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Roseville Firefighter's Relief Association May 8, 2001 Page Two members of the Roseville Fire Department" and further in Section 52 provides that "membership in the Association sha11 be compulsory for a11 members of the Roseville Fire Department." Because of the fiduciaty nature of the service of the Trustees on behalf of the Association and its members, the provisions of the By-laws should be strictly construed and applied on a non- discriminatory basis. Since Section 52 requires reference to definitional terms, a review o I Section 64, paragraph 1 and 2 is necessary: "Active Member" means the dl ; paying participation of a member in the Association and the performance of that �°mber of such duties or pariicipation as required to effectively contribute to the Ass �iation's stated purpose. "Active Service" sha11 mean thc performance by a member of service required by the Association of its members in firefighting and ancillary duties or the a�ailability of a member therefore. (emphasis added) Unless the offices of Fire Marshal and Fire Inspector require them to perform traditional iireiighting duties, they may still become members as those performing ancillaty duties if they are otherwise qualified. Absent the inability of the proposed members to meet the eligibility requirements and fulfill the obligations thereof, we are of the opinion that they are qualified to membership. t lowever, it is necessary that the proposed members fully comply with a11 eligibility and qualification requirements for active membership in the Roseville Fire Department. While we do not represent the Fire Department, we feel it appropriate to alert the Board of Trustees of the Association to arguments and conditions which may bear upon the right of the proposed members, to membership in the Fire Department. Presumably the Chief as the C h i � 1' Executive of tl.e Department will strictly interpret the membership requirements of the Constitution and By-laws of the Department and any amendments thereof that are compatible with the Code of the City of Roseville. Certainly opponents of the proposed action may refer to the defmition of the term "firefighte�" in Minn. Stat. § 69.27 and § 424.03 and the successor applicability of Chapter =�?4A to determine any technical constraints on membership. The cited sections reference tirefighters who ". . are engaged in the hazards of firefighting ..." Although there is not a companion definition in Chapter 424A, these are related Statutes that deal with the same subject matter being firefighter relief associations. In such situations, Minnesota Courts ha�e long recognized the doctrine of in pari materia which holds that Statutes relating to the same subject are presumed to be imbued with the same spirit; and that the legislators adopted such Statutes as part of a connected whole.