Membership of this Department shall be divided into three types: active, associate and probationary trainee.
(A) The membership of this Department shall be limited to 15 active members and as many probationary trainees as deemed necessary by the Fire Chief.
(1) Active firefighters shall have full voting rights and will be eligible to hold elective offices in this Department.
(2) To remain active, members must meet the following requirements:
(a) Attendance at 33% of each of the following:
1. Fire and related alarms;
2. Work details;
3. Training meetings; and
4. Attendance exceeding the minimum in one category may be used in another category, but no category may be less than 25%. Credit will be given for attendance at a fire or related alarm if the volunteer remains at the station and assists with truck preparation when it returns, although it will not be necessary to remain if the volunteer must return or report to work.
(b) That they reside within ten miles of Paoli town limits or work full time in Paoli at a job they may leave for alarms;
(c) That they have taken and passed a physical examination during the last two years or more often, if required by the Fire Chief;
(d) That they have taken and passed a mandatory drug test and background check. Furthermore, they shall submit to future drug tests as required by the Fire Chief;
(e) That they have acquired and maintained an acceptable level of proficiency and knowledge of firefighting practices, as determined by the Fire Chief;
(f) All members will work together in harmony and strive for the betterment of the Department;
(g) To respond to all fire alarms and calls of the Chief or his or her assistants as far as possible; and
(h) To assist in keeping the Department and all of the equipment clean and in good operating condition.
(3) Excusable reasons for not participating will be sickness, death in family, working schedules, vacations or others approved by the Fire Chief.
(B) Associate members are those active members who have chosen to become inactive in Department functions or those who can no longer serve as active members due to circumstances such as (but not limited to) illness, physical handicaps, military duty or working handicaps.
(1) Associate members may attend all meetings and be active in all Department functions other than actual firefighting.
(2) Associate members will not have voting powers, but will have a floor voice at all business meetings.
(3) Associate members will be eligible for appointed office such as committee chairmen and the like.
(4) Associate members shall be known as active firefighters upon the direction and by being declared so by the ranking officer in charge at a fire.
(5) Associate members may become active members in the event of an active membership vacancy if approved by the majority of members present at a regular meeting.
(6) When active members go associate, they will be compensated for the entire six month compensation period.
(7) When active members go associate, they will remain as associate members either indefinitely or until a request is heard from said member to be deleted from the associate membership roll.
(C) Probationary trainees will be those who have made application, on the prescribed forms, and have been accepted by the majority of the active members present at a regular meeting. Applicants shall not be present on the day of voting on their membership. The vote will be by secret ballot.
(1) To be eligible for application, the applicant must be over the age of 18, of sound mind, physically fit, and a resident of the Town of Paoli, Indiana, or reside within ten miles of Paoli town limits or work full-time at a job in Paoli which they may leave for fire alarms.
(a) Applicants 21 or older will be shown preference.
(b) All applicants must have a high school education or equivalent.
(2) All applicants must furnish a statement of physical fitness signed by a licensed M.D. to meet Fire Department standards.
(3) Probationary trainees will be required to participate in a nine month training program covering various phases of firefighting and first aid practice. He or she will then be eligible for an active membership vote whenever a vacancy occurs. Probationary trainees must be 18 years of age in order to be eligible for active membership.
(4) Probationary trainees may attend all business meetings and Department functions. They will not have voting rights but will have a floor voice.
(5) In the event of two or more trainees becoming eligible for an active membership vote, the one showing the greatest amount of interest such as regular attendance and willingness to learn and participate will be considered first.
(Ord. 2017-07, passed 9-19-17)