Chapter 7.15
GENERAL FIRE REGULATIONS
Sections:
7.15.030 Removal of obstructions.
7.15.060 Willfully or negligently causing fire.
7.15.070 Unlawful interference.
7.15.080 Driving over fire hose.
7.15.110 Blocking fire hydrants and Fire Department connections.
7.15.120 Hydrant use approval.
7.15.130 Tampering with fire hydrants.
7.15.140 Parking of vehicle near fire station.
7.15.150 Accumulation of refuse and rubbish.
7.15.160 Nuisance – Injunction.
7.15.010 Right-of-way.
It is hereby provided that any fire truck and movable fire fighting apparatus, and all personal cars of Fire Department members traveling within the City of Syracuse shall have the right-of-way over all other vehicles of every kind when responding to a fire alarm, and it shall be unlawful for the owner or operator of any vehicle to drive or operate the same in head of said fire truck or at a distance less than 600 feet or to follow the same at a distance closer than 600 feet, or to park within 300 feet of a fire. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.010.]
7.15.020 May blockade street.
Whenever a fire shall occur, it shall be lawful for the officer in charge to blockade any street, avenue, alley, sidewalk or other place within the geographic limits of Syracuse, if in his judgment it is necessary to secure the efficient working of the men, hose, engines, or hook and ladder apparatus under his command, and to protect the hose from injury. It shall be unlawful for any person to break through said blockade. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.020.]
7.15.030 Removal of obstructions.
When a fire is in progress, the officer in charge may order the removal or destruction of any building, fence, or any telephone, telegraph or electric light poles or wires or any other obstruction in order to prevent the progress of the fire, but no officer or Fire Fighter shall unnecessarily or recklessly destroy or injure any building or other property. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.030.]
7.15.040 Use of water.
The officer in charge at a fire shall have the right to use water from any source for the purpose of extinguishing the fire or for saving property in danger of being destroyed by fire. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.040.]
7.15.050 False alarms.
No person shall deliberately or maliciously turn in an alarm of fire when in fact that person knows that no fire exists. Such acts of deliberate or malicious false alarms shall be punishable as prescribed under laws of the state and/or the code of the City. No person shall activate any installed fire warning system or any fixed fire extinguishing system for purposes other than emergency, maintenance, drill, or prescribed testing. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.050.]
7.15.060 Willfully or negligently causing fire.
It shall be unlawful for any person willfully or negligently to ignite or cause to be ignited any trees, shrubs, cultivated crop, fence, building or other property on any land not his own, or to throw any lighted cigar, cigarette, match or other burning material whatsoever on any land cover which will carry fire. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.060.]
7.15.070 Unlawful interference.
It shall be unlawful for any person to hinder any officer in the discharge of his duty at a fire or emergency, or in any manner injure, deface or destroy any engine, hose or other apparatus or to interfere with any fire company or person, or to willfully break or injure any water pipe, or in any way interfere with the water or its course of supply. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.070.]
7.15.080 Driving over fire hose.
A person may not operate or be in actual physical control of a vehicle that is driven or propelled over any fire hose of any Fire Department when laid down on any street, alley, way, private drive, or any other vehicular roadway without the consent of the Fire Chief or person in command of the operation. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.080.]
7.15.090 Limits at fire.
The City Police Chief, in conjunction with the Fire Officer in charge, may prescribe the limits in the vicinity of the fire within which no person, except Fire Fighters and members of the Police Department or those admitted by order of the officer in charge, shall be permitted to come. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.090.]
7.15.100 Duty of bystanders.
No person shall fail or willfully refuse to comply with any lawful order of a member of the Fire Department nor interfere with the attempt of another individual to comply with such order. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.100.]
7.15.110 Blocking fire hydrants and Fire Department connections.
It shall be unlawful to obscure from view, damage, deface, obstruct or restrict the access to any fire hydrant or any Fire Department connection for the pressurization of fire suppression systems, including fire hydrants and Fire Department connections that are located on public or private streets and access lanes, or on private property. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.110.]
7.15.120 Hydrant use approval.
A person shall not use or operate any fire hydrant intended for use of any Fire Department for fire suppression purposes unless such person first secures permission for such use from the Fire Chief and the Public Works Department. This section shall not apply to the use of such hydrants by a person employed by, and authorized to make such use by, the Public Works Department. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.120.]
7.15.130 Tampering with fire hydrants.
No person shall tamper with, turn on, adjust, damage or attempt to tamper with, open, turn on or adjust any fire hydrant owned by the City or connected to the City water system. Nothing in this section shall apply to any person authorized by the City Water Department or City Fire Department to do anything to a fire hydrant. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.130.]
7.15.140 Parking of vehicle near fire station.
No person shall park any vehicle or otherwise cause any obstruction to be placed within 30 feet of the entrance to any fire station or other place where fire apparatus is stored, or within 20 feet of the driveway approach from said station onto the public street, or within 10 feet of any fire hydrant or cistern. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.140.]
7.15.150 Accumulation of refuse and rubbish.
It shall be unlawful for any person to accumulate or permit the accumulation of empty boxes, refuse, water, rubbish, weeds or other inflammable substances, or to constitute a fire hazard when not required in the ordinary process of farming on any premises owned, rented, or controlled by him within the City limits or to carry on any business in or about any premises in such a manner as to endanger such premises or building or other buildings or premises by fire or explosion. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.150.]
7.15.160 Nuisance – Injunction.
Any fire hazard under this title is hereby declared to be a nuisance. In addition to any other relief provided by this title, the City Attorney may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction for an injunction to prohibit the maintenance of any fire hazard. Such application for relief may include seeking a temporary restraining order, temporary injunction and permanent injunction. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.160.]
7.15.170 Severability.
If any provision of this chapter or its application to any person or circumstance is held to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this chapter which can be given independent effect. To this end the provisions of this chapter are severable. [Ord. 12-27 § 1 (Exh. A); Code 1971 § 7.03.170.]