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March 19, 2018 (Regular Meeting) Page 3481 limited to either residents of the fire tax district which have registered with the Cabarrus County Board of Elections and are eligible to vote in a general election, or all resident property owners of the district. (3) No absentee or proxy votes will be allowed, nor shall such election be conducted by mail. (4) Notice of an annual meeting to elect officers shall be given by notice in local newspapers and as prescribed in the department's by-laws, or be a fire department lawfully established by a city, town or sanitary district and operate under the laws and provisions governing such departments. (5) Each fire department shall have a fire chief, an assistant chief, other necessary officers and personnel with a minimum of 19 firefighters who are eligible firemen, in accordance with G.S. 118-38. A list of all members, their addresses, their telephone numbers, and social security numbers must be given to the Cabarrus County Fire Marshal's Office on or before July 1 of each year and within ten days of the addition of new members. (6) All active members of a fire department in good standing shall have a County issued ID card, and a department issued car plate to identify them as a bona fide firefighter. No one other than an active or retired member in good standing shall be allowed to have this identification in his possession. The department issued car plate will be visible from the front of any vehicle running emergency warning devices as defined by NC General Statutes. (7) Each fire department shall maintain a class 9 or better rating with the insurance services office and shall have and maintain equipment as required by the state department of insurance for initial certification. These are minimum requirements; therefore, efforts should be made toward improving fire protection through equipment purchases and water supply development. All equipment specified shall be kept in good condition and operative at all times. Primary pumpers shall be subjected to an annual service test, as prescribed by the ISO, and records of the test shall be filed with the Cabarrus County Fire Marshal's Office. (B) Each department shall carry liability insurance on its personnel and equipment in the indemnity amount of at least $1,000,000.00, and further holding the county harmless from any responsibility for damages, claims, or expenses resulting from the activities of its firefighters or from the operation of its equipment. Each fire department shall also carry worker's compensation insurance on its active members in order to provide those members with the benefits of the worker's compensation act. A certificate of insurance for each department shall be on file at the Fire Marshal's Office. (9) The fire department shall carry out an organized training program which shall provide a minimum of 36 hours per year training. The training program shall include the training and qualifying of apparatus drivers. Written records shall be kept on all drills and include subject taught, instructor, hours, and members attending. (10) The fire chief for each department is responsible for stressing safety throughout the department and all phases of the department activities. Emphasis shall be placed on safe driving of department owned apparatus and the firefighter's personal automobile to emergencies, as well as on safe practices while fighting a fire. Only qualified drivers shall drive the fire apparatus. Drivers shall operate apparatus with caution at all times and allow no one but active firefighters to ride the apparatus when it is on call to a fire or other emergency. (11) The senior fire officer within whose area a fire emergency occurs is the authority on the fire scene or when a fire occurs outside a recognized fire district the senior fire officer of the first arriving department shall be the authority, unless incident falls under jurisdiction of other agency as granted by NCGS. (12) The senior fire officer responsible for the fire emergency shall make a full investigation of each fire to determine, if possible, the cause of the fire. A report of the findings of this investigation shall be forwarded to the Fire Marshal within 30 days of the fire on forms designed by the National Fire Reporting System. If evidence shows the fire may be incendiary or if persons are injured or a fatality occurs, the Fire Marshal and other necessary state and local officials shall be notified immediately. (13) The department shall furnish to the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners an independent audit of receipts and disbursements for the fiscal year conducted