The Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006

CHAPTER III OTHER FUNCTIONS

Power to respond to other eventualities

8.—(1) The Board may take any action it considers appropriate–

(a) in response to an event or situation of a kind mentioned in paragraph (2); or

(b) for the purpose of enabling action to be taken in response to such an event or situation.

(2) The event or situation is one that causes or is likely to cause–

(a) a person to die, be injured or become ill; or

(b) harm to the environment (including the life and health of plants and animals and the fabric of buildings).

(3) The power conferred by paragraph (1) includes power to secure the provision of equipment.

Powers of Board in relation to external matters

9.—(1) The Board may liaise, co-operate and enter into arrangements with relevant persons outside Northern Ireland.

(2) In paragraph (1), “relevant persons” means persons carrying out functions which correspond to any of those of the Board or the Department under this Order.

General powers of the Board

10.  The Board may–

(a) provide such accommodation for its employees as it considers appropriate to enable it to carry out its functions under this Order;

(b) pay to any persons who render services in connection with the carrying out of functions under this Order such rewards as it thinks fit, which in the case of a fire and rescue officer may be in addition to the remuneration of any such officer; and

(c) use fire and rescue officers or any fire engine, appliance or equipment for such purposes as it considers appropriate.

Acquisition and disposal of land by the Board

11.—(1) The Board may acquire, hold and dispose of land for the purpose of carrying out its functions under this Order.

(2) The power of the Board to acquire land includes power to acquire it compulsorily in accordance with paragraphs (3) and (4).

(3) Where the Board proposes to acquire land compulsorily, it may apply to the Department for an order (“a vesting order”) vesting such land in the Board and, subject to paragraph (4), the Department shall have power to make such a vesting order.

(4) Schedule 6 to the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 (c. 9) shall apply for the purposes of the acquisition of land by means of a vesting order made under paragraph (3) in the same manner as it applies to the acquisition of land by means of a vesting order made under that Act subject to the following modifications–

(a) for any reference to the council there shall be substituted a reference to the Board;

(b) for any reference to the Department concerned there shall be substituted a reference to the Department;

(c) for any reference to that Act there shall be substituted a reference to this Order;

(d) in paragraph 6(2) for the words from “the fund” onwards there shall be substituted “funds of the Board (in this Schedule referred to as ”the compensation fund“), and shall be discharged by payments out of the compensation fund.”; and

(e) in paragraph 12(2) for “the clerk of the council” there shall be substituted “such person as may be designated for the purposes of this Schedule by the Board”.

Arrangements with others for assistance

12.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the Board may enter into arrangements with a person for securing the provision by that person of assistance for the purpose of the carrying out by the Board of a function conferred on it under Articles 4 to 8 or 33.

(2) The Board may only enter into arrangements with a person under paragraph (1) for the securing of assistance for the purpose of extinguishing fires if the person employs fire-fighters.

(3) Arrangements under this Article may include provision as to the terms on which assistance is to be provided (including provision as to payment).

Arrangements for carrying out of functions by others

13.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the Board may enter into arrangements with a person for the carrying out to any extent by that person of a function conferred on the Board under Articles 4 to 8 or 33.

(2) The Board may only enter into arrangements with a person under paragraph (1) in relation to its function of extinguishing fires if the person employs fire-fighters.

(3) Arrangements under this Article may include provision as to the terms on which any function is to be carried out (including provision as to payment).

Charging

14.—(1) The Department may by order authorise the Board to charge a person of a description specified in the order for any action so specified taken by the Board.

(2) An order under paragraph (1) may authorise charging for extinguishing fires, or protecting life and property in the event of fires, only in respect of fires which are–

(a) outside Northern Ireland; or

(b) at sea.

(3) The power in paragraph (1) includes power to authorise a charge to be imposed on, or recovered from, a person other than the person in respect of whom action is taken by the Board.

(4) The power in paragraph (1) includes power to specify that, in setting the amount of a charge, the Board shall secure that, taking one financial year with another, the Board’s income from charges does not exceed the cost to the Board of taking the action for which the charges are imposed.

(5) If the Board is authorised by an order under paragraph (1) to charge for taking action of a particular description and the Board decides to do so, then subject to paragraph (4)–

(a) the amount of the charge is to be set by the Board; and

(b) the Board may charge different amounts in different circumstances (and may charge nothing).

(6) Before making an order under this Article the Department shall consult the Board and any other persons it considers appropriate.