Victorian Consolidated Legislation

Metropolitan Fire Brigades Act 1958 - SECT 32B

Action on alarm of fire

32B. Action on alarm of fire





(1) For the purposes of this section, the Chief Officer is responsible for the
control and direction of all members of units in the metropolitan district.

(2) On an alarm of fire being received by a unit, those members of the unit
specified by the Chief Officer must, with the appliances and equipment
specified by the Chief Officer, proceed with all practical speed to the scene
of the alarm of fire.

(3) At the scene of an alarm of fire the senior member of the operational
staff-

   (a)  shall endeavour by all practical means to have any fire suppressed and
        any person or property in jeopardy saved;

   (b)  shall have the control and direction of any unit present and of all
        persons assisting any unit or units at the scene;





   (c)  may, for the purposes of dealing with any alarm of fire, cause-

   (i)  any land building structure vessel or vehicle to be entered upon or
        into (if necessary by force), taken possession of, shored up, pulled
        down, otherwise destroyed or removed;

   (ii) any vehicle or equipment to be taken through upon or into any land
        building structure vessel or vehicle;

   (iii) water to be shut off from any main pipe or other source of supply in
        order to obtain a greater pressure or supply of water; and

   (iv) any road waterway railway or tramway to be closed to traffic or any
        main pipeline conduit or conductor of gas electricity oil or any
        source of power fuel or energy to be shut off;

   (d)  may order to withdraw any persons who interfere by their presence or
        otherwise with the operation of the unit or units, and cause to be
        removed any persons who fail or refuse to comply with any such order
        to withdraw; and

   (e)  may take such other measures as appear necessary for the protection of
        life and property.

(4) A person shall not be liable to any penalty or claim by reason of any
action taken under subsection (3)(c)(iii) or (iv).

(5) Where the scene of an alarm of fire is land which by virtue of section
4(2) is part of the metropolitan district, or is a vessel berthed adjacent to
such land, the senior member of the operational staff shall so far as
practicable consult with an officer of the Port of Melbourne Corporation
established by the Port Services Act 1995 designated for that purpose by that
Corporation.



(5A) For the purposes of this section, an alarm of fire from the Emergency
Services Telecommunications Authority (within the meaning of the
Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority Act 2004) is to be taken not
to have been received by a particular unit until a message in the prescribed
form is received by the unit from the Authority.

(6) In this section, senior member of the operational staff, in relation to
the scene of an alarm of fire, means the person determined in accordance with
the directions of Chief Officer to be the senior member of the operational
staff at the scene.