- The Fire Investigation Act requires that fire chiefs enforce the fire prevention rules adopted by the Office of the State Fire Marshall, except in those localities that have adopted fire prevention and safety standards deemed to be "equal to or higher" than the Office's rules. Since the Act does not assign the Office of the State Fire Marshall the duty of determining if a local fire code is "equal to or higher" than state codes, it is the chief's duty to evaluate local code and decide if it meets the standard.
- According to Section 6(a) of the Fire Investigation Act, the fire chief is responsible for investigating the cause, origin and circumstances of every fire that occurs within his fire protection district. He must especially investigate whether the fire was caused by accident or design. The chief must begin such an investigation within two days, excluding Sunday, of the occurrence of the fire. Further, the chief must furnish information about any investigation to the Office of the State Fire Marshall upon request. He must also obey any orders from the Office of the State Fire Marshall regarding the methods or conduct of an investigation.
- The fire chief is responsible for supervising the Deputy Chief, the Fire Marshall and the fire department at large. He must design and oversee the fire ground operations and special projects that the deputy chief executes. Also, he must provide guidelines and direction to the fire marshal, whose task it is to promote public safety through the implementation and enforcement of fire safety codes and standards.
- Another duty of the fire chief is public fire prevention education. The fire chief must oversee the department's outreach to the community to promote knowledge about fire safety. Specifically, the chief is responsible for ensuring that the department collaborates with schools and other public offices and organizations and participates in community or public events in order to educate the public, young and old.
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