§1171. Appointments of police and fire apparatus operators.

(a) Nonapplicability of subchapter.--This subchapter shall not apply to:

(1) a borough that has a police force of less than three members;

(2) a borough that has a police force of three or more members if those members in excess of two are appointed on a temporary basis through a federally funded program;

(3) a volunteer fire department or company that employs its own operators; or

(4) a borough that has less than three salaried fire apparatus operators.

(b) Compensation.--This subchapter is subject to the power of council to determine compensation.

(c) Appointments and promotions.--An appointment to and promotion in the police force or as fire apparatus operator paid directly by a borough and in the borough shall be made only according to qualifications and fitness, to be ascertained by examinations which shall be competitive as provided in this part.

(d) Suspension, removal and reduction in rank.--No person shall be suspended, removed or reduced in rank as a paid employee in any police force or as a paid fire apparatus operator of a borough, except in accordance with this subchapter.

(e) Retirement.--Nothing in this subchapter shall apply to retirement, nor shall anything in this subchapter be construed to prevent a borough from adopting a compulsory retirement age for its employees or for any class of employees and from retiring all employees automatically when they reach that age.