(a) The Fire Official shall investigate, or cause to be investigated, every fire or explosion occurring within the jurisdiction that is of a suspicious nature or which involves the loss of life or serious injury or causes destruction or damage to property. Such investigation shall be initiated immediately upon the occurrence of such fire or explosion; and if it appears that such an occurrence is of a suspicious nature, the Fire Official shall take charge immediately of the physical evidence, and in order to preserve any physical evidence relating to the cause or origin of such fire or explosion, take means to prevent access by any person or persons to such building, structure or premises until such evidence has been properly processed. The Fire Official shall notify such persons designated by law to pursue investigations into such matters and shall further cooperate with such authorities in the collection of evidence and prosecution of the case and shall pursue the investigation to its conclusion.
(b) Any member of the Fire Division of the City who is the Fire Official who has been delegated authority by the Fire Chief to investigate fires shall have the power and duty to investigate the cause of all fires, examine witnesses, compel the attendance of witnesses, and the production of books and papers, enter, for the purpose of examination, any building which, in his opinion, is in danger of fire, and to do and perform all other acts necessary to the effective discharge of such duties.
(c) Any member of the Fire Division of the City who is a Fire Official, a Notary Public, who has been awarded a certificate by the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission attesting to the person’s satisfactory completion of an approved state, county, municipal, or department of natural resources peace officer basic training program and who has been delegated authority by the Fire Chief to investigate fires may compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of books and papers, administer oaths, make arrests, bear firearms, and enter, for the purpose of examination, any building which, in his opinion, is in danger from fire.
(d) Any person ordered by a Fire Official, empowered under divisions (b) or (c) of this section, to appear and give testimony or to produce books and papers shall appear at the time and place designated in such order and shall give testimony and produce books and records in compliance with the order issued by the Fire Official.
(Ord. 06-303, passed 8-8-06; Ord. 13-15, passed 1-22-13.)