Fire Brigades Act, 1940

Definitions.

1.—(1) In this Act—

the expression “the Minister” means the Minister for Local Government and Public Health;

the expressions “sanitary authority” and “sanitary district” have respectively the same meanings as they have in the Public Health Acts, 1878 to 1931;

the expression “fire brigade authority”means a sanitary authority which has established and is maintaining a fire brigade;

the expression “fire brigade” means an organised body of men trained and equipped for extinguishing fires occurring in buildings and other places and for rescuing persons and property from such fires, and includes (unless the context otherwise requires) the vehicles, pumps, hoses, ladders and other implements and equipment with which such body of men is provided for the purposes of their duties in relation to fires;

the expression “potentially dangerous building” means a building, structure, or erection (whether permanent or temporary) of any kind or of any materials which would, in the event of a fire occurring therein, constitute a peculiarly serious danger to life by reason of—

(i) the fact that large numbers of persons habitually resort thereto or are accommodated therein, or

(ii) the absence of any or any adequate appliances or fittings for extinguishing fires occurring therein or for enabling the occupants thereof to escape therefrom on the occurrence of a fire, or

(iii) the inflammable nature of the materials of which it is made, or

(iv) the fact that articles of an inflammable nature are habitually kept therein, or

(v) the absence of adequate means of exit therefrom, or

(vi) any similar cause.

(2) In this Act references to extinguishing a fire shall be construed as including preventing a fire from spreading.