A. Appointment: The fire chief and other fire department officers shall be elected by the fire department by majority vote, and approved by the city council. (1995 Code § 25-2-1)
B. Powers And Duties: The duty of extinguishing fires and of protecting life and property within the city is entrusted to the chief of the fire department. He may divide the city into fire districts and make such rules and regulations, subject to the approval of the city council, for the government of all officers and members of the department as he may deem expedient. He may make suitable regulations under which the officers and members of the department shall be required to wear appropriate uniform or badge, by which, in case of fire and at other times, their authority and position in the fire department may be known. The chief shall have sole and entire command over all officers and members of the department at fires. He shall have full charge at all times of all apparatus and appurtenances belonging to the department, and he shall adopt such measures as he shall deem expedient for the extinguishment of fire, protection of property or preservation of order and observance of the laws of the state and city, duties required of him by law and the ordinances of the city council. It shall be the duty of the chief to examine and inspect engines, hose, hook and ladder, and other equipment of the fire department. (1995 Code § 25-2-2)
C. Special Duty: It shall be especially the duty of the chief to see that at all times the provisions of this chapter relating to the protection and regulation of property and all provisions of this chapter for the prevention of and the protection against fires are strictly enforced. (1995 Code § 25-2-3)
D. Investigation And Reports: The chief, or in his absence, his assistants in charge of the fire, shall, after its extinguishment, make a prompt and thorough investigation of the cause of the fire, the time of dispatch, the amount of loss and insurance, a description of the affected buildings and premises, and shall secure all other useful information and data available and record the same in a record book kept for that purpose in the office of the department, and shall report the same to the city council at such times as it may direct. (1995 Code § 25-2-4)
E. Appoint And Remove: The chief shall have power to appoint members and to remove any officer or member of the department at any time he sees fit, subject to confirmation by the city council. (1995 Code § 25-2-5)