[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Trenton 11-7-1989
as §§ 3-1-1 to 3-1-8 of the 1989 Code. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
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 Trenton 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 or rescue units at any fire are hereby vested with full and
complete police authority at fires and other emergencies. 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. Law enforcement officers shall
be called to investigate fires involving illegal property or controlled substances.
(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
serving the Town of Trenton shall be the Fire Inspectors of the Town of Trenton
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 Commerce, 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 Trenton at all reasonable hours for the
purpose of making inspections or investigations which, under the provisions
of this Code, he 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 are not complied with,
to report such noncompliance to the Town Board for further action.
C.
The Chief of the Fire Department 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 at least once in six months in all of the territory
served by the Fire Department and more often as the Chief of the Fire Department
orders. Each six-month period shall begin on January 1 and July 1 of each
year.
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 Commerce. 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 one block from the place
of fire without the consent and authority of the Fire Chief or any law enforcement
officer.
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 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.
No person shall occupy any portion of such streets or alleys with a
motorized or other vehicle between such fire engine or fire truck or other
fire apparatus and any hydrant to which a fire hose may be, or may be about
to be, attached. No person shall willfully offer any hindrance or resistance
to a fireman in the discharge of his duty.
