The village fire department shall consist of 30 firefighters or medics and five reserve firefighters. Of this total, only 15 may be out of district members. The fire department is divided into two divisions: the fire division and the EMS division. The fire chief is appointed by the village president and is approved by the village board of trustees annually.

(Code 2024, § 4.2.1)

1. Fire chief. The fire chief shall be responsible for the operations of the department. He shall be responsible for the safety and care of all equipment/apparatus belonging to the department. An effort should be made to supply monthly reports of department activity and progress to the village board of trustees. A report of financial needs for the upcoming fiscal year shall be supplied to the village board of trustees by the last board meeting in February. It is the responsibility of the fire chief to furnish to the village board accurate records of all calls and training sessions. This report should be made at the first board meeting of each month.
2. Deputy chiefs. The deputy chiefs shall exercise the duties within their respective divisions in the absence of the chief.
3. Lieutenants. The duties of the lieutenants shall be as described by the chief.

(Code 2024, § 4.2.2)

It shall be the duty of each firefighter or medic to care for fire or medical equipment/apparatus and the building where the equipment/apparatus is kept.

(Code 2024, § 4.2.3)

The chief and his designated officers shall be the fire inspection department of the village. The fire inspection department shall:

1. Inspect, and secure if needed, any building, yard or premises in the village when any danger or fire shall appear or fire has occurred;
2. Notify and coordinate with the village building inspector to ensure all village codes and ordinances are followed and enforced;
3. Give written directions to the owner, agent or occupant of any premises containing any of the dangerous structures to remove, alter or amend the same in five days; and
4. Inspect any business or public building for public safety or fire hazard conditions to ensure compliance with the National Fire Code.

(Code 2024, § 4.2.3)

Each member of the fire department shall be paid for answering calls for service and training sessions. The amount of pay shall be established by resolution of the village board. The amount can be altered at such times as the village board deems necessary.

(Code 2024, § 4.2.4)

1. Fire chief. The fire chief may be removed for good cause by the president and board of trustees. The president of the board of trustees shall submit the reasons for the discharge at the meeting of the board of trustees. If the board approves of the discharge by a majority, it shall be effective.
2. Deputy chiefs and other officers. All officers are appointed by the department chief. The department chief can remove any officer as he may deem necessary for the good of the department.

(Code 2024, § 4.2.5)

The fire department shall adopt standard operational guidelines (SOGs), subordinate to the ordinances of the village, as it deems best calculated to accomplish the objects of this organization.

(Code 2024, § 4.2.6(A))

The expense of maintaining the fire trucks and all apparatus and fixtures shall be defrayed by appropriation by the board of trustees.

(Code 2024, § 4.2.6(B))

All members shall reside within the limits of the designated district unless they are willing to cover an assigned tour of duty on a frequency set by the chief. Non-district members may function as firefighters or medics, but must be licensed as a first responder, EMT-B, EMT-I, or EMT-P. If acting as a firefighter, members shall have proper training for suppression as approved by the chief.

(Code 2024, § 4.2.6(C))

The village fire district boundaries shall be as follows: from the northern boundary of the village limits along the Mississippi River north to Interstate 80, from Interstate 80 at the Mississippi River easterly along Interstate 80 to Illinois 5, proceeding southerly along Illinois 5 to Morton Drive in East Moline, along Morton Drive westerly to the Mississippi River, and northerly along the Mississippi River to the village limits.

(Code 2024, § 4.2.6(D))

1. It is the goal of the village fire department to provide high quality service to the citizens of the village. Employees are the village's most valuable resource, with training being a key element. The village will reimburse employees (fire department members in good standing) the cost of their training up to the level which the village fire department is legally authorized to operate. All reimbursements for training must be approved by the chief. Reimbursement will be upon proof of successful completion of the training.
2. Effective on passage of the ordinance from which this article is derived, any employee who is reimbursed the cost of his or her training shall sign a contract to provide services, following all guidelines established by the chief for a period of two years. Any contractual reimbursement shall be issued for training only within six months of the successful completion of training. Any employee breaking this contract must reimburse the village using the following schedule:
   1. Up to six months, reimbursement will be in the amount of 100 percent.
   2. From six months and one day to 12 months, reimbursement will be in the amount of 75 percent.
   3. From 12 months and one day to 18 months, reimbursement will be in the amount of 50 percent.
   4. From 18 months and one day to 24 months, reimbursement will be in the amount of 25 percent.

(Code 2024, § 4.2.7)

1. No person shall cause the open burning of refuse or garbage or conduct any salvage operation by open burning. In addition, no person shall, in the drug-free zone around Hampton Elementary School, cause open burning while students are in session.
2. This section shall not limit the open burning of leaves, grass clippings, shrubs, bushes, branches or any other landscape waste upon the premises where it is produced, the burning of landscape waste for agricultural purposes, habitat management (including, but not limited to, forest and prairie reclamation) or firefighter training. This section shall not limit the open burning of cooking fires, either charcoal or wood, campfires or other like open fires determined to be recreational in nature.
3. No person shall kindle, maintain, or cause to be kindled or maintained a fire on any private property within the corporate limits of the village unless the fire is at least ten feet away from any adjoining property line.
4. No person shall kindle, maintain or cause to be kindled or maintained any fire on any village right-of-way, within five feet of the improved or paved portion of any street, avenue or alley, or within 15 feet of any structure.

(Code 2024, §§ 4.14.1—4.14.3)

1. Any person conducting open burning shall ensure that adequate provisions are available to prevent the fire from spreading or burning out of control. Adequate provisions include, but are not limited to, garden hose, buckets of water or properly rated fire extinguisher of adequate size to extinguish a fire.
2. No person shall allow or cause to allow any open fire to be unattended until such fire has been extinguished itself or is extinguished by other means. The term "extinguishment" means that all embers are cool and no longer producing heat or flames and there shall be no smoke or smoldering remnants.

(Code 2024, § 4.14.4)

The fire rescue chief, his designee, or other designated village official or enforcement officer may prohibit any and all open fires allowed by this division when atmospheric conditions or other factors make such fires, in their judgment, hazardous, dangerous, inconvenient or inappropriate to the public.

(Code 2024, § 4.14.5)

Burning of authorized material as defined in HVC 18.12.110(b) will be allowed Wednesday through Saturday with the exception of the last Saturday of the month, during the daytime hours defined as sunrise to sunset or 8:00 p.m., whichever is later. All fires must be fully extinguished; no smoldering material or embers shall be present after sunset. Burning days and times in this section do not apply to fires determined as recreational in nature. Non-burn days will be Sunday through Tuesday and the last Saturday of each month.

(Code 2024, § 4.14.6; Ord. No. 2024-10, § 2, 9-9-2024)

All burning of authorized material will be prohibited 24 hours before and the day of Trick-or-Treat. The day of Trick-or-Treat will be determined by the village board each year. This does not prohibit recreational fires.

(Code 2024, § 4.14.7)