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1970-01-20 CC PacketCITY OF SOUTHLAKE FIRE DEPARTMNT PHONE 289-2123 R. P. STEELE FIRE CHIEF CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE SOUTHIAKE FIRE DEPARTHM , SOUTHIAKE, TEXAS ARTICLE I Name and Object I This department shall be known as the Southlake Fire Dept. -the preservation of the lives and property of our fallow citizens. shall be ARTICIIE Membership 3 Section 1-- No person shall be eligible to become a member in this department who is under 18 years of age. All members shall live within the immediate fire limits,shall have good character and habits, and shall be from such infirmities as may prevent him from performing the duties of an active fireman. Section 2L--- Exempt members at large. Honorary members exempt from active duties shallbeofthefollowingclasses, respectively: 1. Those who by accident or otherwise may be incapacitated while engagedintheservicesofthedepartment. 2. All those who have served continously as active members for a periodof25years. 3. Note: Exempt members are those exempt from attendance of duties and meetings.) Section The honorary members may be elected by unanimous vote of those present attheregular` meeting. An honorary member shall be entitled to the floor at all occasions, but will not be entitled to vote. ARTICLE III Officers the department shall have the following officers, the same to be filled bythemembersofthedepartmentwhoshallbeelectedtotheregularmeetingin December of each year: secretary, treasurer, two captains, two lieutenants, one sergeant-at-arms, and one maintenance engineer. Chief and Assistant Chief will be appointed by the City Council. Page 2 ARTICLE IV Duties of Officers Section I I It shall be the duty of the Chief to preside at all the meetings of the Department; he shall sign all minutes, resolutions, orders and summons of the Department, as well as these by-laws and amendments thereto. He shall appointallcommittees..and officers, not otherwise provided for. He shall hold, trustee officers, not otherwise provided for. He shall hold, as trustee for the City of Southlake, Texas, title to all property belongings to used by, or in possessionoftheDepartment, and shall execute all correspondence of such as trustee. He shall have the authority to fine any member in an amount not to exceed on dollar for misbehavior, or misconduct during any meeting of the Department. No member shall be appointed Chief who has dot,served at least,two years as an active member. Two year clause beginning January 1970.) Section 2 The First Assistance Chief shall preside at all meetings of the Department in the absence of the Chief, shall preserve order and decorum and shall rule, on all questions of order, his rulings; to be final, subject to an approval by the Chief. As a member of the Executive Committee, he shall attend all meetings of such body. No member shall be appointed First Assistant Chief who has not served at least one year as an active member beginning January 1970. Section 3 The Chief shall have such power as the city ordinances, and other consitutions that the Department may authorize. He shall have full-charge of the Department at all fires, parades, funerals; drills, etc. He shall have the power to assign or transfer any member to any company he may see fit, and he may expel from the Department any member guilty of subordination, riotous conduct while on duty, or any other infraction of the by-laws and rules governing this Department. He maycalldrillsandinspectionsathesdiscretion, and shall from time to time inspecttheapparatus, trucks, and stations of the Department. It shall be his duty to recommend to the City Council any additions, changes, or improvements to the same that he may deem necessary and Council will adhere to. Section 4 The First Assistant Chief shall assist the Chief at all fires, drills, parades,funerals, etc, He shall be second officer in command on such occasions, and in the absence of the Chief shall assume full charge of the Department, having all the powers delegated to the Chief for the good work and efficiency of the Departmentwhileinhischarge. As a member of the Executive Committee he shall attend all meetings of the same. Section 5 It shall be the duty of the Secretary to attend all meetings of the Department, keep accurate minutes of all transactions therein. He shall preserve the minute books so that the same may be available when called for or needed. He shall keep on file all sommunications addressed to or laid before the Department and shall keep the roll book in good order. Page 3 ARTICLE IV (Continued) Section 6 It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive and keep in charge The Firemen sand of the a monthly report He shall upon assuming hisDepartmentandtomake office deposit whatever funds received by him from his predecessor, as well as funds received by him for the Department from time to time during his term of office in a local bank. He shall keep his bank books or deposit slips always available to the end that a clear and concise statement can be had upon request of the Executive Committee or any member in good standing at a regular meeting. He shall keep the books and vouchers of his office and bills paid or uppaid and shall when in funds, honor all bills approved by vote of the Department. He shall upon leaving his office, transfer all books, vouchers, funds, etc., to his successor in office within 10 days from the date of retiremrsnt. ARTICLE V Committees Section I The Executive Committee shall be a standing committee and shall be composed of tfib Chief, First Assistant Chief, Secretary, and Treasurer. Section 2 It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to audit the books and accounts of the Department and as often as twice a year and report the condition of same to the Department at the regular meeting following such action. To act for and in the name of the Department in all cases of emergency and to report same to the Department at the next meeting. ARTICLE VI Fire Marshall The Fire Marshall shall keep a correct record of.all fires and alarms during the year. He shall keep a correct record of all fires and alarms during the year. He shall keep as nearly as possible a correct estimate of all fire losses during the year and the amount of time spent at each fire and shall report same to the Department at the end.~of his year's service. A copy of this report shall be sent to the City Secretary, for forwarding to the State Fire Commissioner in Austin. ARTICLE I Section I Immediately after the specified time of meeting, the Chief shall call the meeting to order. In the absence of both the Chief and First Assistant Chief, the first Captain shall take charge. Page 4 ARTICLE I Continued) Section 2-- The following order of business shall be observed during the proceedings of the meeting on the first Monday of each month. 1. Roll Call 2. Reading of minutes of previous meeting. 3. Communications, bills receipts, etc. 4. Report of,committees, standing and special 5. Report of Officers 6. Unfinished business 7. New business. 8. Election and installation of officers. 9. Adjournment. Section 3 Meetings shall be conducted in an orderly manner under parliamentary procedure. ARTICLE II Section I It is the duty of each member to obey the Department officers in the faithful discharge of duties connected with the Department. Each member shall promptly respond to the alarm of fire and upon reaching the fire shall report to the officer in charge, take the station assigned him and there remain until relieved. Section 2 Any member guilty of insubordination shall be subject to expulsion, and any member leaving his station at a fire without permission of his directing officer shall be subject to a reprimand. Section 3-- Any member guilty of using vulgar or insulting language at a fire, meeting, or parade, or any other Department assemblies shall be subject to a reprimand. Section 4 All members present shall vote yea or nay on all motions, applications, resolutions, or questions placed before the Department or state his reason for not doing so when called upon by the Chief. A quorum shall consist of;at least five members. Section 5 Any member found under the influawe of inacication beverages during fire drilld, fires, parades, or any other duties of the Department shall be suspedded from the Department indefinitely at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Page 5 ARTICLE II (Continued) Section 6 No person shall ride any Southlake Fire Department emergency equipment who is not a member of the same Department or Rescue Squad unless authorized by the officer in charge. ARTICLE III Duty of Committees Any member appointed to serve on a committee shall attend to the duties of the appointlpent and report the amount of progress attained at the next regular I meeting or give reasons why such report could not be made at the time. ARTICLE IV Candidates for Membership Section I Upon the presentation of a written application of a candidate for membership by the Chief or some member of the Department, the Chief shall appoint a committee to investigate the candidate's possibilities of making a good fireman. The committee shall make its report as soon as it.is feasible. If the report is favorable, the candidate shall be voted on; and if is received 2/3 vote of the quorum, he will be accepted on a three months probation. If at the end of three months he has proved himself a willing worker and a good fireman, he shall become a full-fledged member of this Department and shall have all rights and privileges pertaining thereto. The Secretary or Chief shall notify each-newly elected member through the member proposing him or by other means of his acceptance. Section 2 After becoming a full-fledged member of said department the member will be i issued a badge, membership card and windshield decal by the chief of the department. Section 3 Members wishing to install red lights or siren on his personal car or pickup will be issued a permit signed by the Mayor of the City of Southlake. Section 4 A member hereby understands that this emergency equipment is not to be used in any way except emergency operations performed by the city of Southlake. ARTICLE V it shall be too duty of a member of this department upon learning of the illness of another member, to report same to the Executive Committee, whose duty is, shall be to wait on such member and leorn of his needs, if any, and to administer the same. In such cases the Chief may notify the Treasurer for Department at the next 10 regular meeting of the department. 1 Page 6 Limitations: Gp Funerals $10.00 for flowers to member, wife, children,mother or father. Illness Expenditures: Up to $5.00 on member, wife, children, mother or father. ARTICLE VI Leave of Absence Any member in good standing desiring to leave the city temporarily anddesiringtoretainhismembership, may secure a leave of absence not exceedingthreemonths, by applying to the Chief. Upon returning, he must report withoutdelaytotheChief. If a member on a leave of absence remains away for more than three months,he shall automatically be cropped from the rolls, unless he is granted anextensionoftimebytheChief. ARTICLE VII Election of Officers All Department officers shall be nominated at the regular meeting in December each year. All Department officers shall be elected on the first Monday in December and installed at thh regular meeting in January of each year. ARTICLE VIII All members shall be allowed to vote by proxy. pending)-t ARTICLE IX Amendments The constitution and by-laws may be amended by unanimous vote at a regularmeetingorbyatwo-thirds vote at three consecutive meetings. ARTICLE X Excuses Excuses for non-attendance of duties, fire alarms, drills and meetings must be personal sickness that would unlit him for duty, absence from the city or such sickness in his family as would require his attendance and attention. Upon positive statement of a member that it was impossible to leave his business to attend to said duties, the department may excuse him by a majority vote. Any member wishing to leave the scene of fire shall ge the consent of the Chief officer in charge to do so providing his excuse is legitimate. ARTICLE XI The Southlake Fire Department shall consist of one class of personnelVolunteerFiremen. Volunteer Firemen are those who according to the by-laws have met the requirements thereof and are duly elected or appointed by the Chief in accordancewiththisreport. They receive no direct monetary consideration for their services for fighting fire from the city of Southlake. ARTICLE XII Three unexcused absences shall automatically drop a member from the rolls of this department. Each member must attend at least two (2) meetings a month to keep in good standing, and remain at said meeting until adjourned. j Page 7 ARTICLE XIII The limit for volunteer membership in this shall be 33 members. ARTICIE XIV All firemen shall be expected to make all fire calls possible. ARTICLE XV The fireman or person taking the alarm call shall get the following 1 information: 1. Type of fire--Building, grass, automobile, etc.2. Location of fire or emergency. 3. Route to take to fire or emergency (These rules to be attached to theBlackboard.) ARTICLE XVI 4 e Voting on officers of the Department shall be secret ballot ARTICLE XVII It shall be required that the meets s be made eachthreeconsecutivemeetingswithoutLegitimateexcuses shhall~automaticallyofsuspendthememberfromthedepartmentwithoutprivilegesanddiscounts. ARTICLE XVIII Equipment other than trucks and rescue unit shall be removed from firestationonlyuponpermissionoftheChiefortheAssistantChief. Locationofsuchequipmentshallbeplacedinwritinguponbulletinboardintheoffice.of the Fire Chief. ARTICLE XIX At no time shall the rescue'unit of the Rescue Squad be used by firemen orotherpeoplefor'recreational purposes. This unit is to.be used only inemergenciesandfiredepartmentactivity. ARTICLE XX Dues ar $5.00 a year, payable January 15, of each year and will go into thefiremean's fund and will be completely separate frgm other City Fire Departmentfunds, and can only be,spent by a majority vote-of the membership. Chief -OF: 6~ let Asst. Chief l Secretary Treasurer