PROVIDING FOR FIRE POLICE

Act of 1941, P.L. 137, No.74

Amended July11, 1980. P.L. 580, No. 122

Section 1. Any Volunteer fire company in any city, borough, town, township or home rule municipality may nominate any of its members as special fire police. All special fire police so nominated shall, before they enter their duties as such, be confirmed by the mayor of the city, the mayor of the borough or town, the chairman of the board of commissioners or supervisors of the township, or the chief executive officer of a home rule municipality, as the case may be. When so confirmed and sworn and displaying a badge of authority they shall have full power to regulate traffic and keep crowds under control at or in the vicinity of any fire on which their companies are in attendance and to exercise such other police powers as are necessary in order to facilitate and prevent interference with the work of firemen in extinguishing fires and, in addition, shall have the police powers necessary to perform their duties when functioning as special fire police at any function, event, or parade conducted by, and under the auspices of any volunteer fire company, or any event, function, or parade conducted by an organization other than a volunteer fire company, the request to perform these duties is made by the governing body of the city, borough, town, township, or home rule municipality, in which the event will be conducted, or when accidents, floods or any other emergencies require performance of such traffic-control and crowd control duties. Such duties may be performed without prior request from the government body until the arrival of proper State, city, borough, town, township, or home rule municipality police authority until the emergency no longer exists. A person functioning as special fire police and performing such duties shall be identifiable by, at minimum, the wearing of a distinctive arm band or hat or uniform or insignia. Under no circumstances shall this act be construed to grant special fire police the right and/or power to use firearms or other weapons in the exercise of a special fire police powers granted hereunder.

Section 2. Whenever any volunteer fire company is in attendance on a fire, or when such special fire police are on special duty as herein before provided, such special fire police in any city, borough, town, or township other than the one in which such fire company is organized shall have the same power and authority in such other city, borough, town or township as they would have in that which they were appointed.

Section 3. All special fire police when on duty shall display a badge of authority and shall be subject to the control of the chief of police, if any, of the city, borough, town or township in which they are serving, or, if none, of a member of the Pennsylvania State Police.