(A) The city operates the City Fire Department through the City Fire Chief and firefighters. The City Council shall have the power and authority to levy a special tax, not exceeding the maximum limits therefor as prescribed by state law, upon the assessed value of all the taxable property in the city, except intangible property, for the purposes of purchasing and maintaining equipment, including rescue or emergency first aid equipment, for a City Fire Department, purchasing real estate for fire station quarters or for erection, building, alteration or repairing of fire station quarters, for purchasing, installing and equipping a fire alarm or communication system or the payment of bonds authorized by Neb. RS 18-1202. The City Council may annually levy a tax, not exceeding the maximum limits therefor as prescribed by state law, upon the assessed value of all the taxable property within the city, except intangible property, for the regular maintenance and benefit of the voluntary City Fire Department and the revenue from the tax shall, at all times, be in the possession of the City Treasurer shall disburse revenues from the Fire Department Fund upon the order of the City Fire Chief, with the approval of the City Council.
(B) The City Fire Chief shall manage the City Fire Department and it shall be his or her duty to inform the City Council when any of the fire engines, hose ladders or other apparatus needs repair or replacement and, upon written consent and directive of the City Council, the City Fire Chief shall cause the repair, improvement or maintenance of the equipment and shall personally supervise and approve of the same.
(Prior Code, § 3-201)
Statutory reference:
Related provisions, see Neb. RS 17-147, 17-718, 17-953, 18-1201, 18-1202
(A) The Fire Department shall consist of so many members as may be decided by the City Council. The members may organize themselves in any way they may decide, subject to the review of the City Council. The Fire Chief shall appoint no more than 25 members for each Fire Department company subject to the review and approval of the City Council. All vacancies shall be filled in this manner.
(B) All members of the Fire Department shall be subject to such rules and regulations and shall perform such duties, as may be prescribed or required of them by the Fire Chief or the City Council. The members of the Fire Department shall, during the time of a fire or great public danger, have and exercise the powers and duties of police officers and shall have full power and authority to arrest all persons guilty of any violation of the city code or the laws of the state.
(C) Members of the Fire Department may hold meetings and engage in social activities with the approval of the City Council. The Secretary shall, upon request, keep a record of all meetings and shall make a report to the City Council of all meetings and activities of the Fire Department.
(D) Members of the Fire Department shall be considered to be employees of the city for the purpose of providing them with workers’ compensation and other benefits. The City Council may compensate or reimburse any member of the Fire Department for expenses incurred in carrying out his or her duties in an amount set by resolution.
(E) The City Council shall purchase and maintain in force a policy of group term life insurance to age 65 covering the lives of all of the city’s active volunteer fire and rescue personnel, except that when any person serves more than one city or rural or suburban fire protection district, the policy shall be purchased only by the first city or district which he or she serves. The policy shall provide a minimum death benefit of $10,000 for death from any cause and shall, at the option of the insured, be convertible to a permanent form of life insurance at age 65. The coverage of the policy shall terminate as to any individual who ceases to be an active volunteer member of the Fire Department of the city.
(F) For purposes of Neb. RS 33-139.01, volunteer firefighters and rescue squad members testifying as witnesses in that capacity alone shall not be deemed employees of the city.
(Prior Code, § 3-202) (Ord. 1-04, passed 4-12-2004)
Statutory reference:
Related provisions, see Neb. RS 35-108
The Fire Chief shall keep or cause to be kept a record of all meetings of the Fire Department, the attendance record of all members, a record of all fires and shall make a full report of the records to the City Clerk during the last week in April each year. The record of any fire shall include the cause, origin, circumstances, property involved and whether criminal conduct may have been involved. In the event of sizable property damage, he or she shall include the information of whether the losses were covered by insurance and if so, in what amount. All records shall be available to the public at any reasonable time.
(Prior Code, § 3-203)
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