(1)On the occasion of a fire in any locality, any police officer above the rank of a constable or any member of the fire services above the rank of a fireman, may-(a)remove or order the removal of any persons who by their presence interfere with or impede the operations for extinguishing the fire or for saving life or property;(b)close any street or passage in or near which any fire is burning;(c)by himself or those acting under his orders, break into or through or pull down, or use for the passage of houses or other appliances, any premises for the purpose of extinguishing the fire, doing as little damage as possible;(d)cause the mains and pipes of any area to be shut off so as to give greater pressure of water in the place where the fire has occurred ;(e)call on the persons in charge of any fire-engine to render such assistance as may be possible; and(f)generally, take such measures as may appear necessary for the preservation of life and property.(2)Any damage done on the occasion of fire by members of the fire services or of any fire-brigade or by police officers or their assistants in the due execution of their duties shall be deemed to be damage by fire within the meaning of any police of insurance against fire. But nothing in this section shall exempt any police officer or any member of the fire services or of any fire brigade from liability to damages on account of any acts done by him without reasonable cause.(3)All charges on account of establishments and appliances for extinguishing fire maintained by the police under the orders of the Government for general use, and all expenses incurred on the occasion of any fire by the police in the execution of their duty shall, if the duty of extinguishing fire is cast upon any local authority be paid from the fund of that local authority upon the Inspector-General certifying the amount thereof:Provided that no charges on account of establishments and appliances for extinguishing fire shall be recovered from any local authority which maintains such establishments and appliances and such establishments and appliances are employed for extinguishing fire.
