Browndale Fire Co. No. 1 
Organized and Chartered 1913 
Building 1951 

Preamble
We, the members of the Browndale Fire Co. No. 1, in adopting the following code of laws, pledge ourselves to sustain our officers in their respective duties and hold ourselves bound in law and honor to conform to and abide by these laws in every respect. 

BROWNDALE FIRE CO. NO.1 BY-LAWS

LET IT BE KNOWN BY ALL PARTIES THAT ANY PLACE IN THE BY-LAWS, JOB DESCRIPTION OR MEETING GUIDELINES THAT REFERS TO THE MALE GENDER, IT SHALL BE INTERPRETED AS MEANING PERSONS OF BOTH  THE MALE AND FEMALE SEX. 

ARTICLE I - Name, Mission Statement, Members, Jurisdiction 

Section 1:  This Company shall be known and designated as the Browndale Fire Company No. 1 of the Village of Browndale in the Township of Clinton in Wayne County, Pennsylvania.  It is a 501C3 status non-profit organization.

Section 2:  The Mission Statement of the Browndale Fire Company No.1 is to provide of emergency services to residents and businesses in Clinton Township and surrounding municipalities, upon request. These services include but are not limited to fire suppression, response to environmental, weather related emergencies, motor vehicle accidents and other life threatening events.

Section 3:  The Company shall be comprised of Probationary, Active, Life and Honorary Members. 

Section 4:  The jurisdiction of the Company is the Township of Clinton, Wayne County, PA. The Company will also respond to mutual aid calls where our assistance is requested. 

Section 5:   All properties and possessions of the Browndale Fire Company, upon it’s dissolution, be transferred in ownership to the Clinton Township Board of Supervisors to be used for the extinguishing of fires, the protection of life and property and the promotion of fire prevention and fire safety in Clinton Township, Wayne County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

ARTICLE II – Officers 

Section 1:  The elected officers of the Company shall be a President; one (1) Vice-President; Secretary, Treasurer, Sgt-at-Arms, three (3) Trustees; a Fire Chief.  All are elected for a term on one (1) year except the Trustees, who shall be elected for a term of three (3) years, but one is to be elected annually. 

Section 2:  The Fire Chief shall appoint One (1) Deputy Fire Chief from the members of the Company who meet minimum requirements as listed in the job description appendix.  The Fire Chief and the Deputy Fire Chief shall appoint one Assistant Fire Chief, and one Chief Engineer from the members of the Company who meet minimum requirements as listed in the job description appendix. 

Additionally, a Captain, Lieutenant and two Sergeants will be selected, insuring they meet the minimum requirements as described in the job description appendix.

Based on operational needs, the fire chief may expand or contract the number of appointed operational officers.

Section 3: The President will appoint an Administrative Assistant. Minimum requirements are found in the job description.

Section 4:  No member shall be eligible for any operations office unless he meets the minimum requirements of that office, and is an active member for at least one year.  Minimum requirements are found in the job description appendix. 

ARTICLE III - Election of Officers

Section 1; The officers shall be nominated at the November meeting of each year and be elected on the second Tuesday of December of each year.  The newly elected officers shall be installed on the second Tuesday of January of each year, and shall hold office for one year or until their successors are elected and qualified, with the exception of the Trustees, who shall be elected to hold office for three (3) years as here-to-fore provided. 

Section 2:  No nomination for any office shall be received on the night of election, unless all the candidates for said office decline. 

Section 3:  If a vacancy should occur among the elected officers between the time of the annual elections, such offices shall be filled as the Company sees necessary. 

Section 4:  The president shall appoint two (2) tellers to count the ballots.  The sergeant-at-arms is to maintain order as may be needed during the voting and ballot counting. 

Section 5:  No write-in vote on the official ballot will be cast, unless there is no candidate for that particular office. 

ARTICLE IV - Officers' Duties and Responsibilities 

Section 1:  The duties of the Officers and minimum requirements for said offices are listed in the job description appendix. 

Section 2:  The Trustees will be responsible for the job description for the following offices:  President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Trustees, and Sgt-at-Arms. 

Section 3:  The Fire Chief will be responsible for the job descriptions for all the operations officers. 

Section 4:  Any officer of this Company shall resign his office when he has failed to perform his duties or whenever requested to do so by two-thirds of the active members present at any regular meeting.  The final resignation shall be upon the Trustees final approval. 

ARTICLE V - Apparatus 

Section 1:  Apparatus shall not leave town to participate in any dress parade, celebration, or training exercise without permission of the Company or operational officers.  Apparatus responding to an out of town fire call will respond according to the box assignment or by a specific request for our Company. 

ARTICLE VI - Membership Application and Qualification 

Section 1:  A member of the Company must at least fourteen (14) years of age and a citizen of the United States of America. 

Section 2:  The candidate shall complete an official application for membership.  Application process fee of $5.00 will accompany the application. 

Section 3:  Applications for membership will be thoroughly reviewed. An ad-hoc interview panel consisting of at least three members, with representation of the administration officers and operations officers, will be appointed for each applicant. An oral interview will be conducted. A background check will be completed for all applicants. This fee will be paid for by the applicant, but reimbursed to the applicant upon successful completion of the probationary program and acceptance as an active member.

Section 4: Upon completion of the probationary training program requirements, a review will be completed by the operations officers to the trustees who will make a recommendation to the body for movement to active membership, extension of the probationary period or recommendation to terminate the probationary membership for the individual. The probationary period will be a minimum of six months, but can be extended as required.

At a regular meeting, the body will vote on the recommendation, with majority of the membership in attendance voting in the affirmative.
Section 5: Junior members are from the ages of 14-17. The Cadet category is from the age of 14 through age 15.  Junior members are age 16 through 17. Both training and probation guidelines will respect the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Child Labor Law. 

ARTICLE VII - Duties of the Active Members 
Section 1:   It shall be the duty of each member of this Company to strictly obey the Company's By-Laws and Standard Operating Procedures. 

Section 2:  Each member shall pay dues of five ($5.00) per year.  Dues must be paid by the March meeting of each year or the member will be dropped from the rolls.  The Secretary will notify those who have not paid their dues by the February meeting that their dues are in arrears. 

Section 3:  It shall be the duty of each member of the Company noticing or detecting any defects in any of the Company's equipment to immediately report same to the appropriate individuals. 

A.  Defects of portable firefighting equipment shall be reported to the Fire Chief. 
B.  Defects of mobile equipment shall be reported to the Chief Engineer. 
C. Defects in all other property shall be reported to any of the Trustees. 
D.  In case no action is taken by the Fire Chief or the Chief Engineer, same must be reported to the Trustees. 
E.  No complaints will be entertained by the Trustees unless first taken up with the Fire Chief or Chief Engineer. 

Section 4:  Any member or group of members of the Browndale Fire Company No.1 attending a meeting of any of the Fire Associations, attending drills, demonstrations or anything pertaining to fire activities, in and outside the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, are doing so for the betterment of the fire service of the Browndale Fire Company No.1 and the Township of Clinton, Wayne County.  They are doing so as representatives of this Company and have the expressed permission of said Company to act in this capacity. 
 

Section 5:  Members may borrow equipment belonging to the Company for personal use upon contacting and receiving permission.

Section 6: All members shall treat each other with respect. All proceedings shall be conducted in that spirit of candor and good fellowship with each other. 

ARTICLE VIII - Life Members 

Section 1:  The Company may at any meeting elect Life Members.  Candidates for Life Membership must have twenty-five (25) years of consecutive active service.  Life membership may also be conferred upon any person qualified for membership who has rendered distinctive services or to its purposes. 

Section 2:  All Life Members must be elected by a majority vote of the members present at a regular meeting upon having been recommended for Life Membership by the Board of Trustees. 

Section 3:  A Life Member shall be required to pay dues until age sixty-five (65).  Upon reaching age sixty-five, he shall be exempt from payment of dues.   Life members will retain voting privileges.
Section 4:  Active military duty constitutes active Fire Company service. 

ARTICLE IX - Honorary Members 

Section 1:  The Company may at any meeting elect Honorary Members, who shall pay no admission fee, assessments or fines.  They shall have no vote in meetings, shall not be entitled to any claims whatsoever on the monies or property of the Company and all such members may be resigned from the Company at the will of the Company. 

Section 2:  All Honorary Members must be elected by a majority vote of the members present at a regular meeting upon having been recommended for Honorary membership by the Board of Trustees. 

Section 3:  Honorary Members will not be entitled to hold office in the Company. 

ARTICLE X - Impeachment 

Section 1:  Any officer of this Company, or member of a standing committee, who shall abuse the authority vested in him, or duties imposed, may have charges brought against him by any member in good standing.  These charges must be presented, in writing, and must be brought before a meeting of the Board of Trustees, who will determine their validity. Any charges found to be valid will be presented by the Trustees to the Company membership at a regular meeting.  Such charges will not be considered or acted upon by the Company until the next regular meeting after the charges are presented to the Company membership. 

The person or persons accused shall be served with a copy of such charges at least twenty (20) days previous to such meeting and be given an opportunity to be heard in defense at such subsequent twenty (20) days previous to such meeting and be given an opportunity to be heard in defense at such subsequent meeting. The Company will then vote by secret ballot and two-thirds vote against the member or members so charged will constitute impeachment. 

ARTICLE XI - Disciplinary Action 
Section 1:  Disciplinary Actions are defined within the department’s Standard Operating Guideline entitled “Disciplinary Action”. 

ARTICLE XII - Conduct 
Section 1:  It shall be the duty of all members of the Company to maintain the good reputation and image of said Company at all times.  Any member(s) charged with an offense which shall reflect on the good reputation and image of the Company and causing said good reputation and image to be defamed, diminished or tarnished shall be immediately suspended from the membership and upon conviction of such offense, immediately expelled from the Company without a vote.  Any member(s) so suspended shall immediately turn over to the Board of Trustees all property belonging to the company and shall not respond to any emergency calls or participate in any other Company functions. 

Section 2:  Any member of the Company under the age of twenty-one shall not purchase and or consume alcoholic beverages on any property belonging to the Company or any property leased and or rented by the Company for the conduction of its affairs.  It shall be the duty of any member(s) observing any member(s) under the age of twenty-one (21) consuming and or purchasing alcoholic beverages on property belonging to and or leased by the Company to report said observances, in writing, noting date, time and any other circumstances, to the Board of Trustees for action.  Failure to do so, shall subject the observing member(s) to the same disciplinary acting as the offending member(s). 

ARTICLE XIII - Meetings 
Section 1:  The annual meeting of the Company shall be held on the second Tuesday in January at 7:00 P.M. 

Section 2:  The regular monthly meeting of this Company shall be held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 P.M. and not later than 10:00 P.M.  Any change of the meeting date, due to holiday, etc., shall be approved by the membership at the previous month's regular meeting. 

Section 3:  A special meeting may be held at any time, provided notice shall be posted at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance. 

Section 4:  Seven (7) members constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at a regular or special meeting.  Any expenditure in excess of 500.00 will have to be voted on by membership present and considered valid if agreed upon by a majority of those present. 

Section 5:  Attendance will be taken at 7:00 P.M., and if a quorum be present they shall, in the absence of the President and the Vice-President, the Fire Chief shall chair the meeting and proceed with business. 

Section 6:  The chairman shall preserve order and decorum, decide all questions of order subject to an appeal of the Company. 

Section 7:  In case of an alarm of fire during the meeting, the meeting shall stand adjourned until the Company has returned to the fire station, or call of the President. 

Section 8:  The Board of Trustees will meet at on a regular basis as required.  The Chairman of the Board of Trustees may call a special meeting of the Board at any time upon notice of three members of the Board of Trustees. 

ARTICLE XIV - Uniforms 
Section 1:  All personnel will follow the standard operating guideline entitled “Station 43 Uniform Operating Guideline. 

ARTICLE XV - Amendments 
Section 1:  Any amendment of these By-Laws submitted for consideration must be made in writing and after being read, will lay over for thirty (30) days for adoption.  It then shall be decided by a majority of the votes of the members present .

Section 2:  All questions of parliamentary law will be reviewed in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order. 

ARTICLE XVI 
All By-Laws here-to-for existing other than the foregoing and its Appendix are hereby repealed. A committee will be appointed every three (3) years to review the By-Laws for additions, deletions and/or corrections. 

2009 Bylaw Committee:
Chairperson – President Juliann Doyle
Member – Fire Chief Ronald Richards
Member – Trustee John Pevec
Approved by membership :  September 8, 2009