[4-19-1988; 6-4-1991; 2-17-2016; 2016 Code]
(A)Â
Fire department established. A department is hereby established to
be known as the city of Monroe fire department. This department shall
be responsible for the fire protection for the citizens and property
within the city of Monroe.
(B)Â
Goals of the fire department.
(1)Â
The first and foremost objective of the fire department is to
serve, without prejudice or favoritism, all of the community's
citizens by safeguarding collectively and individually, their lives
against the death dealing and injurious effects of fires and explosions.
(2)Â
The second most important objective of the fire department is
the safeguarding of the general economy and welfare of the community
by preventing major conflagrations and the destruction by fire of
large payroll, economically essential industries and businesses.
(3)Â
The third objective of the fire department is to serve all of
the community's citizens and property owners by protecting their
individual material wealth and economic well being against the destructive
effects of fire and explosions. In meeting this objective, all property
deserves to have an equivalent degree of protection, commensurate
with the actual property hazard involved and not with geographical
location or monetary value.
(4)Â
The fourth objective of the fire department is to provide a
hazard and disaster mitigation service to the city with fire department
manpower and equipment resources. Serious or imminent conditions posing
a threat to life and property posed by storm, fire or other serious
peril shall require fire department services to cause rapid mitigation
of the hazard and facilitate recovery in conjunction with other emergency
services.
(5)Â
The fifth objective of the fire department shall be to perform
services and emergency response as placed upon the Monroe fire department
or fire departments as a matter of law or order of a court of law
having jurisdiction.
(C)Â
Council responsibilities. The council has three primary responsibilities
relating to the fire department: the first is to encourage activities
which will reduce the incidence of fires and resulting loss of life
and property; the second and third are the provision of the necessary
funds and the establishment of the scope and level of service provided
by the fire department.
[4-19-1988; 6-4-1991; 3-5-2002; 3-20-2007; 2-17-2016; 2016 Code]
(B)Â
A fire chief shall be appointed by the city board of police and fire
commissioners. The fire chief shall be appointed for an indefinite
term and shall be removed only for cause according to rules and regulations
adopted by the board of police and fire commissioners.
(C)Â
The fire chief shall be selected based upon the individual's
demonstrated qualifications in fire prevention, control and management.
[6-4-1991; 2-17-2016; 2016 Code]
Subsections (4) and (5) of section 62.13 of the Wisconsin statutes
are hereby adopted by reference.
[4-19-1988; 2-17-2016; 2016 Code]
The firefighters of the fire department shall receive such compensation
as may be established from time to time by resolution passed by the
council.
[4-19-1988; 12-20-2005; 2-17-2016; 2016 Code]
(A)Â
The fire chief shall be responsible for the overall administration
of the fire department.
(B)Â
The fire chief shall be administratively responsible to the city
administrator. The fire chief shall carry out proper planning, coordination
and control within the fire department as well as with other departments
of the city.
(C)Â
The fire chief shall be responsible for the development of an organizational
structure and related policies and procedures to carry out the goals
of the department.
(D)Â
The fire chief shall be responsible for the appointment, assignment
and promotion of individuals to positions within the department under
personnel policies of the city and section 62.13 of the Wisconsin
statutes.
(E)Â
The fire chief shall be responsible to develop a policy to provide
and to operate with the highest possible levels of safety and health
for department personnel. The prevention and reduction of accidents,
injuries, and occupational illness are goals of the fire department
and shall be primary consideration at all times. This concern for
safety and health applies to all department personnel and to any other
persons who may be involved in fire department activities.
(F)Â
The fire chief shall be responsible for the development and administration
of the annual fire department budget.
(G)Â
The fire chief shall be responsible for identifying, negotiating,
and drafting mutual aid agreements with agencies of other communities
to measurably raise the degree of emergency preparedness to each community.
Such agreements shall be submitted to the council for review and consideration
for approval. Mutual aid agreements in effect at the time of adoption
of this chapter are not affected by this chapter.
(H)Â
The fire chief shall be responsible for maintaining liaison with
other city departments on matters of importance to the goals of the
fire department.
(I)Â
The fire chief shall have command of all members of the department
while they are on duty.
(J)Â
The fire chief shall have the custody of all apparatus and equipment
of the department, and it shall be the chief's duty to see that
the apparatus and equipment receive proper care and are at all times
maintained in a serviceable condition and ready for instant use.
(K)Â
The chief shall perform all duties imposed upon the chief by the
Wisconsin statutes and this code.
(L)Â
At the end of each calendar year, the chief shall submit to the council
a report on the operations of the fire department during the year,
and his or her recommendations for maintenance, improvement and such
other matters as relate to the effective operation of the department
in the public interest.
(M)Â
The fire chief shall be required to attend public safety committee
meetings and any other special meetings upon request.
[4-19-1988; 2-17-2016; 2016 Code]
(A)Â
The city fire frequency transmitter, radios and home fire alert units
shall be under the control and management of the fire chief. He or
she shall be responsible for the constant good repair and working
of the same.
(B)Â
The chief of the fire department shall have custody and control of
all alert units and shall keep a record of all such units and shall
take receipt for the same.
(C)Â
The electric fire and civil defense alarm sirens shall be under the
control and supervision of the city fire department who shall have
entire care and management of the same. They shall be responsible
for the constant good repair and working of the same.
[12-17-1991; 3-5-2002; 2-17-2016; 2016 Code]
(A)Â
Fire inspectors. The chief of the fire department shall designate
one or more fire inspectors who may or may not be firefighters of
the Monroe fire department to exercise the powers and perform the
duties prescribed by this chapter.
(B)Â
Approval of appointment. All such appointments shall be approved
by the board of police and fire commissioners and fire inspector so
appointed shall hold office unless removed for cause.
(C)Â
Compensation. Compensation of fire inspector or inspectors shall
be fixed by resolution of the council.
(D)Â
Inspection schedule. The fire chief may establish the schedule of
fire inspections. The fire chief shall base the frequency of the inspections
on hazard classification, the proportion of public area, the record
of fire code violations, the ratio of occupancy to size and any other
factor the chief considers significant. Property other than residential
property with 4 dwelling units or less shall be inspected at least
once annually or more often if required by state law.
(E)Â
Powers and duties.
(1)Â
The fire inspectors are hereby given power and authority to
enter any building in the city, except the interior of private dwellings,
at any reasonable hour in the performance of their duties under this
chapter. The fire inspectors may enter the interior of private dwellings
at the request of the owner or renter as provided in section 101.14(1)(bm)
of the Wisconsin statutes.
(2)Â
Fire inspectors shall inspect all business buildings in the
city to determine the general character of the premises with respect
to the disposition of debris, rubbish, wastepaper, rags, oils, waste,
explosives and all kinds of inflammable material and the means of
access from one part of the building to another, and they may inspect
any building in the city to determine if any danger from fire exists
by reason of defective chimneys, flues, stoves, ovens, furnaces, boilers,
electric wiring, ash houses and receptacles or by reason of any cause.
(3)Â
All parts of business buildings shall be cleaned daily and kept
free from all inflammable waste material except that combustible material
not in actual use may be neatly arranged in a manner to provide passageways
and aisles for the convenient movement of the fire department force.
(4)Â
All doors and openings, external and internal, in all business
buildings shall be kept free from goods, and means of access and free
movement shall be provided for the convenient work of the fire department.
(5)Â
There shall be no waste rubbish, waste excelsior, waste shavings,
wastepaper or other like inflammable materials left in any part of
the business buildings over one day except that such materials may
be stored within a fireproof room provided with standard fireproof
doors and all material of such character shall be destroyed, removed
or placed within such fireproof room at the close of each day.
(6)Â
The term "business buildings" as used in this section includes
hotels, lodging houses, stores, office buildings, warehouses, mills,
breweries, factories and public buildings.
(7)Â
If the fire inspectors, on such inspection, discover that any
provisions of this chapter are being violated, the fire chief is hereby
required to give notice thereof in writing to the owners or occupants
of such building, requiring them to comply with the provisions of
this chapter within 48 hours.
(8)Â
If the fire inspectors, on such inspection, discover any danger
from fire by reason of any defective condition set forth in subsection
(D)2. of this section or from any other cause, the fire inspectors
shall give notice in writing to the owner or occupants of any such
building of such defects requiring them to make reasonable changes
and repairs within 48 hours, and to render the premises as safe as
possible from fire.
(9)Â
A person who fails to comply with the requirements of any notice
given under this section shall upon conviction be subject to a Class
3 forfeiture. A separate offense exists each calendar day during which
any noncompliance occurs or continues.
[12-17-1991; 2-17-2016; 2016 Code]
(A)Â
The fire official conducting operations to extinguish and control
of any fire, explosion or other emergency shall have full power and
authority to direct all operations of fire extinguishment or control
and to take the necessary precautions to save life, protect property
and prevent further injury or damage. In the pursuit of such operations,
including the investigation of the cause of such emergency, the fire
official may control or prohibit the approach to the scene of such
emergency by any vehicle, vessel, aircraft or thing and all persons.
(B)Â
No person shall obstruct the operations of the fire department while
working to extinguish any fire, or while responding to other emergencies,
or disobey any lawful command of the fire official in charge of the
emergency, or any part thereof, or any lawful order of a police officer
assisting the fire department.
(C)Â
The fire official in charge of an emergency scene shall have the
authority to establish fire line barriers to control access in the
vicinity of such emergency, and to place or cause to be placed, ropes,
guards, barricades or other obstructions across any street or alley
to delineate such fire line barrier. No person, except as authorized
by the fire official in charge of the emergency, may cross such fire
line barriers.
(D)Â
No person except a person authorized by the fire official in charge
of any emergency scene or a public officer acting within the scope
of public duty shall remove, unlock, destroy or tamper with or otherwise
molest in any manner any locked gate, door barricade, chain, enclosure,
sign, tag or seal which has been lawfully installed by the fire department
or by its order or under its control.
(E)Â
A person who violates any provision of this section shall be subject
to a Class 2 forfeiture.
