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BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF RICH HILL AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1 – Appointments
a. The Mayor, with the consent of the Board of Aldermen, shall appoint the Fire Chief.
b. The Fire Chief with the approval of the Mayor shall appoint the Assistant Fire Chief and the First Responder Coordinator.
c. A vacancy in the office of the Fire Chief shall be temporarily filled by the next in command who shall perform the duties of the Fire Chief, with all the rights, privileges, powers and jurisdiction of the Fire Chief until the Fire Chief’s return, or in the case of death, resignation, removal from office or any other cause whatever, until the Mayor, with the consent of the Board of Aldermen, appoints a new Fire Chief.
d. The Appointee shall live or work within the City’s Rural Fire Protection area unless prior consent has been obtained from the Mayor or Board of Alderman.
SECTION 2– Fire Chief and Volunteer Fireman Qualifications
All volunteers shall:
a. Be at least 18 years of age or older;
b. Have a valid driver’s license to operate fire department vehicles and maintain a current copy of such with the City Clerk;
c. Provide proof of liability insurance coverage on the personal vehicle(s) used in the performance of the duties and responsibilities as a fireman;
d. Live or work within the City’s Rural Fire Protection area unless prior consent has been obtained from the Mayor, Board of Alderman or Fire Chief.
SECTION 3 -Volunteer First Responder Qualifications
All volunteers shall:
a. Be at least 18 years of age or older;
b. Have a valid driver’s license and maintain a current copy of such with the City Clerk;
c. Provide proof of liability insurance coverage on the personal vehicle(s) used in the performance of the duties and responsibilities as a First Responder;
d. Be certified with proof of annual certification provided to the City Clerk;
e. Be certified to use any equipment with proof of certification provided to the City Clerk;
f. If EMT licensed, a copy of the license shall be submitted to the City Clerk and again each time the license is renewed;
g. Live or work within the City’s Rural Fire Protection area unless prior consent has been obtained from the Mayor, Board of Alderman, Fire Chief or First Responder Coordinator.
SECTION 4 – Compensation for Fire Chief, Volunteer Fireman and First Responders
a. The Fire Chief shall be paid $300.00 per month.
b. The Fire Chief and all volunteers shall be covered by the City’s workers’ compensation insurance.
c. Volunteer Firemen and First Responders shall be paid each month per call and per meeting/training session.
d. Definitions
Meeting/training session – Attendance from start to finish of the meeting or training session, (usually 7 p.m.to 9 p.m.), unless the absence is pre-approved by the Fire Chief.
Call – Attendance from start to finish of a call, or on stand-by for the call at the station until personnel is back in quarters or unless released by incident command officer on the call.
e. Requests for call/trainingreimbursement shall be submitted to the City Clerk no later than the first Monday of the first full week of the following month in which the call/training was accrued. The request shall be accompanied by written documentation of attendance.
SECTION 5 – Duties and Responsibilities of the Fire Chief
The Fire Chief shall:
a. Oversee all volunteers, the Assistant Fire Chief and First Responder Coordinator;
b. Report directly to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen;
c. Oversee the use and care of equipment;
d. Maintain equipment in constant state of readiness and arrange for the immediate repair or replacement upon discovery of defective equipment;
e. Maintain a running inventory of all equipment;
f. Provide the Mayor with monthly activity reports;
g. Report any changes in personnel, any changes in the condition of existing equipment and any purchase of new equipment for insurance purposes;
h. Provide the Board of Aldermen a list of all volunteers and the equipment issued to each of them. All equipment shall be owned by the City. All personal equipment shall be assigned by the Fire Chief and signed out by the City Clerk;
i. Order a temporary outdoor burning ban on the City whenever it is deemed in the best interest of the citizens of the City that open fire be prohibited. The temporary outdoor burning ban shall remain in effect until released by the Fire Chief;
j. Prepare a budget and submit it to the City Clerk no later than March 1 of each calendar year. The budget shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Aldermen;
k. Complete all fire and medical reports and turn them into the City Clerk;
l. Report immediately to the Mayor any suspension or revocation of his or her driver’s license or cancellation of personal vehicle insurance;
m. Issue a written 10-day notice to any Fireman and First Responders whose driver’s license, auto insurance or certification license has expired. If a Fireman or First Responder fails to submit documentation of reinstatement of the license or insurance within 10 days, the Fireman or First Responder shall be removed from roster of active personnel;
n. Administer a driving test with a checklist for each Fireman and First Responder within 30 days of their addition to the roster. Firemen or First Responders shall not operate fire or first responder vehicles until they have passed the test.
SECTION 6 – General Rules for Volunteer Firemen and First Responders
a. All volunteers shall attend the monthly training meetings at the fire station.
b. The Chief and Assistant Chief shall carry radios. Any other use of radios by Firemen shall be at the discretion of the Fire Chief. Any misuse of radios shall cause retrieval of radio and a 30-day suspension.
c. All volunteers using a blue light shall follow Missouri State Statues and shall be issued a permit by the Fire Chief upon inspection and before such equipment is operated in an emergency situation.
d. The Assistant Fire Chief shall report directly to the Fire Chief.
e. All volunteers shall report immediately to the Fire Chief and Mayor any suspension or revocation of drivers license or cancellation of personal vehicle insurance.
f. First Responders follow the protocol agreed to by the Fire Chief and any emergency medical providers.
g. First Responders shall only respond to medical calls per the approved protocol.
h. Only First Responders that have a valid EMT license on file with the City Clerk shall ride in the ambulance from the scene.
i. The Fire Department shall have 17 volunteers and the Fire Chief.
j. First Responders shall have 17 volunteers.
k. A volunteer who is both a Fireman and a First Responder shall be counted both as a Fireman and a First Responder.
ALL ORDINANCES OR PARTS OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT WITH THIS ORDINANCE ARE HEREBY REPEALED.
This Ordinance shall be in force from and after its passage and approval.[i]
First reading: April 13, 2022
Second reading: April 13, 2022
APPROVED THIS 13TH DAY OF APRIL 2022
Attest:
________________________________ _______________________________
Nathan Kassner Casey Crews
Mayor City Clerk
Ayes: Humble, Bonham, Rich
Nays: None
Absent: None
[i] For informational purposes, this Ordinance deleted the specific amount of volunteer pay and deleted Section 7 Billing from Ordinance 1706, enacted January 8, 2020.
For informational purposes, this Ordinance No. replaces the following: Ordinance No. 1706, enacted January 8, 2020; Ordinance No. 1648, enacted April 11, 2017; Ordinance No. 1504, enacted June 9, 2015; Ordinance No. 1389, enacted November 13, 2012; Ordinance 1385, enacted August 14, 2012; Ordinance No. 1344, enacted September 22, 2009; Ordinance No. 1299, enacted November 27, 2007; Ordinance No. 1265, enacted June 27, 2006; Ordinance No. 1211, enacted May 25, 2004; Ordinance No. 1191, enacted September 9, 2003; Ordinance No. 1187, enacted June 10, 2003; Ordinance No. 1136, enacted October 23, 2001; and Ordinance No. 1110, enacted September 12, 2000.