Section 1: Rules and procedures

I. - A departmental regulation sets out the rules, systems and procedures for external fire defence for each department.

The purpose of these regulations is in particular to:

1° Characterise the different risks presented by fire, in particular the different types of building, housing, or town planning;

2° Specify the method of analysis and water requirements for each type of risk ;

3° Specify the methods of intervention in terms of external fire defence by the communes, public establishments for inter-communal cooperation when they are competent, the departmental fire and rescue service, public water services, the managers of other water resources and the State departments responsible for equipment, town planning, construction, rural development and the protection of forests against fire, as well as, where appropriate, other players and in particular the department and the State public establishments concerned ;

4° Integrate the water requirements defined by the departmental or interdepartmental forest fire protection plans provided for in articles L. 133-2 et R. 133-1 et seq. of the Forestry Code (new);

5° Set the procedures for carrying out and the frequency of technical inspections, maintenance actions and operational reconnaissance of fire water points ;

6° Define the conditions under which the departmental fire and rescue service provides its expertise in external fire defence to mayors or presidents of public establishments for inter-communal cooperation with their own tax status when they are competent;

7° Determine the information that must be provided by the various players on fire water points.

II. - The departmental external fire defence regulations take into account the provisions of the national reference system provided for in article R. 2225-2 and adapts them to the situation in the department.

It is drawn up on the basis of the inventory of risks in the departmental risk analysis and coverage plan provided for in article L. 1424-7 and consistent with the other provisions of this scheme.

Excluded are any requirements for operators of facilities classified for environmental protection under articles L. 511-1 and L. 511-2 of the Environment Code.

III. - These regulations are drawn up by the departmental fire and rescue service pursuant to the provisions of article L. 1424-2. It is drawn up in consultation with the mayors and all those involved in external fire defence.

It is drawn up by the departmental prefect after consultation with the board of directors of the departmental fire and rescue service.

It is published in the prefecture's recueil des actes administratifs.

It is amended and revised at the initiative of the departmental prefect under the conditions set out in the previous paragraphs.