Ch. 73                               MARVIN MANDEL, Governor                                  135

department personnel to maintain order and direct traffic until the arrival of
police officers; and relating generally to the extinguishment of fires and the
protection of buildings from fire to include Baltimore City within these
provisions and Baltimore County within certain of those provisions.

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND. That Section 181(a) of Article 48 of the Annotated Code of
Maryland (1971 Replacement Volume), title "Inspections,"' subtitle "Fire
Inspections," be and it is hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amendments, to
read as follows:

181.

(a) The members of the board of fire commissioners and the chief of the fire
department and his assistants, and any other officer or officers or member or
members of the fire department acting under the direction of such board or chief
of each of the cities of this State, and the chief, chief engineer, captain or
lieutenant of any volunteer fire company, fire district or any other organization
created for the purpose of and engaged in the work of extinguishing fires in any
town or county of this State, whether incorporated or not, exclusive of [[Baltimore
City and]] Baltimore County are hereby severally authorized and empowered to
inspect all buildings, structures or other places in their respective city, town or
county, excepting, however, the interior of a private dwelling, where any
combustible material, including waste paper, rags, shavings, waste, leather, rubber,
crates, boxes, barrels, rubbish or other combustible material that is or may become
dangerous as a fire menace to such building or buildings, structure or other places
has been allowed to accumulate, or where such board or members thereof, chief
assistants, or other officer aforesaid, has reason to believe that such material of a
combustible nature has accumulated or is liable to be accumulated [;and they]. IN
ALL JURISDICTIONS THE OFFICIALS shall have the [power] AUTHORITY
I, when actually engaged in fighting fire to enter at their risk, and without liability
for trespass, upon property and within buildings, including private dwellings, near
the scene of the fire for purposes of carrying out whatever action is necessary to
extinguish said fire or prevent its spread.] WITHOUT LIABILITY FOR
TRESPASS AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY OR NIGHT:

(1)  TO ENTER AT THEIR OWN RISK ANY BUILDING, INCLUDING
PRIVATE DWELLINGS, OR UPON ANY PREMISES WHERE A FIRE IS
IN PROGRESS, OR WHERE THERE IS REASONABLE CAUSE TO
BELIEVE A FIRE IS IN PROGRESS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF
EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE; AND

(2)  TO ENTER AT THEIR OWN RISK ANY BUILDING, INCLUDING
PRIVATE DWELLINGS, OR PREMISES NEAR THE SCENE OF THE
FIRE FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROTECTING THE BUILDING OR
PREMISES OR FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE
WHICH IS IN PROGRESS IN ANOTHER BUILDING OR PREMISES;
AND

(3)  TO MAINTAIN ORDER AT THE FIRE OR ITS VICINITY, DIRECT
THE ACTIONS OF THE FIREMEN AT THE FIRE, KEEP BYSTANDERS
OR OTHER PERSONS AT A SAFE DISTANCE FROM THE FIRE AND
FIRE EQUIPMENT, FACILITATE THE SPEEDY MOVEMENT AND
OPERATION OF FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT AND FIREMEN, AND
UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF SUFFICIENT POLICE OFFICERS DIRECT
AND CONTROL TRAFFIC IN PERSON OR BY ANY SUBORDINATE
AND FACILITATE THE MOVEMENT OF TRAFFIC.