(a) The Fire Chief or his designee shall examine or cause to be examined every building or structure involved in a fire and shall make a written record of such examination for the need of special equipment to remediate the emergency.
(b) The Fire Chief or his designee shall have the authority and power to make a determination as to whether special equipment is necessary to help extinguish or mediate an emergency at the scene of a fire. Once a determination is made by the Fire Chief that special equipment is necessary to help extinguish the fire or mediate an emergency, all reasonable efforts shall be made to contact the property owner to obtain permission before any demolition is done. If the property owner cannot be reached or fails to grant permission, the Fire Chief shall have the power and authority to use such special equipment to demolish, tear down or remove parts of the structures or buildings involved in the fire that is deemed necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of the firefighters on the scene and of the citizens of the City.
(c) The cost of such work shall be paid by the City. If the City is not immediately reimbursed for such cost, the amount thereof shall be certified to the County Treasurer or to the County Auditor, as required by law, and levied as a special assessment against the property on which the building or structure is located and shall be collected in the manner provided for special assessments. (Ord. 40-2003. Passed 7-14-03.)