It is the policy of the Town of East Hampton
to assure an adequate supply of water for fire-fighting purposes at
or near the site of all residential and commercial developments. To
this end, the Town, in cooperation with the various fire departments
and districts which serve it, has required the installation of various
fire protection devices, such as hydrants, wells and cisterns, which
serve to supply water for fire-fighting purposes in the event of a
conflagration. Tampering, vandalism and the depletion of the water
supplies contained within these devices wholly defeats the purpose
for which these devices have been installed and maintained. It is
the intent of this article to protect fire protection devices from
misuse, damage and theft by establishing rules governing their use
and to provide penalties for transgression thereof.
For the purpose of this article, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed to them by this
section:
FIRE PROTECTION DEVICE
Any device or apparatus, including but not limited to fire
hydrants, fire wells and cisterns, constructed or installed for the
purpose of supplying water for use in fighting fires.
PERSON
Any natural person, partnership, association, corporation
or other legal entity.
TOWN
Includes all areas within the Town of East Hampton, exclusive
of areas wholly within any incorporated village.
It shall be unlawful for any person to tamper
with, deface, damage or destroy any fire protection device within
the Town of East Hampton or to block or otherwise impede the flow
of water from any such fire protection device or to remove water from
any fire protection device without the express approval of the water
purveyor, fire department and/or district having ownership of or jurisdiction
over the same.
Any person found guilty of any provisions of
this article shall, upon conviction, be deemed guilty of a violation
punishable by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 or by
imprisonment for a period not more than six months, or both, for each
and every such violation.
Should any section or provision of this article
be determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional
or invalid, such determination shall not affect the whole, nor any
other section or provision hereof other than the section or provision
determined to be unconstitutional or invalid.