Powers and duties of chief.
Section 51
SEC. 51. Powers and duties of chief.—There shall be chief of the fire department, with a salary of eight thousand four hundred pesos per annum, who shall have the management and control of all matters relating to the administration of said department, and the organization government, discipline, and disposition of the fire forces; shall have charge of fire-engine houses, fire engines, hose carts, hooks and ladders, trucks, and all other fire apparatus; shall have full police powers in the vicinity of fires; shall have authority to remove any building or other property whenever it shall become necessary to prevent the spreading of fire or to protect adjacent property; shall investigate and report to the mayor upon the origin and cause of all fire occuring within the city; shall inspect all buildings erected or under construction or repair within the city and determine whether they provide sufficient protection against fire and comply with the ordinance relating thereto; shall have charge of the city telegraph, telephone, and fire-alarm service; notwithstanding existing law to the contrary, shall have exclusive power to supervise and regulate the stringing, grounding and installation of wires for all electrical connections with a view to avoiding conflagrations, interference with public traffic or safety, or the necessary operations of the fire department; shall supervise and regulate the manufacture, storage, and use of petroleum, gas, acetylene, gun-powder, and other highly combustible matter and explosives; and shall see that all ordinances relating to these subjects, or any of them are enforced.