Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2022)

4.   Powers of Chief Fire Officer and Inspectors

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   (1)   The Chief Fire Officer and every inspector shall for the purposes of the execution of this Act have power to do all or any of the following things, that is to say—

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      (a)     to enter and examine at reasonable times any building and every part of it for the purpose of ascertaining the nature of the building, the availability of a water supply to the building, the means of ingress and egress from the building for the purpose of determining the means of danger in case of fire for persons employed there, and other material circumstances;

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      (b)     to enter by day any building or part thereof and any place which he or she has reasonable cause to believe that explosive, highly inflammable or combustible materials are stored, kept or used;

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      (c)     to take with him or her a police officer if he or she has any reasonable cause to apprehend any serious obstruction in the execution of his or her duty;

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      (d)     to require the production of the register and certificate and to inspect, examine and copy any of them;

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      (e)     to require any person in any building to give such information as it is in his or her power to give as to who is the owner or persons in charge of the building;

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      (f)     to examine, either alone or in the presence of any other person as he or she thinks fit, with respect to matters under this Act any person in any building and to require every such person to be so examined and to sign a declaration of the truth of the matters respecting which he or she has been so examined of, so however that no one shall be required under this provision to answer any question or to give any evidence tending to incriminate himself or herself or in the case of a person who is married, his or her spouse.

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   (2)   The owner of every building, his or her agents and servants shall furnish the means required by the Chief Officer or an inspector as necessary for an entry inspection, examination, inquiry or otherwise for the exercise of his or her owners under this Act in relation to that building.

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   (3)   Any person who wilfully—

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      (a)     delays an inspector in the exercise of any power under this section;

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      (b)     fails to comply with the requisition of an inspector under this section;

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      (c)     fails to produce any register, certificate or document which he or she is required by or under this Act to produce;

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      (d)     wilfully withholds any information as to who is the owner or person in charge of any building; or

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      (e)     conceals or prevents, attempts to conceal or prevent a person from appearing before or being examined by the Chief Fire Officer or inspector,

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   obstructs the Chief Fire Officer or an inspector in the execution of his or her duties under this Act.