2012 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes
Title 35 - HEALTH AND SAFETY
Chapter 77 - Miscellaneous Provisions
Section 7708 - Fire force disbanded in favor of volunteers

     § 7708.  Fire force disbanded in favor of volunteers.
        (a)  General rule.--No county, city, borough, town or
     township which has paid employes on its fire force, including,
     but not limited to, fire apparatus operators, except by
     referendum, shall disband such fire force in favor of having
     such services performed by volunteers.
        (b)  Question.--The following shall apply:
            (1)  Whenever authorized by ordinance of the governing
        body or upon petition of the registered voters of any
        municipality to the county board of electors of the county
        wherein the municipality is located, an election shall be
        held in the municipality upon the following question:
            Shall the (county, city, borough, town or township)
            disband the paid fire force in favor of having fire
            protection services performed by volunteers?
        The petition calling for such election shall be in the form
        required by this section and shall be signed by electors of
        the municipality comprising 20% of the number of electors
        registered to vote in the municipality. Within five days
        after the final enactment of an ordinance authorizing such
        election, the municipal clerk or secretary shall file a
        certified copy of the ordinance with the county board of
        elections, together with a copy of the question to be
        submitted to the electors. At the next municipal or general
        or primary election occurring not less than the 13th Tuesday
        after the filing of the ordinance or the petition with the
        county election board, it shall cause the question in
        paragraph (1) to be submitted to the electors of the
        municipality as other questions are submitted under the
        provisions of the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320),
        known as the Pennsylvania Election Code.
            (2)  A referendum petition under this section shall be
        filed not later than the 13th Tuesday prior to the election,
        and the petition and the proceedings therein shall be in the
        manner and subject to the provisions of the election laws
        which relate to the signing, filing and adjudication of
        nomination petitions insofar as such provisions are
        applicable, except that no petition shall be signed or
        circulated prior to the 20th Tuesday before the election nor
        later than the 13th Tuesday before the election.
            (3)  A city of the third class may conduct a referendum
        under this section or, at the option of city council, under
        Article X of the act of June 23, 1931 (P.L.932, No.317),
        known as The Third Class City Code.
     (Nov. 23, 2010, P.L.1181, No.118, eff. 60 days)

        2010 Amendment.  Act 118 added section 7708.
        Special Provisions in Appendix.  See section 7(b.1)(6) of Act
     118 of 2010 in the appendix to this title for special provisions
     relating to continuation of prior law.