Selma Municipal Code Ch. 1 Fire Department

The Fire Department shall be under the supervision and control of a Fire Chief who shall be appointed by the City Council wholly on the basis of ability and qualifications and shall hold office for and during the pleasure of the City Council. The Fire Chief shall cooperate fully with the City Manager and the City Manager shall supervise the Fire Chief when the City Council is not in session. The City Manager shall be responsible for evaluating the Fire Chief either annually or as required by any employment agreement between the City and the Fire Chief, and may authorize any salary/wage increase or benefit enhancement permissible according to the terms of the agreement, or as approved by the City Council, and shall otherwise be responsible for providing oversight, supervision, and support for the activities of the Fire Chief. The intent of this ordinance is to require action by a majority vote of the City Council in the event of any appointment or adverse employment action against the Fire Chief. The duties of the Fire Chief shall be as follows:

(A) To formulate and recommend to the City Manager, or the City Council policies and procedures pertaining to the enforcement of rules and regulation for the government and operation of the Fire Department, to administer such policies and procedures when approved by the City Manager or City Council to conduct such activities for the City.

(B) The Fire Chief shall be responsible for development and operation of the Fire Prevention and Suppression Program of the City.

(C) The Fire Chief shall operate such equipment as is necessary for the fulfillment of his function.

(D) To perform such other duties as the City Council may require. (Ord. 2025-08, 8-5-2025)

(A) The Fire Chief, or any member he may so designate, is hereby authorized, empowered and required to inspect from time to time all buildings and premises where accumulations of combustible materials or other hazardous conditions are liable to exist, and to order such changes or removals as in his opinion are necessary for safety from fire, principally in the business and industrial sections. For the purpose of inspection, he is hereby empowered to enter any and all buildings and premises at any reasonable hour.

(B) Also, in the same districts for the purpose of facilitating fire fighting, building inspections shall be made by the Department officers from time to time to determine the arrangement of buildings with respect to one another, to familiarize themselves with the inside of every building and its contents, to study the best methods of attacking every building in case of fire and to note all new construction.

(C) Records shall be kept of all inspections including notes and sketches. These records shall be made a permanent part of the records of the Fire Department.

The Fire Chief is hereby required to keep and maintain department records of the following:

(A) Fires:

• 1. Date, time and locations;
• 2. Probable origin or cause;
• 3. Method of extinguishment of fires;
• 4. Amount of property loss;
• 5. Valuation of property involved at fires;
• 6. Amount of insurance carried on buildings and contents;
• 7. Amount of insurance paid on buildings and contents;

8. Description of buildings and contents damaged or destroyed and name of owner and occupant;

9. Whether alarm originated as telephone or box alarm;

10. Losses to exposures.

(B) Attendance: Complete records shall be kept of the attendance of every officer and fireman to fires, drills, schools and meetings.

(C) Other Records: Other records deemed necessary by the Fire Chief for the proper administration of the Department.

It shall be unlawful for any person to drive or operate a motor vehicle during the time of a fire in the City so as to in any way interfere with the actions, maneuvers or operations of the fireman or police officers in the conduct of fire fighting operations.

At the time of any fire alarm, every person then driving a vehicle on the streets must immediately drive the vehicle to the right hand side of the street and stop the vehicle until after the fire alarm has stopped.

No vehicle shall be operated, after the same is stopped, on the streets over which the fire truck will traverse from the fire house to the place of the fire, until after the fire truck has passed and is a distance of five hundred feet (500') from the parked vehicle.

It shall be unlawful for any person to drive a vehicle ahead of the fire truck on any street over which the fire truck will travel to the fire.

All firemen and police officers are exempt from the provisions of this Section.

In addition to the performance of their regular duties, it shall be the duty of all firemen, at all times, and under all circumstances, to go to the aid of all persons or animals in distress or danger and render them such help and assistance as lies within their power.

It shall be unlawful for any person to make a false alarm of fire by ringing the fire bell, telephone call, alarm, or by shouting fire. (Ord. 810, 2-19-80)