(A) There is hereby established in the city a Fire and Rescue Department consisting of a Chief, an Assistant Chief, and not less than 15 or more than 27 Firefighters.
(B) (1) The Chief shall have control over all of the firefighting apparatus and shall be responsible for its care and condition. The Chief shall make a report and check with the City Council when presenting the proposed annual budget as to the condition of the equipment and needs of the Fire and Rescue Department. The Chief may submit additional reports and recommendations at any meeting of the City Council and shall report suspensions or requests for leave of absences of members of the Fire and Rescue Department at the first meeting of the Council following the suspension/request for leave.
(2) The Chief shall be responsible for the proper training and disciplining of the members of the Fire and Rescue Department, and may suspend any member for refusal or neglect to obey orders pending final action by the City Council on their discharge or retention.
(C) The Chief shall keep, in convenient form, a complete record of all fires and rescues. The record shall include the time of the alarm, location of fire, cause of fire, if known, type of building, name of owner, department(s) responding to the alarm and other information as may deem advisable or as may be required from time to time by the City Council or State of Minnesota.
(D) It shall be the duty of the Chief to hold a monthly training for the Fire and Rescue Department, when the weather permits, and to give the members instruction in approved methods of firefighting, rescue and fire prevention.
(E) The Assistant Chief shall, in the absence or disability of the Chief, perform all the functions and exercise all of the authority of the Chief.
(F) The Chief, Assistant Chief, and Firefighters shall be able-bodied and not less than 18 or more than 65 years of age. They shall be interviewed and pass a physical examination and shall become members of the Fire and Rescue Department only after a one-year probationary period or when all training requirements are successfully completed, whichever is longer and recommended by the Chief for acceptance. The Chief, upon approval by the City Council, may establish additional minimum requirements to be eligible to apply to be a member of the Fire and Rescue Department.
(G) Firefighters absent from three consecutive training sessions shall forfeit membership in the Department. If they cannot attend the third training session, they shall give the Chief a written reason for not attending. The reason(s) will be kept on file by the Chief. The Chief shall have the power to decide whether the reason(s) is valid as to warrant retention.
(H) Compensation for members and officers shall be adopted by a city resolution.
(I) No person who is a member of the Fire and Rescue Department at the time of the adoption of this section shall be required to serve a probationary period before becoming a member.
(J) The members and officers of the Fire and Rescue Department shall organize themselves into a firefighters relief association, under rules, regulations and bylaws subject to approval by the City Council.
(Ord. 95, passed 11-30-1995; Ord. 2023-316, passed 6-29-2023)