Laws and Rules
Michigan Fire Service is regulated by many Laws and Rules which affect how we operate. Laws are enacted by the legislative process and the rules are created by the agency. The rules serve as an opportunity to have public comment on how the appropriate agency will enforce the legislative requirements.
- Public Act 207 as amended is known as the Fire Prevention Code
- Michigan Fire Fighter Training Council, Act 291 of 1966
- MIOSHA Part 33, Protective Equipment
- MIOSHA Part 74, Fire Fighting
- Immunity for fire service instructors, Act 456 of 1989
- The Motor Vehicle Code, PA 300 of 1949
- Exception for Fire Fighters carrying certain papers Act 69 of 1968
- Compulsory Arbitration of Labor Disputes in Police and Fire Departments, PA 312 of 1969
- Residency of Public Employees, PA 212 of 2000
- Emergency Services to Municipalities, PA 57 of 1988
- Firemen and Policemen Civil Service System, PA 78 of 1935
- Michigan Penal Code Act 328 of 1931, Section XXXIX for Fireworks
There are also many laws which affect our fire prevention staff, inspectors, and the fire departments interaction with new construction:
- Stille-Derossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act 230 of 1979
- Administrative Rules associated with the state construction code act
- Building Officials and Inspectors Registration Act 54 of 1986
- Administrative rules ACT 54
- Construction of School Buildings, Act 306 of 1937
- Electrical Administrative Act 217 of 1956
- Forbes Mechanical and Contractors Act 192 of 1984. This act and associated rules regulate the installation of sprinkler systems. This gives the inspection authority to the Mechanical Inspector.
- Mobile Home Commission Act 96 of 1987
- State Plumbing Act 733 of 2002
In case you are looking for information on the fire departments across the state, take a look at the fire service directory.
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Is there a Law which obligates a Fire Dept. to investigate a known arson fire, with a certified Fire investigator? My Dept. has investigated some known arson fires sometimes 2 days after the fire has occured, after the fire scene has been compromised. Also we have called in our Police Dept. to only take pictures, with no investigation by any certified investigator. Aren’t these crime scenes? How is the chain of evidence protected? That is if any is collected at all in a timely fashion. Thankyou
Todd,
PA 207 requires the fire department to investigate the fire. I am not sure on the certified question. I am sure that a good lawyer can argue that training is required per NFPA 921 but it is a guide. There is no doubt that your question on evidence is important and should be handled jointly between police and fire agencies. In Michigan if you have problems you can always work with the Michigan State Police there Investigators are good!
I live in an apartment in Ypsilanti, MI and just received a notice regarding that all grills are not allowed at the community due to international fire code policies. This goes for both gas and charcoal grills. Is this true and if so, what is the international fire code policy number?
DeVon, the International Fire Code (IFC) is a product of the International Code Council (www.iccsafe.org) and local communities such as yours adopt the IFC to use as the fire code. The code section on BBQ is
308.3.1 Open-flame cooking devices. Charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices shall not be operated on combustible balconies or within 10 feet (3048 mm) of
combustible construction.
Exceptions:
1. One- and two-family dwellings.
2. Where buildings, balconies and decks are protected by an automatic sprinkler system.
Do all new commercial buildings is MI require a sprinkler system?
Neil, the laws are based on the Michigan Building Code which is currently a modified version of the 2006 ICC. It varies based on the size, construction, and use of the building.
My question is about continue education standards for Michigan Fire Service Personnel when they are FFI, FFII, ICS, Haz Mat Operations thru MFFTC.
We make sure that annual training consists of SCBA, Haz mat refresher, Drivers trainning, Blood borne pathogens, FF R2K, and Lockout Tagout.
If MFFTC does not set the continue education requirements, Who does?
I am trying to find out if there are any requirements to become a captain at my local fire dept. Also what is the protocol of appointing captains. ie. Is a Captain position appointed or voted on by the members. Thank you for your time.
I need the specific law for Michigan that says volunteer firefighter can leave their regular jobs for emergencies without fear of penalty.
I’m a township board member and I need to know if townships must adopt any kind of ordinace against fireworks, or if we need to make public standards for fireworks, such as providing permits. MTA uses wording saying township boards should do these things. Are townships liable for injuries or fires if they do not make public this information, or are the persons using fireworks responsible for getting a permit and being knowledgable of the rules and regulations of using fireworks? Any clarity on this would be helpful. Thanks
Nikki, there are a couple things, the Michigan Penal law spells out a lot of the requirements. Although there is a difference between selling Michigan Legal fireworks and those utilized for a display. http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(jh4abeqekavxim55yehsul55))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-328-1931-XXXIX
For display the local unit of government would approve the permit based on the form (your clerk should have them on file, if not call the Bureau of Fire Services). The local unit of government would approve/disapprove the request. Make sure all the safety aspects of NFPA / ATF are followed. See Captain Boom’s site he lays it out pretty well. http://www.captainboom.com/permits.php
If you want more on sale of fire works let us know
If you have been off the fire department for a long time, are you required to get recertified? and if you are how long do you have to be gone for?
Jennifer, there is no formal recertification for firefighter 1/2 although MIOSHA would have required training that would be necessary such as SCBA, two in two out, hazardous materials etc… Now medical license would have other requirements
Okay thanks. What about officer classes are you supposed to renew those if its been over 10-15 years that you’ve been off the department?
Jennifer, the same goes for officer with a couple of exceptions. First the certification does not lapse if they have completed. Part 74 would require update training on ICS, command control, and updated policies.
Second there are ICS 100, 200, 700, 800 at a minimum should be completed.
Finally, an officer is critical to the safety and effective command and control for an emergency scene. Although not required very detailed training is necessary. The officer must stay current and train regularly in command and control, accountability, RIT (or RIC), suppression tactics, hazardous materials, etc…..
I was wondering if a person not yet certified at the ff 1 level can help with mop up at a structure fire? Once the fire is over with limited hazards?
Thank’s Jack
What are the laws regarding spinning Fire poi or flame performing in Michigan. I’m checking around online and not finding anything very specific. I’m interested in finding a way to preform publicly, but I’m reluctant to try anything until I’m fully aware of the laws governing the subject. Thank you very much for your time.
Is there a list of annual training that a FD must provide according to OSHA, MIOSHA or NFPA for the sake of legal purposes?
Hi. Was wondering if we could get an answer to Patti’s question (june 1,2011) concerning leaving work for emergencies? Thanks!
Jack it really depends on the incident, there are some ways in the laws although it should most likely not happen based on protecting yourself with proper SCBA/ ETc….
Noah, this comes out of the local adopted fire code in a community. Most likely based on the International Fire Code or the NFPA 1 Uniform Fire Code
If I work fulltime for a Fire Dept can that City tell me I can’t work as partpaid FF for another Fire Dept in different county?
Well an employees can put requirements in the working agreement, although we are not attorneys. There are also Union rules which may be in play
Patti & Don: There is no such law in Michigan that I am aware of (& I’ve looked fairly extensively). The real issue here isn’t whether or not there is a law to protect your job, but whether you have taken the time to sit down with your boss to determine if it is even feasible. If so, then engauge them in working out a plan for the whats and hows. That said, most of the on-call folks I know do not respond to incidents during working hours. For the few that do, they have consulted with their employer and have plans for when they may leave work to respond (or arrive late if it was before work). Being allowed such a privilage, they are very careful to not abuse it by running single company calls and over-communicating with their boss to ensure they keep that privilage (and more importantly, their job!)