17. On the occasion of fire and/or rescue in any area in which this Act is in force, any member of the Fire and Emergency Services, who is in-charge of firefighting operations on the spot, may,-
(a) remove, or order any other member of the Fire and Emergency Service to remove any person who by his presence interferes with or impedes the operation for extinguishing the fire or for saving life or property;
(b) close any street or passage in or near which a fire is being fought and / or rescue work is in progress;
(c) for the purpose of extinguishing fire and carrying out rescue operation, break into or through or pull down, any premises for the passage of hose or appliances or cause them to be broken into or through or pulled down, doing as little damage as possible for the purpose of extinguishing fire:
Provided that the owner or occupier, as the case may be, of any such premises shall be paid reasonable compensation to the extent of the damage so caused in such manner as may be prescribed in the rules.
(d) require the Authority in charge of water supply in the area to regulate the water mains so as to provide water at a specified pressure at the place where fire has broken out and utilize the water of any stream, cistern, well or tank or of any available source of water, public or private, for the purpose of extinguishing or limiting the spread of such fire and carrying out rescue operations ;
(e) exercise the same powers for dispersing an assembly of persons likely to obstruct the firefighting operations as if he were an officer-in-charge of a police station and as if such an assembly were an unlawful assembly and shall be entitled to the same immunities and protection as such an officer, in respect of the exercise of such powers;
(f) arrest a person who wilfully obstructs and hinders a Fire and Emergency Service personnel in firefighting and rescue operations and shall hand him over to a police officer or at the nearest police station without avoidable delay along with a brief note giving the time, date and reason of arrest;
(g) enter into agreement with any person who employs and maintains personnel or equipment or both for fire-fighting purposes, to secure, on such terms as may be prescribed, for the purpose of dealing with fires occurring in any area;
(h) take such measures as may appear to him to be necessary for extinguishing the fire or for the protection of life or property, or both.