The Chief shall be in full command and complete control at all
fires and during the period of all alarms, and shall be held accountable
for his actions to the Mayor and Council only and shall make written
and verbal reports as the Council may require. All other line officers
shall be accountable to the Chief only, except when any of said officers
are acting as Chief in his absence.
The Chief shall formulate rules and regulations to govern the
operations of the Fire Company and shall be responsible to the Mayor
and Council for the morale and general efficiency of the Fire Company.
The Chief, or line officer designated by him, shall at least
once a month conduct suitable drills or instruction in the operation
and handling of fire-fighting apparatus and equipment, first aid and
rescue work, salvage, a study of buildings presenting unusual fire
problems, fire prevention, water supply and all other matters generally
considered essential to good firemanship and safety of life and property
from fire.
The Chief is hereby required to notify and assist the proper
authorities in suppressing the crime of arson by investigating or
causing to be investigated the cause, origin and circumstances of
all fires of questionable origin.
A.
The Chief or any line officer designated by him shall inspect, on
an annual basis and during reasonable hours, any and all buildings,
structures and premises which fall into any of the following categories:
(1)
Industrial and commercial establishments.
(2)
Buildings to which the general public is invited or to which it may
have access.
(3)
Public meeting places.
(4)
Apartment houses, multifamily houses and dwellings containing two
or more dwelling units, except that inspection shall be limited to
storage and utility spaces and all entrances and exits.
(5)
Unoccupied buildings and areas of buildings not regularly occupied.
(6)
All buildings which appear to be unsafe, as defined herein.
Note: Dwelling unit means one or more rooms arranged for the
use of one or more individuals living together as a single housekeeping
unit with cooking, living, sanitary and sleeping facilities.
B.
It is hereby determined and declared that the purposes of the inspections required under this section are to keep the Fire Company and its members constantly aware and alert of all dangerous, hazardous and unsafe conditions, and to observe wherever possible circumstances and conditions where fire hazards either actually exist or might tend to develop. When any building or structure or any portion thereof is found unsafe upon inspection by the Chief or any line officer designated by him, a report of the same shall be made forthwith in writing pursuant to § 22-11 of this ordinance, and for the purposes of this ordinance, said report shall be captioned, "Report of Unsafe Buildings or Structures." The term "unsafe building or structure, or portion thereof," shall include buildings or structures or portions thereof structurally unsafe in such fashion as to constitute a fire hazard, inadequately provided with exit facilities usable during a fire and constituting a fire hazard because of inadequate maintenance dilapidation, obsolescence or abandonment.[1]
Upon determining that a building or structure or portion thereof
is unsafe because of the existence of a fire hazard, the Chief or
any line officer designated by him shall serve or cause to be served
on the owner or some one of the owners, executors, administrators,
agents, lessees or other persons who may have a vested or contingent
interest in the same a written notice containing a description of
the building or structure or portion thereof deemed unsafe, a statement
of the particulars in which the building, structure or portion thereof
is unsafe and disclosing in what manner said building or structure
or portion thereof constitutes a fire hazard. And with such notice,
there shall be an order requiring the same to be made safe and all
fire hazards to be removed therefrom as may seem necessary under the
circumstances, but in any case within 30 days after service of such
notice and order. If the person to whom such notice and order is addressed
cannot be found after diligent search, then such notice and order
shall be sent by registered mail to the last known address of such
person, and a copy of such notice shall be posted in a conspicuous
place on the premises to which it relates. Such mailing and posting
shall be deemed adequate service. If the person served with a notice
and order to remove or repair an unsafe building or structure or portion
thereof, or to abate the fire hazard or hazards existing thereon,
shall fail to comply with such order within a reasonable time not
to exceed in any case the term of 30 days, the Fire Chief or any line
officer designated by him shall advise the appropriate committee of
the Borough Council in charge of fire matters, and said committee
shall make its recommendations to the Mayor and Borough Council as
to a course of action to be pursued, who in turn may adopt such recommendations
or direct the institution of an appropriate action in the courts to
compel a compliance with the initial order. Wherever a substantial
compliance with the order issued under this section is reported to
the Chief or a line officer designated by him, a reinspection of the
premises to determine the effectiveness of the abatement of the fire
hazard shall be made within 10 days of the reported compliance, by
the Chief or the line officer so designated, to enable the Chief and
the appropriate committee of the Borough Council to determine to what
extent further corrective action is necessary.
It shall be the duty of the Chief or any line officer designated by him, immediately upon completion of the inspection required in § 22-9 of this ordinance, to make a report of the same in writing, in duplicate, one copy of which shall be transmitted to the hands of the Mayor and the other copy transmitted to the chairman of the appropriate committee of the Borough Council in charge of and responsible for all matters pertaining to fire and the dangers and hazards which flow therefrom in the Borough of Wenonah, and such report shall disclose not only existing fire hazards, but also all conditions which may tend to develop into a fire hazard. Such report in every instance shall conclude with specific recommendations for the removal and abatement of any fire hazard disclosed in the course of an inspection.
The Chief shall cause to be kept complete records of all fires,
inspections, apparatus and minor equipment, personnel and other information
about the work of the Fire Company.
The Chief shall report monthly to the Borough Council significant
changes in condition of the apparatus and equipment, the number of
fires during the month, their location and cause, the date of same
and loss occasioned thereby, the number and purpose of all other runs
made and the number of members responding to each fire or other run.
The Chief shall make a complete annual report to the Borough Council, such report to include information as specified in § 22-13 of this Article, together with comparative data for previous years and recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the Fire Company.
