Queensland Consolidated Acts Queensland Consolidated Acts(1) Charges for any service provided under this Act may be prescribed under a regulation.
(2) If no charge is prescribed for a service, the chief executive may fix a charge.
(3) The person for whose benefit a service is provided is liable for any charge for the service.
(4) If a service involves attending to any incident that endangers or may endanger any person or property or the environment—
(a) the person who caused the incident is liable for any charge for the service; and
(b) if that person caused the incident while acting in the course of employment or as an agent—the employer or principal is also liable for any charge.
(5) If a service involves attending to a fire or hazardous materials emergency occurring in or on any property (real or personal) or endangering the property, each of the following persons is liable for any charge for the service—
(a) the owner of the property;
(b) in the case of a seagoing ship—the owner and the master.
(6) If a service involves attending to a fire lit under the authority of this or any other Act, no charge is payable by any person except in the following circumstances—
(a) the person who lit the fire is liable for any charge if that person acted recklessly or negligently in lighting the fire or in failing to control it;
(b) if that person lit the fire while acting in the course of employment or as an agent—the employer or principal is also liable for any charge.
(7) The owner of prescribed property is not liable for any charge for a service of attending to a fire in or on that property or endangering that property, other than an unwanted alarm charge.
(8) The owner of property other than prescribed property is not liable for any charge for a service of attending to a grass fire (that is, a fire that predominantly consumes vegetation) if it is shown that the fire was not lit by the owner nor by an employee or agent of the owner acting in the course of that employment or agency.
(9) If a service involves attending to an incident caused by a person while acting in the course of employment or as an agent, the employer or principal is not liable for any charge for the service if it is proved that—
(a) the person who caused the incident was acting contrary to instructions; and
(b) the employer or principal could not have prevented the incident by exercising reasonable supervision.
(10) If 2 or more persons are liable under this section for any charge, liability is joint and several.
(11) The liability of a person to pay any charge for a service of attending to an unauthorised fire does not affect the person's liability to be proceeded against and punished for lighting the fire.
(12) The chief executive may waive all or part of a charge for which a person is liable under this section if satisfied it would be reasonable in all the circumstances to do so.
(13) In any proceeding to recover charges payable under this section, a certificate signed by the chief executive stating—
(a) that an amount is owing to the chief executive on that account; or
(b) that any person is or was the owner of the property concerned or, in the case of a seagoing ship, the master; or
(c) that any person is the person for whose benefit a service was rendered;
is evidence of the matters stated.
(14) In this section—
attending to, used with reference to a fire or other incident, means taking all reasonable measures to deal with danger that is or may be caused by the incident to any person or property or the environment, and includes being in attendance at an incident in readiness to act.
prescribed property see section 105.
unauthorised means not authorised by or under this or any other Act.
unwanted alarm see section 104DA.
unwanted alarm charge means a charge for a service of attending a property in response to an unwanted alarm.