(a) Generally. The provisions of this article shall be administered and enforced by the city and any other person authorized to enforce the provisions of this article by and under the supervision and direction of the Fire Chief or designee thereof has the authority to enforce all ordinances of the city having to do with:
(1) Prevention of fire;
(2) The storage, sale, and use of any explosive, combustible, or other dangerous article or articles in solid, flammable liquid, or gas form;
(3) The installation and maintenance of equipment of all sorts intended to extinguish, detect, and control fires;
(4) The means and adequacy of exit, in case of fire, from buildings and all other places in which persons work, live, or congregate, from time to time, for any purpose, except buildings used wholly as dwelling houses for no more than two families;
(5) The suppression of arson; and
(6) Any other thing necessary to carry into effect the provisions of this article including, but not limited to, confiscating any materials, chemicals, items, or personal property owned, possessed, or used in direct violation of the city’s Fire Prevention Code.
(b) Enforcement of rules and ordinances. The Fire Chief or designee thereof and any other person authorized to enforce the provisions of this article by and under the supervision and direction of the this Fire Chief or designee thereof shall enforce the rules and ordinances as authorized by this article.
(c) Inspections generally. The Fire Chief or designee thereof and any other person authorized to enforce the provisions of this article under the supervision and direction of the Fire Chief or designee thereof shall inspect all structures and facilities, other than one- and two-family dwelling houses, subject to this article, including, but not limited to, state, county, and municipally owned institutions, all public and private schools, health care facilities, theaters, churches, and other places of public assembly to determine whether the structures or facilities are in compliance with the city’s Fire Prevention Code.
(d) Right of entry. The Fire Chief or designee thereof and any other person authorized to enforce the provisions of this article under the supervision and direction of the Fire Chief or designee thereof may, at all reasonable hours, enter any building or premises, other than one- and two-family dwelling houses, for the purpose of making an inspection which he or she may consider necessary under the provisions of this article. The Fire Chief or designee thereof may enter upon any property, or enter any building, structure, or premises, including one- and two-family dwelling houses during construction and prior to occupancy, for the purpose of ascertaining compliance with the conditions set forth in any permit or license issued by the office of the State Fire Marshal pursuant to W. Va. Code 29-3-12b(a)(1) or 29- 3A-1.
(e) Citations for violations. Violations for which citations may be issued include, but are not limited to:
(1) Overcrowding places of public assembly;
(2) Locked or blocked exits in public areas;
(3) Failure to abate a fire hazard;
(4) Blocking of fire lanes or Fire Department connections (FDC); or
(5) Tampering with, or rendering inoperable, except during necessary maintenance or repairs, on-premise firefighting equipment, fire detection equipment, or fire alarms systems.
(f) Issuance of citations for fire and life safety violations. The Fire Chief or designee thereof and any other person authorized to enforce the provisions of this article under the supervision and direction of the Fire Chief or designee thereof are hereby authorized to issue citations, within the corporate limits of the city, for fire and life safety violations of the city’s Fire Prevention Code; provided, that a summary report of all citations issued pursuant to this section by persons authorized under this section shall be forwarded monthly to the Fire Chief or designee thereof in such form and containing information including, but not limited to, the violation for which the citation was issued, the citation number, the date of issuance, the name of the person issuing the citation, and the name of the person to whom the citation was issued. The Fire Chief or designee thereof may at any time revoke the authorization of a person authorized by this division (f) of this section to issue citations.
(g) Required liability coverage. No person authorized pursuant to division (b) above may be authorized to issue a citation until evidence of liability coverage of such person has been provided by the city.