(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 volunteer Fire Department shall not have upon its rolls at one time more than 25 persons, for each engine and hose company in the Fire Department, and no hook and ladder company shall have upon its rolls at any one time more than 25 members. No organization shall be deemed to be a bona fide fire or hook and ladder company until it has procured for active service apparatus for the extinguishment or prevention of fires, in case of a hose company, to the value of $700, and of a hook and ladder company to the value of $500.
(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 municipal 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 worker’s compensation and other benefits, but for no other purposes whatsoever. 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 such person serves more than one municipality or rural or suburban fire protection district, the policy shall be purchased only by the first municipality 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 such 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.
(1976 Code, § 3-303) (Ord. 1344, passed 11-8-2004; Ord. 1455A, passed 11-24-2014; Ord. 1483, passed 2-4-2019)
Statutory reference:
Related provisions, see Neb. RS 33-139.01, 35-102, 35-108, 35-109