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Sec. 1. - Authorized.#
Upon acceptance of the terms of this act by its financial town meeting the town of West Warwick is authorized to organize and maintain a permanent fire department, consisting of such number of officers and members as the town council in office at the time of the approval of this act, or its successors, shall determine.
(Laws 1933, ch. 2077, § 1)
Editor's note— Laws 1933, ch. 2077, comprising this article, was duly accepted by financial town meeting.
Sec. 2. - Choosing, term, compensation of personnel.#
All officers and members of said department shall be chosen by the town council from time to time as occasion may require. They shall serve during the pleasure of the council at such compensation as the council shall fix.
(Laws 1933, ch. 2077, § 2)
Sec. 2½. - Suspension, reduction in rank, removal.#
All officers and members of the fire department who have been appointed or shall be appointed by the town council of the town of West Warwick shall hold their respective office at such compensation as the said council shall fix until vacated by death, resignation or disability to serve, except as hereinafter provided; and the chief of the fire department may at any time suspend any officer or member of said department until the next regular meeting of the town council, at which meeting the chief of the fire department shall report in writing any and all suspensions, with his reasons therefor, and the council shall direct the town clerk to notify the officers or members suspended that a hearing will be held with respect to said suspension or suspensions at the next regular or special meeting of said council as the council shall direct, and the said council may continue such suspension or suspensions until the said hearing is held; provided, however, that any one or more of the officers or members of said department shall be subject to reduction in rank, suspension or removal from office by said council, upon its own motion at any regular or special meeting thereof, for misconduct, disobedience of orders from a superior officer, or for malfeasance or nonfeasance in office and all such reductions, suspensions or removals shall be by the said council upon charges made in writing, setting forth in general, facts upon which the said charge or charges is or are based; and the said town council shall give the officer or officers, member or members of said fire department complained of, notice and an opportunity at the time appointed to be heard thereon; provided, further, however, that nothing in this act shall be construed to apply to the volunteers and/or callmen but only to the regular full time members of the paid fire department of the town of West Warwick.
(Laws 1933, ch. 2077, § 2½; Laws 1949, ch. 2179, § 1)
Sec. 3. - Purchases.#
The town council is authorized to make such purchases from time to time as, in its opinion, may be necessary or essential for the proper equipment of said fire department; provided, however, that no purchase of a fire engine, pumper, hook and ladder truck, fire station or land upon which to build such a station, shall be made unless the financial town meeting of said town shall have first appropriated the money therefor.
(Laws 1933, ch. 2077, § 3)
Sec. 4. - Effect of department on fire districts.#
From and after the creation of a town fire department by the town of West Warwick under the provisions of this act, no fire district now located wholly or in part within the town of West Warwick shall pass any vote or resolution levying a tax upon any taxable property within the town of West Warwick, except for the purpose of liquidating obligations outstanding at the time of the passage of a vote or resolution by the town council of West Warwick declaring that a town fire department has been organized within said town, in the event that such obligations shall not be assumed by the town of West Warwick. Nor shall any such fire district pass any such vote or resolution for the purpose of liquidating such obligations if the same shall have been assumed by the town of West Warwick.
(Laws 1933, ch. 2077, § 4; Laws 1946, ch. 1688, § 1)
Sec. 5. - Town may assume assets, liabilities of districts.#
The town of West Warwick may contract with said fire districts, or with any of them, to take over the assets and to assume the liabilities of such districts or district, upon such terms as the contracting parties may agree upon, and the said several fire districts are authorized to enter into any such contract or contracts with the town of West Warwick.
(Laws 1933, ch. 2077, § 5)
Sec. 6. - Apportionment where district overlaps with town.#
In such of said fire districts as overlap town lines an equitable division and distribution of the assets and liabilities owned or outstanding at the time of the passage of a vote or resolution by the town council of West Warwick declaring that a town fire department has been organized within said town shall be made between the West Warwick taxpayers and the taxpayers of such other town or city included in such district or districts by boards of appraisers consisting respectively of three citizens of the town of West Warwick to be appointed by the town council of West Warwick and three citizens of each of the sections of the respective fire districts located outside the town of West Warwick to be elected at a meeting of said respective fire districts by the tax paying citizens thereof residing in the respective sections of said fire districts located outside the town of West Warwick and such division and distribution shall respectively require the approval of a majority of the members of said several boards of appraisers and in the event that a majority cannot so agree said board of appraisers or any of them as the case my [may] be shall appoint an umpire who shall be a citizen of the state of Rhode Island but not a resident or taxpayer of the town of West Warwick or of the city[town] of Warwick or of the town of Coventry and thereupon said umpire shall be a member of the board of appraisers appointing him and said division and distribution shall then be made by the vote and written agreement of at least four of said members of said board.
(Laws 1933, ch. 2077, § 6; Laws 1947, ch. 1967, § 1)
Sec. 7. - Crompton fire district may supply water; sale of assets.#
The Crompton fire district is authorized to distribute water throughout the town of West Warwick and may sell such water to the inhabitants of said town of West Warwick and to the town of West Warwick for domestic manufacturing or fire purposes; said district, for the purposes aforesaid, may carry any work to be constructed by it over or under any highway, turnpike, railroad or street in the town of West Warwick in such manner as not to permanently obstruct or impede travel thereon, and may enter upon and dig up any highway, turnpike, road or street in said town for the purpose of laying down pipes or building aqueducts upon or beneath the surface thereof or for the purpose of repairing the same, all such work upon or in any highway or street to be with the permission and under the direction of the town council of said town.
The Crompton fire district is also authorized to contract with the town of West Warwick or with any privately owned corporation or individual for the sale of its entire assets or any part of its assets and may convey good title thereto. Any purchaser of the reservoir and water system of said Crompton fire district shall acquire and have all the rights, privileges, easements, and franchises to maintain pipes, hydrants, structures, reservoirs, and other fire equipment of said district that are now enjoyed by said Crompton fire district.
(Laws 1933, ch. 2077, § 7)
Sec. 8. - Resolution required to organize department.#
A town fire department shall be held to have been organized under this act when the town council of West Warwick passes a resolution declaring that such a department has been organized and is ready to take over the duties of the said fire districts now existing within said town.
(Laws 1933, ch. 2077, § 8)
Sec. 9. - Repealer.#
All acts and parts of acts and any provisions of the charter or charters of said fire districts, or any of them, inconsistent herewith, are hereby amended or repealed, as the case may be, insofar as they may conflict with the provisions of this act.
(Laws 1933, ch. 2077, § 9)
Sec. 10. - When act effective.#
This act shall take effect upon its passage.
(Laws 1933, ch. 2077, § 10)