§ 16-a. Volunteer members of fire companies. 1. Except as otherwise\nprovided in a city charter or other special or local law, volunteer\nmembers of a fire company shall be elected and appointed as provided in\nthis section.\n 2. The board of fire commissioners or other body or officer having\ncontrol of the fire department shall appoint residents of the city as\nthe volunteer members of any newly organized fire company. Thereafter,\nthe fire company may elect other eligible persons, including city\nofficers, as volunteer members. The election shall be pursuant to the\nby-laws, if any, of the fire company; otherwise, by a three-fourths vote\nof the members of the fire company present and voting at a regular or\nspecial meeting thereof. The membership of any person so elected shall\nbecome effective when approved by resolution of the board of fire\ncommissioners or such other body or officer. Membership shall be deemed\nto have been approved pursuant to this subdivision in the event that no\naction is taken by such board, body or officer, either approving or\ndisapproving, within thirty days after service of written notice of\nelection to membership shall have been made by the secretary of the fire\ncompany upon the chairman of such board or body, or upon such officer,\neither personally or by mail.\n 3. Any person elected to membership as a volunteer member of a fire\ncompany shall be a resident of the city or of territory outside the city\nwhich is afforded fire protection by the fire department of the city, or\nany fire company thereof, pursuant to a contract for fire protection,\nexcept as otherwise provided in subdivision six.\n 4. The membership of a volunteer member of a fire company shall\nterminate when he ceases to be a resident of the city or of any\nterritory outside the city which is afforded fire protection by the fire\ndepartment of the city, or any fire company thereof, pursuant to a\ncontract for fire protection, except as otherwise provided in\nsubdivision five.\n 5. Any fire company may authorize the continued membership of any\nvolunteer member where such member notifies the secretary of his or her\nfire company (a) that he or she plans to change his or her residence to\nterritory which is not in the city and is not protected by the fire\ndepartment of the city, or any fire company thereof, pursuant to a\ncontract for fire protection, and (b) that by reason of his or her\nresidence in the vicinity and his or her usual occupation he or she will\nbe available to render active service as a volunteer firefighter in the\ncity or in territory outside the city which is afforded fire protection\npursuant to a contract for fire protection by the fire department of the\ncity, or a fire company thereof. Such authorization shall be pursuant to\nthe by-laws, if any, of the fire company of which he or she is a member,\notherwise by a three-fourths vote of the members of such fire company\npresent and voting at a regular or special meeting thereof. Such\nauthorization shall not become effective unless approved by resolution\nof the board of fire commissioners or other body or officer hereinabove\nmentioned. Any membership continued pursuant to the provisions of this\nsubdivision shall terminate when the member cannot meet either the\nrequirements of this subdivision or the residence requirements of\nsubdivision three. In the case of a city which adjoins another state,\nthe term "vicinity", as used in this subdivision, includes territory in\nthis state and territory in the adjoining state.\n 6. A person who cannot meet the residence requirements of subdivision\nthree of this section may be elected to membership as a volunteer member\nof any fire company of the fire department if by reason of his or her\nresidence in the vicinity and his or her usual occupation he or she will\nbe available to render active service as a volunteer firefighter in the\ncity or in territory which is afforded fire protection pursuant to a\nco
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