Page 12 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • February 8, 2012 Midland Park The Midland Park Borough Council at its last meeting gave its blessing to a comprehensive update of the volunteer fire department’s bylaws. Borough ordinances require the document be reviewed and approved by the governing body. According to fireman Peter Jeffer, a local attorney who headed the bylaws committee, the work was in progress for the past two years, with many sections dating back to the original incorporation of the department in 1909. “The bylaws we have been using set dues at $2 a year, with a 40 cent penalty if not paid within the first three months,” Jeffer noted. “Well, we upped it to $5,” he said. Jeffer explained that the committee met a few times with the fire company as a whole to get suggestions for needed changes and then reviewed them with an eye towards incorporating current state law and changes that had been made over the years but never officially codified. The committee included former Chief Pete Hook, Chief Mark Berninger and Phil Scaglione. Jeffer said initially everyone was under the impression that since the fire department is in essence an arm of the borough, it would be subject to the rules concerning discipline of employees outlined in the borough’s personnel manual. “We discovered we are not bound by the town ordinances that relate to employees; we can adopt our own rules to live by,” Jeffer said. The bylaws now provide that charges may be brought against a member of the department for drug or alcohol violations, abusive language or lack of competency in firematics or in using common sense so as to be a danger to himself or other firefighters. The new bylaws eliminated the Civil Defense component. Jeffer said that decades ago, when there was a waiting list to join the department, recruits joined the Civil Defense to get training until a vacancy occurred. Now, he said, new members can join anytime. The probationary period, however, has been increased to 12 months, but the recruit can participate in all social activi- Council approves fire department’s updated bylaws ties from the beginning. “We want the new people to feel a part of us,” said Jeffer, noting that the starting age has been reduced from 21 to 18 and the citizenship requirement has been dropped in accordance with state law. An investigation committee has also been established to check on the driving record and other background of prospective members, he said. While maintaining the flexibility for a member to remain in the department if he/she moves to a contiguous town, Jeffer said the chief will now have to be a Midland Park resident. He said members felt that since the chief is the one who submits the department’s budget to the council, his residency would make it more likely that he would have the interest of the taxpayers in mind as well as that of the department. The requirements for becoming a fire officer were also tightened, Jeffer said, to hold the position to a higher standard. He said officers will now have to be pump-qualified “so they can better direct the men if they have the experience themselves.” A section on leaves of absence was also added. A member may seek a leave due to illness or other reason which renders him incapable of performing his firematic duties for a time not to exceed two years. If the injury happened in the line of duty, the leave would be unlimited, and the member’s qualification for LOSAP would not be affected. Restructuring (continued from previous page) to a question about who would implement the plan if the superintendent should leave the district, it was pointed out that the plan would not be dependent upon any one person in the district. Another parent asked if the public would vote on such a change. That parent was told that the board was elected to make sure the schools are operated efficiently, and each member of the board would ultimately give his or her reason for voting for or against any change. Other questions related to traffic and start times at the restructured schools. However, the committee did not address those specifics in its study. Forum attendees were also informed that the committee did not seek quantitative data of the academic achievement in the three districts that were visited before and after their transitions to the Modified Princeton Plan structure, the committee anticipates no staff reductions as a result of a change in school structure, and the principal and teach- ers believe there could be an educational benefit from the change. In addition, the attendees were told that there is no conclusive data on the comparison of the different school configurations because all the available research pertains only to the transition from elementary to middle school grades. They also learned that closing one of the schools was not considered by the committee to be a viable option. Romano explained to the forum attendees that he has a lot of experience with the school structure being considered, having been worked in Ramsey’s school district for nine years, during which that district changed to the Modified Princeton Plan. He said he could make the transition an easy one. In response to the questions raised about his intentions to stay in the district, he said he is not looking to run away from the school district, but because of the recent salary caps placed on superintendents’ salaries by the state, he has to do what is best for his career and his family. The committee will now conduct a community survey and finalize its study and then make recommendations to Romano and the board for further review and/or planning. The board will then work with the administration to determine the next steps.