Committee advances bill giving fire chief authority to set emergency perimeters, restrict unauthorized access

The Baltimore City Council Public Safety Committee voted 5-2 to advance Bill 25-0018, a measure sponsored by Councilwoman Odette Ramos that would authorize the Baltimore City Fire Department to establish an emergency scene with barricades and prohibit unauthorized people from entering while the scene remains active.

Ramos, the bill sponsor and member representing the Fourteenth District, told the committee the ordinance "requires that the fire chief create a fire or emergency scene around an emergency with whatever barricade tape whatever is necessary. And that only certain people are allowed in that scene." She said the measure aims to keep firefighters, emergency medical personnel and residents safe and to give incident commanders clearer authority to control scenes.

The bill's amended language replaces the narrower term "caution tape" with the broader term "barricade" and defines an emergency scene's boundaries. The reprint circulated to committee members lists examples of authorized persons — including Baltimore City Fire Department personnel (firefighters and EMS), Baltimore Police Department personnel, the victim or family of a victim, elected city officials with city identification, and "community or volunteer-based nonprofit organizations that support and…