[Amended 4-15-1953]
A Bureau of Fire Prevention of the Incorporated Village of Malverne
is hereby established, consisting of not less than three members nor
more than 15 members, to be operated under the supervision of the
Council of the Fire Department of the Incorporated Village of Malverne.
The members of the Bureau of Fire Prevention shall all be members
of the Fire Department and shall be appointed by the Council of the
Fire Department, each for a term expiring on the third Tuesday in
April following the date of their appointment.
The Council of the Fire Department may, subject to the approval
of the Board of Trustees, adopt, amend or repeal bylaws not inconsistent
with the provisions of this chapter, relating to the operations of
the Bureau of Fire Prevention and the conduct of its meetings and
business.
Any member of the Bureau of Fire Prevention may be removed for
the same reason and in the same manner that an officer of the Fire
Department may be removed.
The Bureau of Fire Prevention shall investigate the cause, origin
and circumstances of every fire occurring in the Village by which
property has been destroyed or damaged and, so far as possible, shall
determine whether the fire is the result of carelessness or design.
Such investigations shall be begun immediately upon the occurrence
of such a fire, and if it appears to the officer making such investigation
that such fire is of suspicious origin, the Bureau of Fire Prevention
shall be immediately notified of the fact, and it shall take charge
immediately of the physical evidence, shall notify the proper authorities
designated by law to pursue the investigation of such matters and
shall further cooperate with such authorities in the collection of
evidence and in the prosecution of the case.
The Bureau of Fire Prevention shall inspect as often as may
be necessary, but not less than once a year, all buildings, premises
and public thoroughfares, except the interiors of private dwellings,
for the purpose of ascertaining and causing to be corrected any conditions
liable to cause fire, or any violation of the provisions of any local
law or statute affecting fire hazard, and shall inspect as often as
may be necessary all specially hazardous manufacturing processes,
storages or installations of acetylene or other gases, chemicals,
oils, explosives and inflammable materials, and all interior fire
alarms and automatic sprinkler systems, and shall make such orders
as may be necessary for the enforcement of the laws governing the
same and for the safeguarding of life and property from fire.
Between the first and the fourth days of March in each year,
the annual report of the Bureau of Fire Prevention shall be made and
filed in the office of the Clerk of the Village of Malverne. It shall
contain a record of all proceedings under this chapter and a statement
of such other matters or statistics as may be required by statute
or as the Bureau of Fire Prevention may deem proper.
[Amended 2-14-1968]
Any person who shall violate any provision of this chapter shall be punishable as provided in Chapter
1, Article
II, General Penalty, of the Village Code.