(a) The fire department shall consist of the fire chief and a sufficient number of volunteer firefighters to maintain and operate the department.
(b) The chief is authorized and empowered at his discretion to appoint in any emergencies he deems necessary such temporary members of the department as he desires to serve as members temporarily, and each such member so appointed shall be entitled to the same rights and benefits as all other members of the department for the duration of such temporary service, no matter how limited his length of service may be.
(Code 1989, § 31.01)