[Adopted 12-10-1979 by Ord. No. 440 as
Secs. 10-1 to 10-16 of the 1979 Code]
The Mayor, in cooperation with the Fire Chief,
is authorized to establish, control, operate and maintain a Bureau
of Fire Prevention, to be operated under the direct supervision of
the Chief of the Fire Department.
The Fire Chief shall designate an officer or
member of the Fire Department as Chief of the Bureau of Fire Prevention,
who shall hold this office at the pleasure of the Fire Chief.
The Chief of the Fire Department may detail
such number of assistant inspectors as shall be authorized by the
Mayor.
A.
It shall be the duty of the Bureau of Fire Prevention
to enforce all laws of the state, this Code or other ordinance of
the Town and all regulations that have or shall be adopted by the
Town Council covering the following:
(1)
The prevention of fires.
(2)
The storage of petroleum and petroleum products in
bulk and the storage and use of all other explosives and flammables
of whatever name or nature as provided by this Code or other ordinances
of the Town.
(3)
The installation and maintenance of automatic and
other fire alarm systems, and fire extinguishing equipment.
(4)
The condition and accessibility of exits, in case
of fire, from factories, schools, hotels, lodging houses, asylums,
hospitals, churches, halls, theaters, amphitheaters and all other
places in which numbers of persons work, live or congregate, from
time to time, for any purpose.
(5)
The investigation of the cause, origin, and circumstances
of fires.
B.
The Bureau of Fire Prevention shall have such other
powers and perform such other duties as are set forth in other sections
of this chapter, and as may be conferred and imposed by law and regulations
adopted by the Fire Department.
C.
The Chief of the Fire Department may delegate any
of his powers or duties under this chapter to the Chief of the Bureau
of Fire Prevention.
It shall be the duty of the Chief of the Fire
Department to investigate the need of, and to recommend to the Mayor,
such additional ordinances, or amendments to this Code or other ordinances
or regulations, as he may deem necessary for safeguarding life and
property against fire, and the Mayor shall make such recommendations
to the Town Council which may adopt such regulations as it may deem
in the interest of public safety.
The Chief of the Fire Department shall prepare
instructions for the Chief of the Bureau of Fire Prevention and his
assistants, and forms for their use in the reports required by this
chapter.
The Chief of the Fire Department, the Chief
of the Bureau of Fire Prevention or any inspector may, at all reasonable
hours, enter any building or premises within his jurisdiction for
the purpose of making any inspection or investigation which, under
the provisions of this chapter, they may deem necessary to be made,
except the interior of private dwellings used and occupied as homes.
The Bureau of Fire Prevention shall investigate
the cause, origin and circumstances of every fire occurring in the
Town, which property has been destroyed or damaged and, so far as
possible, shall determine whether the fire is the result of carelessness
or design.
A.
Such investigations shall begin immediately upon the
occurrence of such a fire, by the assistant inspector in whose district
the fire occurs, and, if it appears to the assistant inspector making
the investigation that the fire is of suspicious origin, the Chief
of the Fire Department shall be immediately notified of the fact;
he shall take charge immediately of the physical evidence, shall notify
the proper authorities designated by law to pursue the investigation
of such matters, and shall further cooperate with the authorities
in the collection of evidence and in the prosecution of the case.
B.
Every fire shall be reported in writing to the Bureau
of Fire Prevention, within two days after the occurrence of the same,
by the inspector in whose jurisdiction such a fire has occurred. Such
report shall be in such form as shall be prescribed by the Chief of
the Fire Department, and shall contain a statement of all facts relating
to the cause, origin and circumstances of such fire, the extent of
the damage thereof, if such property is insured, and such other information
as may be required.
The Town Solicitor, upon request of the Bureau
of Fire Prevention, shall assist the inspectors in the investigation
of any fire which, in their opinion, is of suspicious origin.
It shall be the duty of private, public and
parochial schools and educational institutions to have one fire drill
each month and to keep all doors and exits unlocked during school
hours.
A.
The Chief of the Fire Department shall keep, in the
office of the Bureau of Fire Prevention, a record of all fires and
of all the facts concerning the same, including statistics as to the
extent of such fires and the damage caused thereby, and whether such
losses were covered by insurance.
B.
Such record shall be made daily from the reports made
by the inspectors under the provisions of this chapter.
C.
All such records shall be public records.
The annual report of the Bureau of Fire Prevention
shall be made on or before the 31st day of December in each year,
and transmitted to the Town Administrator. It shall contain all proceedings
under this chapter, with such statistics as the Chief of the Fire
Department may wish to include therein.
No person shall place or deposit any object
or thing which, in any way, obstructs the free and easy passage of
fire escapes, stairs, passageways, doors or windows or which will
in any way interfere with the operations of the Fire Department or
the egress of occupants in case of fire.
No owner, lessee, occupant or person in charge
of any building or dwelling shall burn, and no person shall ignite
or burn in any street or highway within the limits of the Town, any
dead leaves, grass, weeds, empty boxes, crates, barrels, branches,
limbs of trees, clothing, refuse, rubbish or waste materials or substance
of any kind whatsoever.
No owner, lessee, occupant or person in general
charge of any dumping place or ground shall burn or suffer to be burned
thereon, and no person shall ignite or burn thereon, any dead leaves,
grass, weeds, empty boxes, crates, barrels, branches, limbs of trees,
clothing, refuse, rubbish or waste materials or substances of any
kind whatsoever without placing in charge thereof a person over 18
years of age to guard and attend such fire.
