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The Chief of the Fire Division shall be responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Uniform Fire Code, as adopted in Section 1610.01 of Part Sixteen - the Fire Prevention Code. Under his or her direction, the Fire Division shall enforce all ordinances pertaining to:
(a) The prevention of fires;
(b) The suppression or extinguishing of dangerous or hazardous fires;
(c) The storage, use and handling of explosive, flammable, combustible, toxic, corrosive and other hazardous gaseous, solid and liquid materials;
(d) The installation and maintenance of automatic, manual and other private fire alarm systems and fire-extinguishing equipment;
(e) The maintenance and regulation of fire escapes;
(f) The maintenance of fire protection and the elimination of fire hazards on land and in buildings, structures and other property, including those under construction;
(g) The means and adequacy of exits in case of fire, from factories, schools, hotels, lodging houses, asylums, hospitals, churches, halls, theaters, amphitheaters and all other places in which people work, live or congregate, from time to time, for any purpose; and
(h) The investigation of the cause, origin and circumstances of fires.
The Chief shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as are set forth in other sections of these Codified Ordinances and as may be conferred and imposed from time to time by law.
(Ord. 1073. Passed 1-28-86.)
(a) Generally. Except as provided in subsection (b) hereof, no fire equipment of the City shall be taken beyond its corporate limits unless, by resolution of Council, at a regular or special meeting prior thereto, it is determined and resolved that fire equipment of the City shall be permitted to leave the corporate limits for the purpose of extinguishing fires.
The City deems it necessary, expedient and in the interest of public safety for certain personnel and equipment of its Fire Division to go beyond the corporate limits of the City to fight fire and thereby to save life or property. Members of the Division shall be considered as acting in the performance and within the scope of their duties in fighting fire or saving life or property outside the corporate limits of the City if and when directed to do so by the Chief or by some person authorized to act for the Chief.
(b) Upon Order of State Civil Defense Agency. The Division shall forthwith move its fire and other emergency equipment and personnel outside the limits of the City when required to do so by Section 81-829.65 of the Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, 1943, as amended.
(Ord. 974. Passed 8-11-80.)
The Division Chief or his assistant shall investigate all fires, explosions or losses within his jurisdiction and shall hold such investigation at any time on the property and within the legal boundaries of the property involved without any interference from the property owner or his family or representatives, or any company having property on or within the premises.
Until the investigation is completed no person shall remove any property attached to or within the legal boundaries of such property without first getting permission from the Volunteer Chief or his assistant.
No private person, including the owner of the property in question, shall order firefighters away or off the premises or interfere in any way with firefighters while they are engaged in putting out a fire or in investigating the premises to determine the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding it.
If any person should attempt, by force or otherwise, to hinder a firefighter while he is engaged in fighting a fire, the firefighter has the right to repel such force and to take whatever measures are reasonably necessary under the circumstances to remove the person who is causing the interference or hindering the work of the firefighter, even to causing the arrest of such person. While a firefighter has no authority to make an arrest except when he discovers someone in the actual perpetration of a crime, he may ask police to arrest any person who is willfully attempting to hinder him from performing his lawful duties and he may take whatever steps are reasonably necessary and proper to prevent such interference, even to the use of force.
In addition, if the Division Chief deems it necessary to hold an investigation, the property owner shall be so advised and will be required to find housing until such time as the Chief or his assistant completes his investigation, at which time the property owner will be so advised.
(Ord. 974. Passed 8-11-80.)