§ 2641. Town forest fire wardens
(a) The chief of the fire department, fire district, or private fire department with the jurisdictional responsibility to respond to a municipality, unorganized town, or gore is designated as the town forest fire warden and shall have the authority to exercise all the powers and duties of a town forest fire warden. For any municipality, unorganized town, or gore that is covered by two or more fire districts or has two or more fire departments, the municipality, unorganized town, or gore shall designate one fire chief as town forest fire warden and shall notify the Commissioner of the designation.
(b) The chief of the fire department, fire district, or private fire department with the jurisdictional responsibility to respond to a municipality, unorganized town, or gore, as town forest fire warden, may designate deputy town forest fire wardens. The town forest fire warden shall provide a list of all designated deputy forest fire wardens to the Commissioner. Deputy forest fire wardens shall only have the authority to issue permits to kindle a fire as set forth in sections 2644 and 2645 of this subchapter.
(c) When a municipality, unorganized town, or gore does not have a fire department or is not covered by a fire district, the municipality, unorganized town, or gore may contract with a neighboring fire department or fire district to designate the chief of the fire department or fire district to serve as the town forest fire warden for the municipality, unorganized town, or gore. When a private fire department provides fire suppression and control services to a municipality, unorganized town, or gore, the chief of the private fire department may serve as the town forest fire warden when approved by the municipality, unorganized town, or gore.
(d) [Repealed.]
(e) The Commissioner may designate special forest fire wardens who shall hold office at the pleasure of the Commissioner. The fire wardens shall be employees of the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation with forest fire suppression and control training and shall have the same powers and duties throughout the State as town forest fire wardens, except that all expenses and charges incurred on account of their official acts shall be paid from the appropriations for the Department. (Added 1977, No. 253 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1987, No. 107, § 1; 2015, No. 171 (Adj. Sess.), § 11; 2025, No. 162 (Adj. Sess.), § 8, eff. July 1, 2026.)