Baltimore City Charter, Article VII, § 47 Fire Department: Established.
§ 47. Fire Department: Established.
There is a Fire Department, the head of which shall be the Chief.
Fire Department
Baltimore City Charter art. VII, div. Fire Department
in effectBaltimore City Charter, Article VII, § 48 Fire Department: Chief.
§ 48. Fire Department: Chief.
(a) Head of Department.
The Chief of the Fire Department shall supervise and direct the Department.
(b) Appointment; Term.
The Chief shall be appointed, must be confirmed, and shall serve, pursuant to Article IV, Section 6.
(c) Salary.
The Chief shall be paid a salary as provided in the Ordinance of Estimates.
(d) Staff.
The Chief may appoint such employees as provided in the Ordinance of Estimates.
Baltimore City Charter, Article VII, § 49 Fire Department: Board of Fire Commissioners – Established.
§ 49. Fire Department: Board of Fire Commissioners – Established.
There is a Board of Fire Commissioners, which shall advise the Chief and exercise those powers and perform those duties provided by the Charter.
Baltimore City Charter, Article VII, § 50 Fire Department: Board of Fire Commissioners – Composition; Appointment; Terms.
§ 50. Fire Department: Board of Fire Commissioners – Composition; Appointment; Terms.
(a) In general.
The Board shall consist of three persons, which number may be increased by ordinance to five, who shall be appointed, must be confirmed, and shall serve pursuant to Article IV, Section 6.
(b) President.
The Mayor shall designate one member of the Board as its President and may withdraw such designation and so designate another member.
Baltimore City Charter, Article VII, § 51 Fire Department: Board of Fire Commissioners – Powers and duties.
§ 51. Fire Department: Board of Fire Commissioners – Powers and duties.
(a) Advise Chief.
The Board generally shall advise the Chief.
(b) Review disciplinary policies.
The Board shall review the disciplinary policies and practices of the Department and make appropriate recommendations to the Chief.
(c) Investigations of Department conduct.
In giving advice, the Board may investigate all matters affecting the conduct of the Department.
(d) Appeal panels.
The Board may sit in panels of not less than two to hear appeals under the Fire Prevention Code.
Baltimore City Charter, Article VII, § 52 Fire Department: Board of Fire Commissioners – Retirement of employees.
§ 52. Fire Department: Board of Fire Commissioners – Retirement of employees.
As to employees not covered by the Employees’ Retirement System or the Fire and Police Employees’ Retirement System of the City, the Board may retire from office in the Department any permanent or call member thereof who has become permanently disabled, while in the actual performance of duties, from risks taken in the performance of those duties and not due to any wilful misconduct on the member’s part, or who has performed faithful service in the Department for a period of not less than twenty consecutive years, or who may become unable to perform further service by reason of age or other physical or mental disabilities, and place the member so retired upon a pension roll. The amount of such annual pension to be allowed by the Board to each pensioner shall be equal to one-half the yearly salary received by members of the Department in active service in the same grade or occupying the same position as, or position most similar to, that occupied by the pensioner at the time of his retirement, payable in monthly installments. The Board may also provide for the relief of widows and children of members of the Department who may have been killed in the discharge of their duties or have died as a result of injuries sustained in the performance of their duties, provided that the injuries were caused solely by risks taken in the performance of their duties and not due to the wilful misconduct of the deceased.
The annual amount which shall be paid to the widows and/or to the children under the age of 18 years, of members of the Department who may have been killed in the discharge of their duties or have died as a result of injuries sustained in the performance of their duties shall be in the discretion of the Board, but shall not exceed the full amount of the yearly salary received by members of the Department in active service in the same grade and occupying the same position as, or position most similar to, that occupied by the deceased at the time of his death, payable in monthly installments.
The Board may also provide for the relief of unremarried widows, by marriages existing at the time of retirement or death, of employees of the Department who are not members of the Employees’ Retirement System or the Fire and Police Employees’ Retirement System who die, whether death occurs before or after their retirement, subject to the Ordinance of Estimates. The annual amount which shall be paid to such widow of such a deceased member shall not exceed fifty per centum (50%) of the yearly pension to which such deceased member would have been entitled to receive had that member lived and been retired under the provisions of this section.
The City Council may provide by ordinance a system of benefits payable to the unremarried widows and children under age 18 of persons who were employees or retired employees of the Department who were not members of the Employees’ Retirement System or the Fire and Police Employees’ Retirement System and who died or retired prior to June 7, 1963, subject to such exceptions, conditions, restrictions and classifications as may be provided therein.
Baltimore City Charter, Article VII, § 53 Fire Department: Arbitration for fire fighters and officers.
§ 53. Fire Department: Arbitration for fire fighters and officers.
(a) Request for arbitration.
If the certified employee organization or organizations representing fire fighters and fire officers within the Fire Department and the employer have not reached a written agreement concerning terms and conditions of employment by March 1 of any year, either party may request arbitration by a board of arbitration, as herein provided, which request must be honored.
(b) Board of arbitration – Selection; Proceedings generally.
The board of arbitration shall be composed of three members, one appointed by the Mayor, and one appointed jointly by the certified employee organizations representing the fire fighters and fire officers involved. These members shall be selected within four days of the request for arbitration. The third member shall be selected within four additional days by the two arbitrators previously chosen and in accordance with the procedures of the American Arbitration Association from a list furnished by the Association. Such member selected shall act as chairman of the board of arbitration.
The board of arbitration thus established shall commence the arbitration proceedings within seven days after the chairman is selected and shall make its decision, by a majority vote, within fifteen days after the commencement of the arbitration proceedings. For good cause the chairman may extend the time requirement set forth herein.
(c) Submission of last proposals.
Within three days after the selection of the chairman of the board of arbitration, the Labor Commissioner or his designated representative shall provide to each member of the board of arbitration and to all parties, a detailed itemization of the last proposal made by the respective parties during the negotiations.
(d) Considerations.
The board of arbitration shall identify the major issues in the dispute, review the positions of all parties and shall take into consideration wages, benefits, hours, and other working conditions of other fire department and public safety employees in Maryland as well as in comparable metropolitan political subdivisions in other states, and shall also consider the value of other benefits available to or received by other employees of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore as compared with private sector employees in the metropolitan Baltimore City area and as compared with employees of other fire departments and other public safety employees. The board of arbitration shall further consider consumer prices for goods and services and other related items, cost of living data, and such other factors, not confined to the foregoing, which are normally utilized in the determination of wages and other benefits in the collective bargaining process and shall also take into account the financial condition of the City.
(e) Oaths, subpoenas, etc.
The board of arbitration shall have the power to administer oaths, compel the attendance of witnesses, and require the production of evidence by subpoena.
(f) Decision – In general.
The board of arbitration after hearing witnesses and considering and receiving such written evidence as may be submitted shall, by written decision, order the implementation, in its entirety, of the last proposal of one of the respective parties previously submitted in accordance with subparagraph (c) of this section.
(g) Decision – Implementation.
The decision of the majority of the board of arbitration thus established shall be final and binding upon the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and upon the certified employee organizations involved in the proceedings. No appeal therefrom shall be allowed. Such decision shall constitute a mandate to the Mayor of Baltimore City in respect to such matters which can be remedied administratively by him, and as a mandate to the Board of Estimates and the City Council with respect to matters which require legislative action necessary to implement the decision of the Board of Arbitration.
With respect to matters which require legislative action for implementation, such legislation shall be enacted within forty-five days following the date of the arbitration decision.
With respect to salaries and wage scales, the amounts determined by the final decision of the Board of Arbitration shall be included in the proposed Ordinance of Estimates in accordance with Article VI, Section 4(a), shall not be reduced by the City Council in accordance with Article VI, Section 7(a), and shall be adopted by the Board of Estimates as the salary and wage scales for employees of the Fire Department in accordance with Section 12 of Article VI.
(h) Costs.
The cost of the arbitration proceedings provided for herein shall be borne equally by the parties involved.
Source: City of Baltimore Department of Legislative Reference, City of Baltimore Law Library (codes.baltimorecity.gov; Open Law Library bulk XML)URL: https://codes.baltimorecity.gov/us/md/cities/baltimore/charter/VII/fire-departmentFetched: 10/25/2026