Sacramento Municipal Code Ch. 2.24 Fire Department

The chief of the fire department shall exercise all the powers and perform all the duties that are now or may hereafter be conferred upon him or her by the provisions of the Charter, by ordinance or by the directions of the city manager. He or she shall be appointed by, responsible to, and removable at the pleasure of the city manager. He or she shall be responsible for the government and discipline of the fire department and the members thereof and shall be charged with the care and custody of all property and equipment belonging to the department. He or she shall make a special study of the fire preventive measures and shall from time to time make a report of his or her findings and recommendations in order that proper legislation might be enacted in the premises and the people educated to assist in the prevention of fires. (Prior code § 15.01.101)

In addition to the chief of the fire department and the two assistant chiefs of the fire department, there shall be captains, inspectors of the bureau of fire prevention, engineers and firefighters, as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of the two-platoon system; providing, however, that for each platoon of the fire department, there shall be for each engine company, one captain, one engineer and not less than five firefighters; for each truck company, one captain and not less than seven firefighters; for each chemical company, one captain and not less than two firefighters; and, there may also be two relief engineers of the fire department.

Inspectors of the bureau of fire prevention shall have civil service classification within the fire department, and shall receive the same salary as firefighters. (Prior code § 15.01.102)

No person shall break, remove or injure any of the parts or appurtenances of the fire alarm system without authority or permission of the chief of the fire department. No person shall make or fit any key to the lock of any signal box of the fire alarm system without authority of the chief of the fire department. No person shall have or retain in his or her possession or under his or her control a key belonging to or fitted to open the lock of any such signal box without lawful authority of the fire chief. No person shall force or pick the lock of any such signal box without the authority of the fire chief. (Prior code § 15.01.104)

No person shall willfully make or cause to be made any false alarm of fire by means of the fire alarm system, or otherwise. A reward of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) will be paid by the city council for the arrest and conviction of any person for giving, by means of the fire alarm system, a false alarm of fire. (Prior code § 15.01.105)

No person shall put or place, maintain or suffer to be or remain any article, thing or matter on or upon the sidewalk so as to obstruct or interfere with the free access or approach to any signal box of the fire alarm system. (Prior code § 15.01.106)

Any person moving, or intending to move, any house, structure or building likely to interfere with the fire alarm system shall at once give notice to the chief of the fire department, and shall at once make provision for the immediate repair of any injury or of any disturbance of such fire alarm system; provided, that no interference for such cause shall take place between the hours of five

p.m. in the evening and eight a.m. in the morning. (Prior code § 15.01.107)

No person shall run any wire on any of the telegraph poles or fixtures of the fire alarm system of this city, or run, erect or maintain any wire crossing or running parallel to any wire of the fire alarm system within a distance of six feet. No person shall, with intent to deceive, falsely represent himself or herself to be an employee of the fire alarm system of the city. No person owning or controlling property along the lines of the fire alarm system shall allow any branch or limb of any tree, shrub or vine to be within six feet of the fire alarm system. (Prior code § 15.01.108)

The chief of the fire department is authorized to allow qualified licensed contractors to enter upon any property within the city in order to make emergency repairs and furnish materials to protect buildings, structures, dwellings, and their contents and surrounding premises that have been damaged or placed at risk by fire, explosion, flood or other casualty from further loss or damage, or to eliminate any hazard to the public health or safety that exists by reason of such damage or risk to such property; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not authorize the payment of any public monies by or on behalf of the city for the performance by any contractor or person of the services hereinabove described.

The chief of the fire department shall promulgate standards for selecting qualified contractors and rules under which said contractors shall perform the services hereinabove described. Said standards and rules shall be adopted by and may be amended by resolution of the city council. (Prior code § 15.01.110)

The fire department shall charge fees to defray its administrative costs, including, but not limited to, inspections by fire department personnel, in connection with all applications for a permit or clearance, or annual renewal thereof, required under the Uniform Fire Code, the California Health and Safety Code, Title 19 of the California Administrative Code, or the Sacramento City Code. The fees shall be set by resolution of the city council and shall be charged and collected at the time an application for a permit or clearance is made. The application fee shall not be refunded upon failure of an applicant to receive a permit or clearance or upon any revocation or suspension of a permit or clearance. No permit or clearance shall be valid until the required fee has been paid to the city revenue officer. (Prior code § 15.01.111)

A. The city council shall set rates, fees and charges for emergency ambulance services by resolution.

B. Every person receiving emergency ambulance services from the city shall be liable for the rates, fees and charges for that service, as established by resolution of the city council.

C. Bills for emergency ambulance services shall be due upon presentation of the bill for services. Charges unpaid ninety (90) days after presentation become past due. Charges that remain unpaid thirty (30) days following the past due date shall be assessed a five percent penalty. Interest shall accrue on any charges unpaid from the past due date until paid at the rate of one percent per month.

D. The rates, fees and charges imposed for ambulance service shall not exceed city's estimated actual cost to provide emergency ambulance service. (Prior code § 15.01.112)