[Adopted as Secs. 5-1-3 through 5-1-9 and 5-2-6 of the 1996
Code]
No person shall impede the progress of a fire engine, fire truck
or other fire apparatus of a Fire Department along the streets, roads
or alleys of the Town of Koshkonong at the time of a fire or when
a Fire Department is using such streets or alleys in response to a
fire alarm or for practice.
A.
Police authority at fires.
(1)
The Chief and Assistants or officers in command of a Fire Department
at any fire are hereby vested with full and complete police authority
at fires. Any officer of a Fire Department may cause the arrest of
any person failing to give the right-of-way to a Fire Department in
responding to a fire.
(2)
The Fire Chief may prescribe certain limits in the vicinity of any
fire within which no persons, excepting firemen and law enforcement
officers and those admitted by order of any officer of the Department,
shall be permitted to come.
(3)
The Fire Chief shall have the power to cause the removal of any property
whenever it shall become necessary for the preservation of such property
from fire or to prevent the spreading of fire or to protect the adjoining
property, and during the progress of any fire he shall have the power
to cause the removal of all wires or other facilities and the turning
off of all electricity or other services where the same impedes the
work of the Department during the progress of a fire.
B.
Firemen to have powers of traffic officers. Members of a Fire Department,
when at the scene of a fire or other emergency, or when Fire Department
vehicles are upon the street pursuant to an emergency call, shall
have the authority and duty of traffic officers to direct traffic,
as conditions require, notwithstanding any other provision of this
chapter.
A.
The Fire Chief and Assistant Chiefs of the Fire Department(s) serving
the Town of Koshkonong shall be the Fire Inspectors of the Town of
Koshkonong and shall have the power to appoint one or more deputy
Fire Inspectors and shall perform all duties required of the Fire
Inspectors by the laws of the State and rules of the Department of
Safety and Professional Services, particularly § 101.14,
Wis. Stats.
B.
While acting as Fire Inspectors pursuant to § 101.14(2),
Wis. Stats., the Fire Chief, or any officer of the Fire Department
designated by the Fire Chief, shall have the right and authority to
enter any building or upon any premises in the Town of Koshkonong
at all reasonable hours for the purpose of making inspections or investigations
which, under the provisions of this Code of Ordinances, he/she may
deem necessary. Should the Fire Inspector find that any provisions
of this Code relating to fire hazards and prevention of fires are
being violated, or that a fire hazard exists which should be eliminated,
it shall be his duty to give such directions for the abatement of
such conditions as he shall deem necessary and, if such directions
be not complied with, to report such noncompliance to the Town Board
for further action.
C.
The Chief of the Fire Department(s) is required, by himself or by
officers or members of the Fire Department designated by him as fire
inspectors, to inspect 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 violations of any law or ordinance relating to the fire hazard
or to the prevention of fires. Such inspections shall be made on a
schedule as specified by the contract or as determined by the Chief
of the Fire Department.
[Amended 3-13-2019 by Ord. No. 1]
D.
Written reports of inspections shall be made and kept on file in
the office of the Chief of the Fire Department in the manner and form
required by the Department of Safety and Professional Services. A
copy of such reports shall be filed with the Town Clerk.
A.
Driving over fire hose. No person shall willfully injure in any manner
any hose, hydrant or fire apparatus belonging to a Fire Department,
and no vehicle shall be driven over any unprotected hose of a Fire
Department when laid down on any street, private driveway or other
place, to be used at any fire or alarm of fire, without the consent
of the Fire Department official in command.
B.
Parking vehicles near hydrants. It shall be unlawful for any person
to park any vehicle or leave any object within 10 feet of any fire
hydrant at any time.
C.
No parking near fire. It shall be unlawful for any person, in case
of fire, to drive or park any vehicle within 1,000 feet from the place
of fire without the consent and authority of the Fire Chief or any
law enforcement officer.
[Amended 3-13-2019 by Ord. No. 1]
A.
Entering adjacent property. It shall be lawful for any fireman while
acting under the direction of a Fire Chief or any other officer in
command to enter upon the premises adjacent to or in the vicinity
of a building or other property then on fire for the purpose of extinguishing
such fire and in case any person shall hinder, resist or obstruct
any fireman in the discharge of his/her duty as is hereinbefore provided,
the person so offending shall be deemed guilty of resisting firemen
in the discharge of their duty.
B.
Destruction of property to prevent the spread of fire. During the
progress of any fire, a Fire Chief or his assistant shall have the
power to order the removal or destruction of any property necessary
to prevent the further spread of fire; provided that it is inevitable
that, unless such property is removed, other property is in danger
of being destroyed by fire.
Every person who shall be present at a fire shall be subject
to the orders of a Fire Chief or officer in command and may be required
to render assistance in fighting the fire or in removing or guarding
property. Such officer shall have the power to cause the arrest of
any person or persons refusing to obey said orders.
Whenever there shall be a fire or fire alarm or the Fire Department
shall be out for practice, every person driving or riding in a motorized
or other vehicle shall move and remain to the side of the street until
the fire engine and fire truck and other fire apparatus shall have
passed.
A.
A Fire Department serving the Town of Koshkonong shall investigate
the cause, origin, and circumstances of every fire occurring in the
Town which is of suspicious nature or which involves loss of life
or injury to persons or by which property has been destroyed substantially
damaged. Such investigations shall be begun immediately upon the occurrence
of such a fire by the fire officer in whose district the fire occurs,
and if it appears that such fire is of suspicious origin, the Chief
of the Fire Department 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 the authorities in the collection of evidence and in the prosecution
of the case.
B.
Appropriate law enforcement agencies, upon request of the Chief of
the Fire Department, may assist in the investigation of any fire which,
in the opinion of the Chief of the Fire Department, is of suspicious
origin.
