[Adopted 12-14-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-20]
The office of Fire Marshal is hereby created in the Borough of New Hope;
such officer to be appointed by the Borough Council. Council may also appoint
assistant and/or deputy Fire Marshals. The office of Fire Marshal shall report
to the Borough Manager except on those matters on which he or she is required
by law to report directly to the Borough Council.
The person appointed to the office of Fire Marshal shall be appointed
as soon as practicable after the adoption of this article and shall serve
at the pleasure of the Borough Council. Subsequent appointments shall be made
biennially to serve until their respective successors have been duly appointed
and qualified. The aforesaid appointment for a specified term notwithstanding,
the Borough Council retains the right to remove the Fire Marshal and his or
her assistants and/or deputies at its pleasure. Vacancies shall be filled
in the same manner as the original appointment was made for the unexpired
portion of the term. If for any reason this office is not separately filled
by appointment of, and with the approval and consent of the Borough Council,
the Chief of the New Hope Eagle Fire Company shall be deemed the ex officio
Fire Marshal thereof and shall have all the powers and duties hereinafter
given to or imposed upon the Fire Marshal. The Borough Council shall fix compensation
of the Fire Marshal and his or her assistants and/or deputies from time to
time by resolution. The Fire Marshal and his or her assistants and deputies
shall perform all duties and shall have and exercise all powers prescribed
by law and shall implement, administer, and enforce the provisions of the
ICC International Fire Code, as amended, and the ICC International Property
Maintenance Code, as amended. The appointed Fire Marshal and his or her assistants
and/or deputies described herein shall be Fire Code Officials for the purposes
of the ICC International Fire Code and Code Officials for the purposes of
the ICC International Property Maintenance Code that have been adopted by
New Hope Borough. Future change or amendment of these codes shall not change
the selection, powers, or duties of the Fire Marshal/Fire Code Official or
Code Official.
No person shall in any way obstruct or prevent, or attempt to obstruct
or prevent, the Fire Marshal in the discharge of his or her duties by denying
or attempting to deny him or her access to any premises owned or occupied
by such person, either by failing or refusing correct information requested
by him or her in the investigation into the cause, origin or circumstances
of any fire.
Any person who shall violate any provision of this article shall, upon
conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine not more than $1,000 plus costs
and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to imprisonment for a term
not to exceed 30 days. Each day that a violation of this article continues
or each section of the article that shall be found to have been violated shall
constitute a separate offense.
