(a) The Fire Chief shall be ex officio fire marshal of the City and shall have the powers and perform the duties imposed upon fire marshals by 53 P. S. §37104 et seq.
(b) It shall be the duty of the Fire Chief to attend all fires and alarms of fire in the City and he shall have charge and direct the operation of the respective fire companies, unless prevented by illness or other reasonable cause.
(c) He shall have full power and authority over all paid Fire Department employees and over all firemen on the fire ground. He shall plan the strategy in overcoming the fire and issue and enforce such orders as in his judgment may be necessary for the protection of property and the extinguishment of the fire. He shall give all orders on the fire ground through channels of authority, unless by reason of an emergency it becomes necessary to give direct orders to any fireman who may be available for immediate action. Where orders are to be communicated to the trustees of any fire company by mail, such mail shall be addressed to the trustees of such company, rather than the chairman of the trustees. He shall make weekly visits to each of the fire companies belonging to the Department. He shall have full charge of all apparatus and equipment, order all necessary repairs and see to it the apparatus and equipment are at all times in good serviceable condition. He shall, with the approval of the Director of Public Safety, designate the location of all new fire hydrants and fire alarm boxes. He shall prepare rules and regulations for the operation of the Department at large and shall submit copies for the approval of the Director of Public Safety.
(d) It shall be the duty of the Fire Chief, Assistant Chiefs or other officers in charge at the scene of a fire, if in their judgment it becomes necessary, to rope off highways adjacent to such fire, in order to prevent interference by the public.
(e) The Fire Chief, and assistant fire chiefs are hereby invested with authority to make arrests and to have all the powers conferred by law upon police officers at the scene of the fire.
(1944 Code Ch. 10 §8, 10, 13.)