Title XII, Public Safety and Welfare

I. Any fire company not organized according to RSA 154:1 shall be deemed to be a private firefighting unit. II. No municipality or other political subdivision shall contract with any private firefighting unit, or furnish financial support, property or equipment to such unit, unle…

I. Firefighting and other emergency service provided by a fire department shall not, in itself, be deemed to be the making of a promise, or the undertaking of a special duty, towards any person for such services, or any particular level of, or manner of providing, such services; …

The selectmen, aldermen or council, on application, shall appraise the damage done to any building or thing by order of the firewards, engineers, or fire officer-in-charge and may assess a tax for the payment therefor, and may make compensation to the owner, unless it shall appea…

Upon the refusal of the selectmen, aldermen or council, or upon their neglect for 3 months after the application to appraise the damage and assess such tax, the party injured may petition the superior court for redress; and the court, after due notice to the town, shall ascertain…

The officers and employees of the fire department of any city or town, with the engines and apparatus thereof, shall have the right of way while going to a fire or responding to an alarm through any street, lane, or alley in said city or town, subject to such rules and regulation…

Every fireward, engineer, fire chief or designated officer shall cause any fire deemed by such individual to be dangerous, in any street or elsewhere, to be extinguished or removed.

The chief fireward or fire chief shall be paid for services such compensation as the council, aldermen or town meeting shall think reasonable; and the bills for the operation of the fire department, including but not limited to costs of apparatus and equipment, shall be approved …

The firefighter shall be paid for their services such compensation as the council, aldermen or town meeting shall think reasonable.

If in any town, village district, precinct, city or area, apparatus for the extinguishment of fires is provided at the public expense, RSA 154:1 through 16 shall apply and firewards or fire engineers shall be duly elected or appointed. But the bylaws now in force in any town rela…

The fireward, engineer or fire chief may establish such regulations respecting the kindling, guarding, safe-keeping, prevention, and extinguishment of fires, and for the removal of combustibles from any building or place, as such individual shall think expedient, which shall be s…

In any town which does not have firewards or engineers the selectmen shall have the authority to establish regulations relative to fire hazards, as is provided in RSA 154:18. Said regulations shall be recorded and posted as therein provided.

I. Except as provided in RSA 227-L and this chapter, the firewards, fire engineers, and fire chiefs shall have the authority and the control of all firefighters and officers and all fire apparatus and other equipment designed or used for the extinguishment of fire or the control …

If any building is deemed by the firewards or engineers to be dangerous to the property of others, by reason of decay, want of repair or otherwise, they may give written notice to the owner, the same to be served personally or by registered mail, to repair or alter the same, whic…

If the repairs or alterations are not made within 5 days after notice as provided in RSA 154:20, unless upon application to the firewards or engineers an extension has been granted for reasonable cause, the owner or occupant so notified shall be guilty of a violation for each day…

I. The fire chief or designee or state or local fire marshal or designee shall have the authority to order occupants to vacate a building, structure, or other premises if the chief or state or local fire marshal or designee determines, based on reasonable information and belief, …

Every town may, by vote or bylaw, provide that any buildings or structures in the town, or in a definite part thereof, shall be provided with such ladders and buckets as may be deemed necessary for use in case of fire.

Any penalty resulting from a violation of this subdivision shall be paid by the owner, if known and resident in the town, otherwise by the occupant; and any tenant who may be compelled to pay the penalty may deduct and retain the amount thereof, and of the costs, from the tenant'…

Any city, town, village or fire district may authorize their respective fire department to go to the aid of another city, town, village or fire district within or without the state, for the purpose of extinguishing a fire, rendering other emergency assistance, or performing any d…

While in the performance of their duties in extending such aid, firefighters shall be subject to the control and direction of the chief fire official of the municipality within which the fire or other emergency occurs, and they shall have the same immunities and privileges as if …

Any expenses incurred by any fire department, in rendering such aid outside the limits of its jurisdiction as provided hereunder, including loss or damage to equipment may be charged to the city, town, village or fire district whose officials requested such aid.

Nothing contained herein shall be construed to prohibit any city, town, village or fire district extending such aid from donating their equipment and services and assuming the damage or loss to their equipment.

The fire department may extend such aid outside the district, under this subdivision, subject to such conditions and restrictions as may be prescribed.

Any city, town, village or fire district aided under and in accordance with RSA 154:24-28 may compensate any city, town, village or fire district rendering aid to (a) employees for compensation during the time in which the rendering of their services prevented them from performin…

At the request of any chief of an organized fire department within the state, the fire marshal shall provide help and assistance in coordinating the services of fire departments giving the mutual aid in the extinguishment of fires and other emergencies.

I. Whenever 10 or more municipalities within the state shall have voted to authorize their respective fire departments to render outside aid as provided in RSA 154:24-30, they may, if they so desire, form a district fire mutual aid system, which shall be a public municipal corpor…

I. Upon receipt of a petition under RSA 154:30-a, I, the state fire marshal shall call the first or organizational meeting of the system. Upon receipt of a petition under RSA 154:30-a, II, the state fire marshal may call such a meeting. The state fire marshal shall give written n…

I. A district fire mutual aid system shall coordinate the services of all municipalities and fire departments belonging to it so as to provide better and more efficient cooperation in the protection of life and property within the area which it comprises and toward this end shall…

Additional municipalities within or outside the state may join the system, as provided in RSA 154:30-a through RSA 154:30-h, and shall be received as members subject to the approval of the board of directors. Municipalities which do not have active fire departments may be admitte…

There shall be no liability imposed by law on the system or on any municipality, on the personnel of its fire department, nor on any private fire department or its personnel, belonging to such a system, for failure to respond or to respond reasonably for the purpose of extinguish…

Municipalities belonging to such a system may raise and appropriate money for the purpose of the system. Counties in which a system is established may raise and appropriate money for the purposes of the system; provided however that where all the municipalities in the county do n…

The term "private fire department" as used in this subdivision shall include fire organizations operated by industries and establishments for self-protection and also nonprofit volunteer fire associations. Nothing contained in this subdivision shall be construed to interfere with…

A district fire mutual aid system may receive, hold and use gifts, bequests and devises, either outright or in trust, for purposes consistent with this subdivision.

Any town at a legal meeting, or city by its city council, may appropriate money for the relief of any member of the fire department of such town or city who shall become disabled by accident in the discharge of such fire department member's duty.

In case any member of the fire department shall, by accident as set forth in RSA 154:31, become permanently disabled, the town or city may grant the fire department member relief.

In case any such member shall be accidentally killed in the discharge of such member's duty, or receive injuries which shall result in death within 60 days from the date of the accident, the town or city, by its selectmen or mayor, may assume all or part of the burial expenses of…

The provisions of this subdivision shall apply in all cases where members of the fire department are acting under the authority and direction of the chief or other legally authorized officer of the fire department of the town or city.

The firefighters shall be organized in such companies, under the supervision of duly selected officers, and shall be subject to such duties in relation to the care, preservation and use of the public property entrusted to them, and to meeting for drill in the management thereof, …

I. The chief fireward, engineer or fire chief who is appointed, rather than elected in any town, village district, precinct, city or area shall be appointed for an indefinite period of time or for a definite term, as determined by the legislative body, and the tenure of office sh…

The chief fireward, engineer or fire chief shall keep, or cause to be kept, in order all apparatus provided by the town for the extinguishment of fires and the mitigation of other emergencies, and shall cause all cisterns and sources of water prepared for the fire department to b…

I. Terms used in this section shall be construed as follows, unless a different meaning is clearly apparent from the language or context, or is otherwise inconsistent with the manifest intention of the legislature. (a) "Fire" shall include any and all effects of combustion. (b) "…

I. In this section: (a) "Cause and origin investigation" means the investigation necessary to determine the physical behavior of the fire, including the points or areas where the fire began, and the specific acts or conditions that caused the fire to occur. (b) "Criminal investig…

Subject to the authority and limitations granted in RSA 154:7, I(c) with respect to a propelled vehicle accident, natural disaster, or special event occurring in or immediately adjacent to a state highway, the fire officer in charge, or if the incident is not within the purview o…

The fire chief, or in the fire chief's absence the engineer or fire officer in charge, shall have the direction of all apparatus and other equipment, and the government and direction of all persons and proceedings relating to any fire or other emergency, and the other firewards o…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person who provides assistance or advice in mitigating or attempting to mitigate the effects of an actual or threatened discharge of hazardous materials or wastes or in preventing, cleaning up, or disposing of or in attempting to pre…

I. In this section: (a) "Chemical plant" means chemical plants, refineries, and re-refineries. (b) "Class B firefighting foam" means foam designed for flammable liquid fires. (c) "Department" means the department of environmental services. (d) "Legacy foams" mean firefighting foa…

I. In this section: (a) "Department" means the department of safety. (b) "Firefighting personal protective equipment" means any clothing designed, intended, or marketed to be worn by firefighting personnel in the performance of their duties, designed with the intent for use in fi…