Company : Sol Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Website : www.courtkutchehry.com KARNATAKA FIRE FORCE REGULATIONS, 1971 CONTENTS 1. Title and commencement 2. Definition 3. Provisions regarding Water Supply 4. Housing of Fire appliances and residential accommodation 5. Rewards 6. Training discipline and conduct of members of the Force 7. Speedy attendance on the occasion of alarm of fire 8. Employment of the members of the Force in any rescue, salvage or other similar work 9. Powers, duties and functions of the Director KARNATAKA FIRE FORCE REGULATIONS, 1971 In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 9 of the Karnataka Fire Force Act, 1964 (Karnataka Act 42 of 1964), the Government of Karnataka hereby makes the following regulations, namely:- 1. Title and commencement :- (1) These Regulations may be called the Karnataka Fire Force Regulations, 1971. (2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. 2. Definition :- In these regulations, "Act" means the Karnataka Fire Force Act, 1964 (Karnataka Act 42 of 1964). 3. Provisions regarding Water Supply :- (1) The responsibility of providing adequate water supply required for fire fighting purposes shall be of the local authorities or the water supply department, as the case may be, wherever protected water supply scheme is in existence. The said authorities shall, in consultation with the Director, provide adequate number of fire hydrants. Whenever water supply schemes are brought into force in any town where a Force is in existence or whenever a scheme for extension of the existing supply system is proposed, the Director shall be consulted for the provision of additional fire hydrants. (2) Wherever necessary the local authorities shall provide adequate number of static water tanks, as specified by the Director. The local authorities shall also be responsible for the maintenance and periodical cleaning of such tanks whenever found necessary. However, filling up of these tanks shall be carried out by the members of the Force concerned wherever there are no underground water supply schemes in existence. 4. Housing of Fire appliances and residential accommodation :- (1) The Director shall take action for acquiring land and for construction of building for the purpose of providing Fire Station or for accommodating members of the Force and fire fighting appliances. (2) In emergent cases, the Director may take on lease or hire any suitable building or premises or place for housing the Fire Station or for accommodating the members of the Force and its fire fighting appliances. 5. Rewards :- (1) Rewards may be granted to members of the public giving information about fires and for those who have rendered effective assistance to the Force on the occurrence of fires. (2) The Director may sanction rewards upto rupees one thousand and such reward shall not exceed rupees two hundred and fifty in the case of an individual. 6. Training discipline and conduct of members of the Force :- (1) Members of the Force shall undergo the training prescribed in the Karnataka Fire Force (Cadre and Recruitment) Rules, 1971. (2) The Karnataka Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1966, shall apply to the members of the Force. (3) Every member of the Force shall serve and reside wherever he may be directed. (4) Every member of the Force shall while on duty wear such prescribed dress and accoutrements as may, from time to time, be ordered to be worn by each respective rank of the force and shall always be smart in turnout. (5) Every person, who for any reason ceases to be a member of the force, shall forthwith deliver upto an Officer empowered by the Director to receive the same, his certificate of appointment and the accoutrement, clothing and other necessaries which had been provided for the execution of hisoffice. 7. Speedy attendance on the occasion of alarm of fire :- (1) All calls for assistance in a fire shall be expeditiously attended to by the members of the Force on duty in a Fire Station. (2)The telephone room of a Fire Stationshall be manned throughout the twenty-four hours of the day. (3)Officers-in-charge of Fire Stations shall be attend all fire calls received in the Station to which they are attached, immaterial of the fact, whether they are on duty in the Station or off duty in their residence. They shall alway intimate the Fire Stations to which they are attached, their whereabouts at all times unless they are on leave. (4) Any fire call received from a belt area of forty kilometres around the town or city, as the case may be, shall also be attended to immediately. Fire calls received from places at a distance beyond forty kilometres from the Station concerned shall also be attended to be provided the calls are made by responsible persons and provided further that the officer-in-charge comes to the conclusion that the turning out of fire units to such places would actually be of service in extinguishing fires or rendering such other help for which the fire service is called for. (5) If fire calls are received from places beyond forty kilometres from the Station, the Officer-in-charge of the Fire Station shall get all the information from the caller to find out whether it would serve any purpose in turning out the fire units at such long distances and if the fire is a serious one, with the likelihood of its spreading to the entire area concerned, the fire units shall be turned out. In such cases a special report shall be submitted by the Officer-in-charge of the station justifying the turnout of the Fire Units. (6) Whenever a fire service vehicle is involved in an accident while proceeding to a place where fire has broken out, the appliances must continue to the fire spot, if possible. 8. Employment of the members of the Force in any rescue, salvage or other similar work :- All messages received at the Stations seeking the help of the Force other than for extinguishing fires, shall also be attended to in cases where risk to human or animal life or other properties are involved. 9. Powers, duties and functions of the Director :- The powers, duties and functions of the Director shall be as follows. (1) He shall be responsible for the administration of the Force throughout the areas where the Act is in force. (2) He shall be directly responsible to the State Government for the control and management of the Force, and proper maintenance of the appliances. (3) He shall have powers to issue without reference to Government, standing or general orders either on matters of routine or to simplify or explain previous orders but he shall not issue a Standing Order which involves a point of law, without the previous approval of Government. (4) He shall be responsible for the maintenance of discipline and due state of efficiency of the Force. (5) He shall have power to make such disposition of the staff, vehicles and appliances for the Fire Station as may seem to him expedient, provided that no permanent alteration of the sanctioned strength of the staff, vehicles and appliances of the Fire Station is made without the previous sanction of the Government. (6) He shall have powers to sanction payment of ordinary service pensions or gratuities to the non-Gazetted members of the Force. The power of sanction shall be exercised only when the pension is strictly admissible under the prescribed rules and does not require, to make admissible the exercise of any other power which has not been delegated to the Director.