The board has the following duties and responsibilities:

(a) to buy such firefighting equipment as the board considers necessary for the purpose of controlling fires within the money allocated or made available to the board for these purposes;

(b) to select the sites or places within the area where the firefighting equipment must be kept;

(c) to provide and select the drivers and other volunteer firemen to man this equipment who shall serve without compensation;

(d) to procure and supervise the training of the volunteer firemen selected to ensure that the equipment must be utilized for the best interest of the area;

(e) to be responsible for the upkeep, maintenance, and repairs of the trucks and other firefighting equipment and shall inspect this equipment as often as is considered necessary;

(f) to promulgate regulations as it considers necessary to ensure that the equipment is being used to the best advantage of the area;

(g) to construct, if necessary, buildings to house the equipment authorized in this section;

(h) to borrow not exceeding twenty thousand dollars on such terms and for such a period as to the Fire Control Board may seem most beneficial for the fire district in anticipation of taxes. The indebtedness must be evidenced by a note issued by the members of the board and the treasurer of each county. The full faith, credit, and taxing power of the fire district is irrevocably pledged for the payment of the indebtedness;

(i) to contract for construction, engineering, and other services, for purchase of water, and for maintenance of water pipes, hydrants, valves, and equipment necessary to provide water for protection against and control of fire;

(j) to appoint and hire officers, agents, employees, and servants, prescribe their duties, fix their compensation, and determine if and to what extent they must be bonded for the faithful performance of their duties;

(k) to acquire, purchase, hold, use, lease, mortgage, sell, transfer, and dispose of any property, real, personal, or mixed, or any interest in the property, and to acquire by purchase or by exercise of the power of eminent domain.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 14-700.153; 1971 (57) 1044; 2000 Act No. 255, Section 1, eff May 1, 2000.

Effect of Amendment

The 2000 amendment added Items (i), (j) and (k) and made other nonsubstantive changes.