Chapter V FIRE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE

The Fire Officer shall ensure the timely turnouts of fire units to respond to fire and emergency related calls in accordance with such Standard Operating Procedures as may be specified by the Government.

The Director, Chief Fire Officer or Fire Officer shall ensure deployment of fire and emergency service resources, equipment and fire personnel at stand-by duties during any fire response or any other emergency in such manner as may be prescribed.

The Director, Chief Fire Officer or Fire Officer shall ensure the planning, organising and deployment of the staff, maintaining details of such planning and deployment of the employee and shall ensure the regular monitoring of the fire or emergency site.

In the event of a fire rescue operation in any area in which this Regulation is in force, any member of the fire and emergency service, who is in-charge of firefighting operations on the spot, may,—

1. (a) remove or order any member of the fire and emergency service to remove any person who, by his presence, interferes with or impedes the operation for extinguishing the fire or for saving life or property;
2. (b) close any street or passage in or near which a fire is being extinguished or rescue work is in progress;
3. (c) for the purpose of extinguishing fire and carrying out a rescue operation, break into or through or pull down any premises for the passage of hose or appliances or cause them to be broken into or pulled down, causing minimum damage as possible for extinguishing fire: Provided that the owner or occupier, as the case may be, of any such premises shall be paid such reasonable compensation to the extent of the damage caused in such manner as may be prescribed;
4. (d) require any authority in-charge of water supply in the area to regulate the water mains, to provide water at a specified pressure at the place where fire has broken out and utilise the water of any stream, cistern, well or tank or of any available source of water, public or private, for the purpose of extinguishing or limiting the spread of such fire and carrying out rescue operations in such manner as may be prescribed;
5. (e) exercise the same powers for dispersing an assembly of persons likely to obstruct the firefighting operations, as if he were an officer in-charge of a police station and as if such an assembly were an unlawful assembly and shall be entitled to the same immunities and protection as such officer, in respect of the exercise of such powers;
6. (f) detain a person who wilfully obstructs and hinders fire and emergency service personnel in firefighting and rescue operations, and shall hand him over to a police officer or at the nearest police station without avoidable delay, along with a brief note giving date, time and reasons of such detention;
7. (g) enter into agreement with any person who employs and maintains personnel or equipment or both for firefighting purposes, to secure on such terms as may be prescribed for the purpose of dealing with fires occurring in any area; and
8. (h) take such measures as may appear to him to be necessary for extinguishing the fire or for the protection of life and property, or with both.

The Director or Fire Officer may draw water from any source in the area which he considers necessary during firefighting operations and on such occasions as may be required, and the authority or owner or occupier having control over such water source shall supply water for that purpose at such rates, as may be prescribed.

1. (1) The Director or Fire Officer shall take all reasonable measures for securing an adequate supply of water for use in the event of fire.
2. (2) The Director, Chief Fire Officer or Fire Officer shall ensure that the water demand for firefighting in the area is in accordance with the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation Manual, 1999.
3. (3) The Local Authority and Lakshadweep Public Works Department shall provide all assistance for meeting the water demand for firefighting as per sub-sections (1) and (2).

The Director or Fire Officer may enter into an agreement with any agency for meeting the demand of water supply in an emergency on such terms and conditions, as may be prescribed.

No authority in charge of water supply in any area shall be entitled to any claim for compensation for damage by reason of any interruption of supply of water caused in compliance with clause (d) of section 19.

No charge shall be made by any local authority for water consumed in firefighting operations by the fire and emergency service.