77-5-105. Powers of firewardens. (1) All firewardens have the power of peace officers to make arrests without warrants for violations in their presence of any state or federal forest laws, and a firewarden is not liable for civil action for trespass committed in the discharge of his duties. A firewarden who has information which shows, with reasonable certainty, that a person has violated any provision of those forest laws shall immediately take action against the offender by making complaint before the proper magistrate, or by information to the proper county attorney and shall obtain all possible evidence pertaining thereto.
     (2) All firewardens shall have authority to call upon any able-bodied citizen between the ages of 18 and 50 years, resident in the vicinity, for assistance in putting out fires; and any such person who refuses to obey such summons, except for good and sufficient reason, is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined in a sum not less than $15 or more than $50 or imprisonment in the county jail not less than 1 or more than 30 days or both such fine and imprisonment. No citizen shall be called upon to fight fire a total of more than 5 days in one year.

     History: (1)En. Sec. 12, Ch. 147, L. 1909; re-en. Sec. 1834, R.C.M. 1921; re-en. Sec. 1834, R.C.M. 1935; amd. Sec. 104, Ch. 253, L. 1974; Sec. 81-1413, R.C.M. 1947; (2)En. Sec. 13, Ch. 147, L. 1909; re-en. Sec. 1835, R.C.M. 1921; re-en. Sec. 1835; R.C.M. 1935; Sec. 81-1414, R.C.M. 1947; R.C.M. 1947, 81-1413(part), 81-1414.