BY-LAWS of the Kennebunk Fire Society
Adopted at the Annual Meeting held November 12, 1878

1. --The equipment of its members with Apparatus necessary to aid effectually in the extinguishment of Fire, or in confining its ravages within the narrowest boundaries possible; as well as to save personal effects threatened with destruction by the same cause.
2. --The occasional examination of buildings owned or occupied by its members, with the view of ascertaining whether the proper precautionary measures are taken to carry out in good faith the objects of the Association.
3. --To institute, through Committees selected from their number, such enquiries or examinations as may be strictly proper and legal, in regard to the condition of all buildings in the Village, (when the objects sought to be attained by the Association would seem to warrant or require such action); and if negligence or remissness is discovered, promptly to take such decisive measures in reference thereto, as the circumstances of the case demand.
4. --To exercise such supervision over the FIRE DEPARTMENT (Engines, etc.,) as may be required, to the end that the property may be kept in safety, and in good order for immediate and efficient operation whenever it shall be needed.

BY -- LAWS.

ARTICLE I.

THE ANNUAL MEETING.

There shall be an annual meeting of the Society on the second Tuesday in November, and it shall be the duty of the President to fix the hour and place of said meeting; and the Secretary shall notify the same by posting up notices thereof in the Post Office and two other conspicuous places in the village, at least seven days prior to the meeting; or, instead of said notices, should a newspaper be published in the village, by causing a notice of said meeting to be published therein, not less than five nor more than ten days before the day appointed for holding the same.  At this meeting there shall be chosen a President, Secretary, and Treasurer and Collector, each of whom shall hold his office until another is elected in his place and has signified his acceptance of the appointment, together with any other officers or Committees which it may be deemed advisable to elect; and such other business as may be transacted at said meeting as the interests of the Association may require.

ARTICLE II.

THE METHOD OF ELECTING OFFICERS, ETC.

The President, Secretary, and Treasurer and Collector shall be chosen by ballot; and whenever a motion is made for the expulsion of a member, as provided in Article XV, the vote on the question shall also be taken by ballot.  All other Officers and Committees may be elected, and all other votes on motions made, taken by a viva voce vote, unless otherwise directed by a majority of the members present.

ARTICLE III.

THE DUTIES OF OFFICERS, ETC.

It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Society, during his continuance in office; and, on or before the first Monday in October, annually, to determine the hour and place at which the next annual meeting shall be held, as provided in the first Article, and communicate the same to the Secretary, in person or in writing.
It shall be the duty of the Secretary to notify all meetings of the Society, and to call a list of all the Active Members, at the hour and place appointed for each meeting of the Society.  He shall also call the said list or roll after the Supper, or near the close of the meeting.  If he shall be absent at the hour of the meeting he shall pay a fine of twenty-five cents, and if absent the whole evening, he shall pay a fine of fifty cents, unless he shall furnish a satisfactory excuse.
It shall also be the duty of the Secretary to make a correct record of all votes passed by the Society, and keep in regular file all papers belonging thereto, carefully preserving them and the books of Record.  He shall, likewise, within two weeks after each Annual Meeting, hand the Treasure and Collector a correct list of all assessments made upon, or fines found to have been incurred by the members, at said meeting; and shall, also, furnish, in writing, the Chairman of each Committee appointed at said meeting with a list of the members of his Committee and a copy of the vote under which it was raised.  The Visiting and Supper Committees shall be renotified thirty days, at least, before the day on which the Annual Meeting is called;-- and any committee, special or otherwise, the appointment of the members of which, by a vote of the Society, has been committed to the President or Board of Permanent Officers, but not announced by him or them at the meeting by which the vote was passed, shall be duly notified through its Chairman, not less than thirty days before the day of the meeting in which its Report is to be made.
It shall be the duty of the Treasurer and Collector to levy and collect all assessments upon the members, and all fines from delinquents on or before the first Monday in January, annually.  He shall keep an exact account of all moneys belonging to the Society, which shall be subject to its order, and make a written report of all his receipts and expenditures at each Annual Meeting.
In cases where members fined for deficiencies in equipment or non-attendance at meetings, offer excuses which they consider sufficient to entitle them to a remission of the fines charged against them, the Collector shall briefly note the statements so made and report them to the next Annual Meeting, for the action of the Society thereon.

ARTICLE IV.

PROVISION FOR VACANCIES, ETC.

In case of the removal or resignation of one of the Permanent Officers of the Society, the vacancy shall be immediately filled, by temporary appointment by the remaining Permanent Officers; in case of the removal or resignation of two of said officers, it shall be the duty of the remaining officer at once to call a Special Meeting of the members of the Society --- to be notified in the manner prescribed in the first Article of these By-Laws;--- for the purpose of filling such vacancies ; and said remaining officer shall preside at said meeting until the vacancies are filled, and until the officers elected shall have accepted their respective appointments; he may, also, appoint a Temporary Secretary, etc.; and in case of the removal or resignation of all of the Permanent Officers, it shall be the duty of one or more of the Chairmen of the Committees which were raised at the last Annual Meeting, forthwith to call a special meeting of the members of the Society, for the purpose of filling such vacancies; said meeting to be notified in the manner prescibed in the first Article of these By-Laws for calling Annual Meetings, and at said meeting the senior Chairman of the Committees above named, present at the time and place at which said meeting was notified, shall preside, until a President has been duly elected an entered upon the discharge of his duties.  In case of the removal of any Temporary Officer, or of a majority of any Committee, the vacancy or vacancies shall forthwith be filled by the Permanent Officers.  In case of the absence of the President or Secretary, or both, at any meeting, the vacancy or vacancies may be filled by temporary appointments.

ARTICLE V.

PENALTY FOR REFUSING TO ACCEPT OR PERFORM DUTIES OF OFFICE.

If any person who shall be elected to fill either of the offices prescribed in these By-Laws, shall refuse to accept the same, or accepting, shall refuse or neglect to perform the duties thereof, he shall, in default of such acceptance or performance of duties, pay a fine of one dollar: Provided, however, he shall have served in the office the year immediately preceeding, or paid his fine instead of so doing, he shall be exempt from the fine if he declines acceptance.

ARTICLE VI.

FINES FOR NON-ATTENDANCE.

If any member shall be absent at the first Roll-call, he shall pay a fine of twenty-five cents, and if absent through the meeting, he shall pay a fine of twenty-five cents additional, unless he shall furnish a satisfactory excuse, which, if practicable, should be presented at the meeting, either orally, by some one of the members, or in writing.

ARTICLE VII.

NEW MEMBERS.

All candidates for membership shall be nominated by a member of the Society, immediately after the first Roll-call -- it being understood, in each case, that said nomination is made with the knowledge and consent of the gentleman named and that he wishes to become an active member of the Society -- and the vote on the question of the admission of candidates so nominated shall be the first business in order after the choice of the Permanent Officers.

ARTICLE VIII.

EQUIPMENT OF MEMBERS, ETC.

Each member shall, within twelve months from the date of his admission, furnish himself with a pair of Leathern, Rubber, or Galvanized Iron Buckets, with his name painted thereon, and numbered, which shall be constantly hung up in some conspicuous place in his Dwelling-house, or place of residence or business, and which shall not be used or removed therefrom, except in case of an alarm of fire; and in default of thus supplying himself with a pair of buckets, shall pay a fine of fifty cents each time the Visiting Committee make their examination.
Each member owning a dwelling-house, or other buildings, shall constantly own and keep in good repair and in possession, two ladders -- one suited to the height, the other which shall be a hanging ladder -- to the roof of the House or other buildings of said owner; or pay a fine of twenty-five cents in default of each, for every time visited by the Committee.
Every member occupying a Dwelling-house shall provide a safe place to deposit his ashes, such as shall be approved by the Committee of Inspection, or pay a fine of twenty-five cents for every time inspected.
Every member of the Society owning a Dwelling-house not occupied by himself, shall furnish or require his lessee to furnish, Ladders and Safe, as aforesaid, or in default thereof, pay a fine of twelve cents each, at every examination by the Committee.

ARTICLE IX.

VISITING COMMITTEE.

A Visiting Committee, or Committee of Inspection, consisting of three members, shall be chosen at each Annual Meeting of this Society, whose duty it shall be to visit together, at least twice a year -- in the months of May and November -- the Dwelling-houses, Stores, Work-shops, and other buildings of each member, to examine the state of their premises, as hereinafter required, as required in Article VIII, and if any deficiency appears in any of said articles, or danger of fire exists on any of their premises, from the causes hereinafter named, or from neglect of precautionary measures, said Committee shall immediately direct what alteration or repair is necessary to be made, and any member refusing to comply with such direction shall pay a fine of seventy-five cents.
It shall be the duty of said Committee, at any time, whenever a complaint is made to them, or it may in any manner come to their knowledge, that danger of fire exists in consequence of insecure chimneys, funnels, stoves, or gross negligence or carelessness in any particular, in the premises of any member of this Society, at once to visit the premises and recommend such alterations as may be deemed essential to the security of said premises, and in case these recommendations are not complied with within ten days, at farthest, then said Committee shall promptly take such action in the case as the laws of the State authorize and the public good requires; and whenever complaint is made to said Committee, or it may in any manner come to their knowledge, that danger of fire exists, as aforesaid, in the premises of any person not a member of this Society, in any part of the Village, it shall be their duty forthwith to notify the municipal officers of the Town and request them promptly to take such action in relation thereto as the Law authorizes and as may be required for the public security.

ARTICLE X.

THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

At each Annual Meeting, a Committee of three, (or more if deemed advisable,) shall be appointed whose duty it shall be to confer with the officers of the Engine Company or Companies. if any circumstances occur which render it expedient for them to do so; and, if at any time there shall be no organized or efficient Company, to inspect the Engines and their apparatus and, in case of damage or deficiency, to cause the same to be repaired or supplied, and, if at the time there are no funds, derived from Town or District appropriations for the object, that may be properly used to defray the cost of such repairs or supplies, then the Society may be held responsible for the expense thereof; and said Committee shall report, in writing, at the next Annual Meeting; and their Report, together with the account of moneys expended, shall be presented by one of the Permanent Officers, to the then next annual meeting of School District No. 5, with the request that the said District will assume the expenses thus necessarily incurred ; and, further, when the before named exigency occurs, the said Committee may, in conjunction with the Permanet Officers of the Society, appoint suitable persons to take charge of and superintend the working of the Engines (under the direction of the Firewards) in case of fire.

ARTICLE XI.

On written application of any six members to the Secretary, requesting him to call a Special Meeting of the Society, it shall be his duty forthwith to notify the same, in the same manner as the annual meetings are called.

ARTICLE XII.

THE BY-LAWS.

These By-Laws, after having been adopted by the Society, shall be recorded by the Secretary, in a book suitable for that purpose, and shall be signed by all the members of the Society; and, hereafter, such signature shall be required of each new member who may be admitted into the Society.  Each member shall furnish himself with a copy of the By-Laws, paying therefor to the Treasurer and Collector, the full cost thereof.  Any member neglecting to provide himself with a copy of the By-Laws, as aforesaid, within one year from the date of their publication, shall pay a fine of ten cents annually, so long as this date is neglected, and any new member who fails to furnish himself with a copy of said By-Laws within one year from the date of his admission, shall pay a fine of ten cents, annually, so long as this duty is neglected.

ARTICLE XIII.

SERVICES OF OFFICERS, GRATUITOUS.

The Permanent Officers of this Society, and all Committees appointed under votes thereof, shall serve without compensation for the time employed in the performance of the duties instrusted to them, unless otherwise directed by a vote of the Society.

ARTICLE XIV.

COMMITTEES ON ACCOUNTS.

There shall be a Standing Committee of this Society, called the Committee on Accounts, consisting of one member elected annually by the Society and the President and Secretary, EXOFFICIO, whose duty it shall be to examine all bills against the Society, and, if approved, a majority of their number shall certify the fact thereon, and the Treasurer shall not pay any bills unless it has been so approved; nor shall the Permanent Officers present to the District any bills for reimbursement, as provided in Article X of these By-Laws, unless they have been duly examined and approved by this committee.

ARTICLE XV.

PENALTY FOR DISORDERLY BEHAVIOR.

If any member shall fail to comply with any of the aforesaid Articles, or any vote of the Society, or shall be guilty of any disorderly behaviour in the Society, he shall forthwith be expelled therefrom, -- two-thirds of the members present at any regular meeting voting by ballot for the same; -- Provided, however, that whenever a member is dissatisfied with the provisions of these By-Laws, or any votes of the Society, and there is no charge standing against him on the books of the Treasurer and Collector, his written request that he no longer be considered a member of the Society, shall be treated respectfully and granted, unless some special reason exists why he should not receive this courtsesy.

ARTICLE XVI.

PREFERENCE GIVEN TO MEMBERS IN CASE OF FIRE.

All the members of this Society, whenever the buildings or other property of one or more of the members is on fire or in imminent danger, shall give the assistance to such members, in preference to any one who is not a member; Provided it does not interfere with such directions as they may receive at the time from any Fireward, or other officer having a legal right to direct in such cases.

ARTICLE XVII.

HONORARY MEMBERS.

Members of this Society, who, in consequence of advanced years or infirmity, are not able or do not desire to attend the annual or other meetings, shall have their names transferred from the list of Active members to the list of Honorary members, and shall thereafter be exempt from fines for non-attendance.

ARTICLE XVIII.

ALTERATION OF BY-LAWS.

This Society, at any annual meeting, or special meeting called for the purpose, may add, alter, suspend for a limited time, or annul, any of these By-Laws, or remit any fine,-- a majority of the members present voting for the same; but whenever changes are made in the By-Laws, at any meeting, so much of the records of the proceedings of said meeting as relates to such change or changes, shall be read by the Secretary, before the Committees are chosen, at the then next annual meeting.

VOTED, That from and after the date of the publication of the By-Laws, as revised, ammended and accepted by the Society, Nov. 12, 1878, all previous By-Laws, and all votes heretofore passed by the Society inconsistent with the provisions of the revised and ammended By-Laws, be null and void.

Special thanks to:

The Brick Store Museum

117 Main Street

Kennebunk, Maine 04043

207-985-4802