(A) The Conemaugh Township Volunteer Fire Company and Jerome Volunteer Fire Company and their members be specifically authorized to respond to all fire, emergency and any other calls for their services from within the township, and the geographic limits of the township are hereby specified as the service area for all services provided by the Conemaugh Township Volunteer Fire Company and Jerome Volunteer Fire Company.
(B) The aforesaid fire companies and their members are hereby specifically authorized to respond to any and all requests for assistance from other organized and municipally recognized firefighting, fire, police or ambulance associations for assistance.
(C) The aforesaid fire companies and their members be and are hereby specifically authorized to engage in the following activities, when specifically directed by either the President, Fire Chief and Assistant Fire Chief or other designated person in charge, from time to time, of the members’ respective fire company: training; cooperative assistance; maintenance; fundraising activities; any other activities aimed at securing memberships and procuring equipment; attendance at official conventions; attendance at regular and special meetings of the aforesaid fire companies; attendance at funerals of fellow firefighters (when done as a group representing the fire companies); attendance at civic functions and/or parades, both inside the township and outside the township; fire prevention inspection and pre-planning activities; fire hydrant inspection, maintenance and placement planning activities; and any and all other activities and/or functions which are of a type normally engaged in by volunteer fire companies and their members.
(D) Either the President, Fire Chief or other officer designated by the President or Fire Chief of each of the fire companies shall report to the Board of Supervisors of the township all activities planned by the fire companies for the following month at the regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors in each month. Failure of the designated representative to notify the Board of Supervisors in advance shall not invalidate authorization set forth in divisions (A), (B) and (C) above.
(E) Any member of the aforesaid fire companies is hereby authorized to engage in the performance of any duty authorized by an officer of his or her respective fire company, unless such authorization as to a specific duty or as to a specific officer has been withdrawn by the Board of Supervisors of the township in writing addressed to the President or Fire Chief of his or her respective fire company. Such revocation shall be effective upon receipt thereof by the said President or Fire Chief, irrespective of when the next regularly scheduled meeting of the said fire company is to be held.
(F) The adoption of this section shall be construed as the official designation of the Conemaugh Township Volunteer Fire Company and Jerome Volunteer Fire Company as the volunteer fire and emergency provider for the township within their respective areas previously designated by Somerset County Emergency Services and shall constitute authority for the Conemaugh Township Volunteer Fire Company and Jerome Volunteer Fire Company to engage in mutual aid with any other volunteer fire company or official ambulance, or emergency/rescue organization.
(G) Any firefighter or ambulance personnel engaged in acts of mutual aid authorized by an officer or other pre-designated person of their respective volunteer fire company actually in charge of the situation shall have the explicit authority of the township to so act. Members of the Conemaugh Township Volunteer Fire Company and Jerome Volunteer Fire Company should not respond to disasters or conflagrations outside of the township unless requested to do so by the fire company in charge of the area or unless requested as part of disaster pre-planning.
(H) Any firefighter, fire police or ambulance personnel finding themselves at the scene of any fire, accident, emergency, disaster or conflagration may engage in mutual aid or individual actions without the authority of an officer or other pre-designated person from his or her own fire company, i.e., provided that:
(1) As soon as a primary protection provider arrives on the scene, he or she seeks out the officer in charge of the situation from the primary protection provider;
(2) He or she informs him or her of his or her name, fire company and level of training; and
(3) He or she notifies an officer from his or her own company or prepares pre-established forms for such purpose immediately upon return to the home municipality.
(Ord. 646, passed 8-21-2002)