The Fire Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1984

Duties of the Authority N.I.

4.—(1) The Authority shall provide fire services—

(a) by making provision for fire-fighting purposes and for the protection of life and property in case of fire;

(b) by securing the administration and enforcement of the provisions of this Order which relate to fire precautions; and

(c) by securing efficient arrangements for giving, when requested, advice in respect of buildings and other property as to fire prevention, restricting the spread of fires and means of escape in case of fire.

(2) The Authority shall make the provision required under paragraph (1) (a) by securing—

(a) the services of the fire brigade to meet efficiently all normal requirements;

(b) the efficient training of members of the fire brigade;

(c) efficient arrangements for enabling persons to call the fire brigade in cases of fire, for summoning the members of the fire brigade and for manning the fire engines and appliances;

(d) subject to paragraph (4), efficient arrangements for obtaining, by inspection or otherwise, information required for the purposes of its functions, with respect to—

(i) the character of buildings and other property, where in the opinion of the Authority there may exist a serious risk of fire;

(ii) the available water supplies and the means of access thereto; and

(iii) other material local circumstances; and

(e) efficient arrangements for ensuring that reasonable steps are taken to prevent or mitigate damage to property resulting from measures taken in dealing with fires.

(3) The Authority may secure fire services by itself providing and maintaining, either wholly or in part, such fire services or by making arrangements for the provision and maintenance, either wholly or in part, of such fire services by other persons.

(4) For the purposes of paragraph (2) (d), subsections (1) to (7) of section 98 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 (power to enter land) shall have effect as if—

(a) in subsection (1) of that section, for the purposes there specified, there were substituted the purpose of obtaining information as to the character of buildings and other property referred to in paragraph (2) (d) (i);

(b) in subsection (2), the words from “but such consent” to the end were omitted; and

(c) in subsections (1) and (5) of that section, for references to the council there were substituted references to the Authority.