§ 33.104 FIRE CHIEF; DUTIES.
   (A)   The Fire Chief shall, at all times, have full control and command over all employees of the Department, the fire apparatus and equipment belonging to the village and their usage in accomplishing the objectives of the Department.
   (B)   In addition, he or she shall be responsible for the following activity, doing it either himself or herself or delegating it to subordinates:
      (1)   Formulate and establish a set of administrative rules and regulations to govern the Department’s fire prevention, fire protection and firefighting operations, which rules and regulations shall be approved by the Village Board before they shall become effective;
      (2)   Determine the response of fire apparatus and manpower to alarms and shall, himself or herself, attend fires;
      (3)   Conduct suitable drills and/or instructions at least monthly for the members of the Department, in the operation and handling of fire equipment, first aid, salvage, study of buildings within the village and in the industrial area, fire prevention, water supplies and all other matters essential to good firemanship and the safety of life and property from fire; (He or she may delegate the instruction to others especially qualified in particular subjects.)
      (4)   Keep, or cause to be kept, at Fire Department headquarters, complete records of all fires, inspections, investigations, apparatus and equipment, hose records, purchase and maintenance cost of equipment, personnel, attendance at meetings and at fires and all other pertinent information about the Department and its operation;
      (5)   Report, at least quarterly, to the Village Mayor and Board on the condition of the village’s fire apparatus and equipment, together with recommendations for any changes or repairs necessary to keep it fully operative; (He or she may consult with and recommend to the appropriate Committee of the Board regarding any matter affecting the equipment or personnel of the Department.)
      (6)   Render a complete annual report in writing to the Village Mayor and Board by the second Board meeting in May of each year, the report to include summaries of the information required in the preceding divisions herein, together with his or her recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the Department;
      (7)   Consult with village officials and the Fire Committee, at all times, so that the rules and regulations he or she may prescribe for the government of the Department are not at variance with state law and the village code; and
      (8)   Assist proper authority in suppressing the crime of arson by investigating, or causing to be investigated, the cause origin, and circumstances of all fires within the Department’s jurisdiction. He or she shall immediately report all suspicious fires to the Chief of Police for appropriate police actions.
   (C)   He or she shall have the authority to enter, at reasonable hours of the day, and upon reasonable notice of the intent to inspect, or cause to be entered by designated subordinates, any and all buildings and premises for the purpose of making inspections or investigating fires and their causes, and shall serve written notice on the building owners or occupants of property to abate, within a specified reasonable time, any and all fire hazards found and ordered abated.
   (D)   In the inspection of structures and the investigations of fires, he or she shall enforce, or cause to be enforced, all laws of the state and village covering the following:
      (1)   The prevention of fires;
      (2)   The storage and use of explosives and flammables;
      (3)   The installation and maintenance of automatic and other fire alarm systems and fire extinguishing equipment;
      (4)   The means and adequacy of exit in case of fire from factories, schools, motels, 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 maintenance and regulation of fire escapes; and
      (6)   Such other preventative and protective fire measures as sound fire engineering practices of the time advocate.
   (E)   Before licenses are issued by the village for keeping, storing, using, manufacturing, selling, handling, transporting or other disposition of highly flammable and/or hazardous materials, rubbish, petroleum products, powder, explosives, fireworks and similar flammables, he or she shall inspect and approve the receptacles, vehicles, buildings or storage places and premises to be used for any such purpose.
   (F)   (1)   The Fire Chief shall inspect, or cause to be inspected, at least semiannually, all mercantile property within the village, all industrial property, churches, schools and places of public assemblage, so as to eliminate fire hazards therein.
      (2)   He or she shall also check the locations where permits for flammables and/or hazardous materials and the like mentioned herein were issued to maintain the safe usage, handling or storage.
   (G)   The Chief shall have the power to modify the provisions of any fire-safety law when there are practical difficulties in the way of carrying out the strict letter of the law, provided, the spirit of the law is observed and the modification is clearly stated in writing.
   (H)   The Chief shall execute such other duties and responsibilities as the Mayor and Board may direct.
(`92 Code, § 30-4-6) (Ord. 86-27, passed 9-17-86)