice-Chairman belongs or serves as alternate, shall always cast its vote last. For example, if an alternate for one fire company serves as the Chairman, the primary representative for that fire company will be the last to cast a vote on all matters. In the event that an even number of voting members are present and a tie should occur, the matter will be tabled until the next meeting at which time it will again be brought to a vote. In this way, each organization is still guaranteed an equal vote and no organization will be allowed two votes.
Total votes allowed shall be nine votes.
The Coordinating Council shall elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman from the sitting members of the Coordinating Council, and/or their alternates, and a Recording Secretary who shall record the minutes of each meeting of the Coordinating Council. The Mayor and Director of Public Safety shall be excluded from holding office.
The Coordinating Council has the authority to form special subcommittees for special projects.
Quorum. An official meeting shall consist of no less than four voting members.
The Coordinating Council shall meet on the second Monday of each month at the Township Municipal Building at 7:30 p.m.
The Chairman of the Coordinating Council may call a special meeting within 48 hours written notification to members.
General. Fire companies recognized and delineated in this chapter shall, in the absence of any legally constituted fire department within the township government of the Township of West Deptford, act as the chief firefighting force within the township.
Powers - Fire companies.
Fire companies heretofore mentioned shall possess the powers hereinafter set forth:
Fight fires. They shall be the official firefighting units within the Township of West Deptford. They shall cooperate in the combating of fires when they occur within the township. They shall develop mutual aid plans and submit to the Coordinating Council for approval. Long term or significant changes in mutual aid must be submitted to the Coordinating Council for review and approval.
They shall assist in other emergencies as necessary, i.e., drownings, motor vehicle accidents, etc.
Apparatus. They shall have the right and power to use apparatus supplied by the Township Committee through appropriations to combat and prevent fires which shall or may occur within the township.
Funds. They shall have the power to use, in accordance with the limitations established by the Township Committee, funds appropriated for firefighting equipment within the township.
Appropriations. The Treasurer of each fire company shall, on or before February 15th, submit a financial report that conforms to generally accepted accounting practices which details funds expended in the prior year. The purpose of this report is to ensure that public resources are being expended in an efficient and appropriate manner with proper budgetary controls. All requests for appropriation are to be received by the township no later than November 15th in order to allow sufficient time for the preparation of the budget.
Maintenance of efficiency. Each fire company operating within the Township of West Deptford shall conduct a proper schedule of training to ensure that its members maintain the highest degree of fire-fighting and medical response efficiency and proficiency. The Coordinating Council annually shall have the right to review the efficiency of said companies to ensure that the township is adequately protected against fires and medical emergencies.
Conduct according to State Law. Each fire company operating within the Township of West Deptford shall be responsible to conduct its activities in accordance with the requirements of State Law.
General. The Township Committee shall have the general responsibility of ensuring that fire companies authorized to fight fires and respond to emergencies pursuant to this chapter possess the necessary degree of efficiency to ensure the maximum level of protection against fire and emergencies is provided to the inhabitants of the Township of West Deptford.
Review and designation. The Township Committee shall annually review the companies referred to above to ensure that these companies possess the necessary degree of firefighting and emergency response competency to ensure the necessary level of potential within the township. If in the event that said review discloses reasons or causes which may prevent any company so designated above from operating to the necessary degree of proficiency, the Township Committee shall have the right by resolution to eliminate said company from the provisions of this chapter. Similarly, if any other fire companies existing within the township shall be determined by the Township Committee to possess the necessary level of competency and efficiency to properly protect the inhabitants of the township from fire and emergencies, it may be added to the list of designate companies as outlined above.
Rules and regulations. The Township Committee shall have the right to enact, by resolution, rules and regulations designed to ensure the necessary degree of competency within the fire companies existing within the township. Said rules and regulations shall, whenever possible, be inserted within this chapter. However, failure to insert said rules and regulations within this chapter shall not in any way impair their validity or enforceability.
[Added 3-4-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-3]
Firefighter/line officer minimum training standard.
All firefighters must be 18 years of age or older.
All firefighters must have obtained a Firefighter I certification from a training program recognized by the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety (N.J.A.C. 5:73-4.2).
All non-Firefighter I certified personnel involved in any fire company activity that has the potential to be hazardous must receive the appropriate safety training before engaging in that activity.
All line officers must possess an Incident Management System 200 (IMS 200) Certification from a training program recognized by the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety (N.J.A.C. 5:73-6.1).
Line officers are the following positions: Chief, Assistant Chief, Captain, Lieutenant, and any other fire company personnel acting as a line officer, including Safety Officer.
Every firefighter shall annually undergo a fit test to be provided by a qualified vendor to be selected by the Township. This test will comply with 29CFR1910.034 (PEOSHA regulations).
As required by the above-referenced federal regulation and/or any subsequent requirements promulgated by the township, every firefighter shall annually undergo retraining to guarantee proficiency in the use of respiratory protection gear.
All firefighters shall annually complete training in protection against bloodborne pathogens. This training shall be conducted by certified instructors and shall comply with the applicable Occupational Health and Safety Administration standard in effect.
Community right-to-know. As provided for by federal regulation, all firefighters shall complete required training in conformance with the Community Right-to-Know Act. This training shall be completed on a bi-annual basis, unless otherwise provided for by federal or State regulation.
All firefighters shall annually complete training for hazardous materials responders as provided for in 29CFR1910.120.
Personal accountability system.
All fire companies will develop a standard operating procedure regarding the effective utilization of a personal accountability system. All firefighters will be trained in the effective utilization of personal accountability system devices and procedures.
Both the devices utilized and the training will comply with New Jersey regulations adopted on August 22, 2003.
Contact training. All fire companies shall conduct contact training for all firefighter personnel in order to familiarize personnel with basic scenarios. This training will be jointly developed and all fire companies will cooperatively undertake this training.
In order to assure that all fire department personnel receive the required safety training, the Township Committee will designate an individual to serve as the Safety Training Compliance Officer. As provided for in the reporting schedule, all fire chiefs shall, in a written form to be determined by the Safety Training Compliance Officer, certify to the Safety Training Compliance Officer that all fire company personnel are in compliance with the safety training standards established by this section and/or federal or State regulations.
All fire chiefs shall report to the Safety Training Compliance Officer certifying that all personnel possess the required training certification(s) as determined by this section.
All fire chiefs shall report to the Safety Training Compliance Officer that all personnel have received the required basic safety training and/or retraining that is required by this section and/or federal or State regulations.
All fire chiefs shall report to the Safety Training Compliance Officer in accordance with the schedule listed below:
Semi-annual (June 15/December 15)
Incident Management System 200
Annual (March 31)
Annual (December 15)
Bi-annual Compliance Notification Due within 15 days of Completion of Training
All chiefs must report to the Safety Training Compliance Officer all firefighter or line officer changes in writing, with proof of training certification, within 30 calendar days.
Should fire department personnel fail to possess the requisite certification and/or training, that individual(s) shall be removed from the fire department's roster and not permitted to engage in any firefighting and/or rescue activities or any other potentially hazardous activity. Such personnel may be placed on the roster once they have obtained the necessary certification and/or training.
The Chief shall be responsible for maintaining the necessary level of training for each member listed on the roster. The Chief shall be responsible for the accuracy and timeliness of all reports submitted to the Safety Training Compliance Officer.
Should any Chief fail to ensure compliance with safety training standards established by this ordinance or federal and/or State regulation, the Township Committee may, as provided for in Section 26-5B, order compliance with Township ordinance or remove the fire company's jurisdiction by eliminating that fire company's authority as provided for by this code.
The Mayor shall appoint a citizen at large to sit on the Council; said citizen shall have one vote.
Voting Guidelines. The Council Chairman and Vice-Chairman must be selected from the voting members of the Council or the alternates. The organization or appointment to which the presiding Chairman or Vice-Chairman belongs or serves as alternate shall always cast its vote last. For example, if an alternate for one fire company or squad serves as the Chairman, the primary representative for that fire company or squad will be the last to cast a vote on all matters. In the event that an even number of voting members are present and a tie should occur, the matter will be tabled until the next meeting at which time it will again be brought to a vote. In this way, each organization is still guaranteed an equal vote and no organization will be allowed two votes.
[Added 6-1-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-10]
All fire apparatus purchased by the Township of West Deptford for the Township of West Deptford Fire Companies shall be in the uniform colors of Green #DUHS925673 and White #2185.