Sec. 1. Be it enacted and ordained by the Mayor and City Council of Laurel, that the Fire Department of Laurel shall consist of three hose and one truck, company to be known and designated as Hose Companies No. one, two and three and Truck Company "A" and that the said companies shall make such rules and regulations for their own government, not inconsistent with any town ordinance or County or State law and said companies shall be composed of such persons and in such numbers as they may elect and that the posssesion of said companies or any individual member thereof of any property belonging to the town of Laurel shall at all times be the possesion of the Mayor and City Council of Laurel who shall have access thereto at all times as well as the officers and agents of the Mayor and City Council thereunto authorized.
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted and ordained that there shall be appointed annually by the Mayor on the 2nd Monday of July or as soon thereafter as practionable subject to confirmation by the City Council some fit person having the same qualifications as the Mayor of Laurel to serve as chief of the said Fire Department for a term of one-year from the date of his confirmation by the City Council or until his successor shall have been appointed and qualified, he shall take the oath of office proscribed for the Mayor and City Council and shall serve without pay or compensation of any kind from the Mayor and City Council.
Sec. 3. Be it further enacted and ordained that the said Fire Department may select some person to serve as chief of the said department in such a manner as they may think proper and suggest the name of the said person to the Mayor for appointment as provided in section 2 hereof. In the event of the death, resignation or permanent disability of the said chief, the captains of the commanding officers of each of the companies shall within ten days from the death, resignation, etc., call such a meeting as was held to select a fire chief at the beginning of the term and said meeting shall propose to the Mayor some person to fill the unexpired term caused by the death, resignation, etc., of the former chief.
Sec. 4. Be it enacted and ordained that the said chief of the fire department in assuming his duties as such shall receipt to the Clerk to the Mayor and City Council for all property belonging to the town and used in extinguishing fire and shall be responsible to the Mayor and City Council for its safe keeping and protection at all times and upon retiring from office he shall deliver the same to the Mayor and City Council through their clerk who shall return him his receipt as aforesaid. He shall at all fires have full command of all of the said companies and use his best judgement and skill in extinguishing the fire and for the protection of adjoinging property and in his absence from any fire the Mayor and in his absence the President of the Council shall designate one of the commanding officers of the separate companies to act as chief during the said absence.
Sec. 5 Be it further enacted and ordained that all expenditures of public money for the use of the said department shall be made only after the applications therefor have been referred to the said chief of the department for report as to the necessity therefor and the reasonableness of the estimates or charges made for said use.
Sec. 6. Be it further enacted and ordained: That the said fire companies while responding to an alarm shall have the right of way over all streets, avenues, alleys and public thoroughfares of the said town and while engaged in extinguishing fire or protecting property shall have absolute power to close or rope any street, avenue, alley or public thoroughfare for the purpose of facilitating the extinguishment of the fire or the protection of property and any person or persons hindering or delaying in any way the progress of the said companies or either of them in reaching the fire or in any way hindering, delaying, impeding or interfering with the said companies or either of them or any individual member thereof in the discharge of their or his duties as such companies, company or individual fireman, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction before any Justice of the Peace in and for Prince Georges County he, she or they shall pay a fine of not less than Five Dollars nor more than twenty dollars and costs and upon failure to pay said fine shall be imprisoned in the County Jail for a period of not less than five nor more than thirty days, or until said fine and costs shall have been paid.
Sec. 7. Be it further enacted and ordained that it shall be unlawful for a person or persons to injure, deface, improperly use or destroy any hose, hose carriage, truck or any implement or tool used in connection therewith or any apparatus, tool, or thing used in extinguishing fire or protecting property from fire and upon conviction of any such person or persons before a Justice of the Peace in and for the County of Prince George he, she or they shall pay a fine of not less than Five Dollars nor more than Fifty Dollars with costs and in default be confined in the County Jail for a period of not less than five days nor more than sixty days or until said find and costs shall be paid.
Sec. 8. Be it enacted and ordained that the chief of the said department shall report to the Mayor and City Council quarterly or oftener if required by the Mayor and City Council, the operations of the department the number of volunteers in each company, the number of fires and the approximate loss of property, by fire, and the amount of insurance, if any, on said loss, the condition of all of the apparatus and make such recommendation for the improvement of the efficiency of the fire protection of the town as he may deem advisable.
Sec. 9. Be it further enacted and ordained that the chief of the said fire department and the commanding officers of each company shall while going to and engaged in extinguishing fire or protecting property from fire or while engaged in practice with any fire apparatus or in protecting said apparatus from injury shall have all the powers of a bailiff of the town and they shall be provided with a badge which shall be worn by them and in retiring from office delivered to their successor in office and they shall take the oath of office prescribed by law to be taken by the bailiffs of said town of Laurel, and service without pay or compensation.
Sec. 10. Be it further enacted and ordained that it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to break, destroy, injure, unfasten, remove, deface or in any manner tamper or meddle with any pole, wire, signal, gong, bell, whistle or any device or contrivances whatsoever forming a part of or used in connection with the fire alarm system of Laurel, or to use or employ any of the signals forming a part of the fire alarm system or by any other means for the purpose of transmitting any false alarm of fire, or to interfere with or turn on the water at any fire plug without authority therefor or to deface or destroy any of said plugs or to remove the cap or caps therefrom. Any person or persons violating any of the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction before a Justice of the Peace in and for Prince George County pay a fine of not less than Five Dollars nor more than Twenty-five Dollars and in default he, she or they shall be imprisoned in the County Jail for a period of not less than Five days nor more than Thirty days, or until such fine and costs shall be paid.
Sec. 11. Be it further enacted and ordained that the Mayor of Laurel and in his absence the President of the City Council shall be ex officio chief of the fire department.
Gilbert A. Haslup
Approved Oct. 13, 1902
G. B. Timanus, Mayor