LawCriminal Law
National Fire and Rescue Authority Law, 5772-2012
חוק הרשות הארצית לכבאות והצלה, תשע"ב-2012
Published: 2012-08-08Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-06-21 · Last amended 2026-03-31✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-29
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More
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Section B: Fire Safety Inspectors
Authorisation of fire safety inspectors§
47.
(a)The Commissioner may authorise, from among the employees of the Authority, fire safety inspectors with powers under this Law, all or some of them (in this Law – an inspector), provided that an inspector shall not be authorised unless all of the following conditions are met:
(1)he has not been convicted of an offence which, by reason of its nature, gravity or circumstances, renders him unfit to be an inspector;
(2)he has received appropriate training in the field of the powers that will be vested in him under this Law, as directed by the Minister;
(3)he meets additional qualification requirements, to the extent directed by the Minister.
(b)Notice of the authorisation of an inspector under this section shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
Powers of an inspector§
48.
(a)For the purpose of supervising the implementation of provisions under this Law, an inspector may, after having identified himself in accordance with section 49 –
(1)require any person to provide him with his name and address and to present to him an identity card or another official document identifying him;
(2)require any person concerned to provide him with any information or document required by him for the purpose of supervision; in this paragraph, "document" – including output as defined in the Computers Law, 5755-1995;
(3)conduct examinations, measurements or take samples of materials or equipment, and also to submit the measurements and samples to a laboratory, to preserve them or to deal with them in another manner;
(4)enter, at any reasonable time, any property.
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a)(4) –
(1)an inspector shall not enter a private domain intended to serve as a dwelling and serving as a dwelling only, except pursuant to a court order; for this purpose, common areas in a residential building shall not be regarded as a private domain intended to serve as a dwelling and serving as a dwelling only;
(2)an inspector may enter a private domain intended to serve as a dwelling and serving as a dwelling only for the purpose of inspecting a fire and rescue safety measure installed on the premises, at a reasonable time and with advance coordination, if the written consent of an adult possessor of the property has been given (in this Section – the possessor), and the possessor may request that another time for entry into the property be coordinated with him.
(c)
(1)If an inspector has found that the provisions under this Law have been complied with in a property and that a safety fee has been paid, he shall issue to the responsible party a certificate of compliance with the provisions (in this Law – a safety certificate);
(2)The Minister shall prescribe provisions concerning the period of validity of a safety certificate, and may prescribe different periods according to the types of property, types of fire and rescue safety measures or according to any other type that he shall prescribe.
Identification of an inspector§
49.
An inspector shall not make use of the powers vested in him under this Law, unless all of the following conditions are met:
(1)he is in the course of performing his duties;
(2)he is wearing a uniform and visibly wearing a badge identifying him and his function;
(3)he holds a certificate signed by the Commissioner, attesting to his function and his powers, which he shall present upon request.
Demand to remedy deficiencies§
50.
(a)If an inspector has found that provisions under any law concerning fire and rescue safety have not been complied with in a property, he shall provide the responsible party with the details of the provisions that have not been complied with (in this Section – the deficiencies), and shall require him to remedy the deficiencies without delay, or within a period of time that he shall prescribe, and if a period of time has been prescribed in this regard in the Authority's provisions – within a period of time that shall not exceed the period of time prescribed in the Authority's provisions (in this Law – a demand to remedy deficiencies); the responsible party shall remedy the deficiencies no later than the date specified in the demand to remedy deficiencies, shall report thereon to the inspector, and shall furnish certificates to that effect as the inspector shall require.
(b)A person who has received a demand to remedy deficiencies may submit a written objection thereto to the Commissioner within 30 days from the day it was delivered to him.
(c)The submission of an objection does not suspend the validity of a demand to remedy deficiencies, unless the Commissioner has directed otherwise.
(d)The Commissioner may confirm the demand to remedy deficiencies, cancel it, amend it or give any other direction in the matter.
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Contact Us →Section C: Administrative Stop Order
Administrative Stop Order§
51.
(a)If a District Commander has found that a provision under this Law, in a matter of fire and rescue safety, has been violated in a property, by act or omission, and there is reasonable ground to believe that the violation may cause harm to human life or serious harm to property, he may order the responsible party in writing to temporarily stop or restrict the use of the property, to close the premises or in any other manner that appears to him appropriate in the circumstances of the matter (in this Law – an Administrative Stop Order), where one of the following conditions is met:
(1)the violation creates an immediate and substantive concern for the safety of persons present in the property or in its surroundings (in this Section – urgent circumstances);
(2)a demand to remedy deficiencies that was delivered to the responsible party in respect of the same violation has not been complied with within the period of time prescribed for it, to the extent that such has been prescribed;
(3)in the six months preceding the violation, a similar violation occurred in the property, in respect of which a demand to remedy deficiencies was delivered to the responsible party, and the period of time prescribed for it has elapsed.
(b)A person authorised to issue an Administrative Stop Order shall issue the Order only after consulting with the legal adviser of the Fire and Rescue Authority or with a person appointed for this purpose by the legal adviser (in this Section – the legal adviser); however, if a District Commander has found that urgent circumstances exist and that an Administrative Stop Order must be issued without delay, he may issue it, and the Order shall be brought to the attention of the legal adviser for the expression of his position shortly after its issuance, and no later than three days after its issuance.
Proceedings for the issuance of an Administrative Stop Order§
52.
(a)An Administrative Stop Order shall be issued after the party concerned has been given an opportunity to present his arguments before the District Commander or a person appointed by him for this purpose, to the extent possible, and in the manner appropriate in the circumstances of the matter.
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), if a District Commander has found that urgent circumstances exist and that an Administrative Stop Order must be issued without delay, he may issue the Order even if the party concerned has not been given an opportunity to present his arguments; however, where such circumstances exist, the party concerned shall be given an opportunity to present his arguments within 48 hours of the time of issuance of the Order.
Validity of an Administrative Stop Order§
53.
(a)An Administrative Stop Order shall be valid for a period not exceeding thirty days from the day it was issued; upon the expiry of the prescribed period, the District Commander may, if satisfied that the deficiency or the violation in respect of which the Order was issued has not been remedied, extend the validity of the said Order for additional periods not exceeding thirty days in total; upon the expiry of the said periods, the validity of the Order shall lapse, unless it has been confirmed by the court competent to hear the offence that is the subject of the Order.
(b)If an indictment has been filed with a court in respect of the violation of fire and rescue safety provisions, or if an application for the issuance of a judicial stop order under section 58 has been submitted in respect of the violation, an Administrative Stop Order shall not be issued except where urgent circumstances exist, if the District Commander has found that an Administrative Stop Order must be issued without delay.
Contents of an Administrative Stop Order§
54.
An Administrative Stop Order shall include, inter alia, the following particulars:
(1)the particulars of the property to which it applies;
(2)a description of the violation that served as the ground for the issuance of the Order, including a description of the act or omission and the citation of the provisions of law that were violated;
(3)the provisions of section 57 concerning the right to apply for the cancellation of the Order.
Service of an Administrative Stop Order§
55.
An Administrative Stop Order shall be served on the person against whom it was issued in the manner in which a court document is served in civil proceedings, and if that person cannot be located with reasonable diligence – by affixing it to an external wall of the property, and in the absence of an external wall – to another place visible to the eye on the real property; the day and time of affixing shall be recorded on the face of the affixed Order.
Execution of an Administrative Stop Order§
56.
(a)An inspector is empowered to take actions reasonably necessary for the execution of an Administrative Stop Order, and may use reasonable force for this purpose; the police shall assist the inspector, at his request, in the execution of the Order, and may use reasonable force for this purpose.
(b)An Administrative Stop Order shall be executed shortly after its service, provided that the owners of articles located in the property have been given a reasonable opportunity to remove them from the property, to the extent that this does not prejudice the purposes of the Order.
Application for cancellation of an Administrative Stop Order§
57.
(a)A person who considers himself aggrieved by an Administrative Stop Order may submit to the court competent to hear the offence that is the subject of the Order an application for its cancellation, however the submission of the application shall not stay the execution of the Order.
(b)The submission of an application for the cancellation of an Order under the provisions of subsection (a) does not suspend the validity of the Order, for as long as the court has not decided otherwise; if the court has decided to suspend the validity of the Order ex parte, the application shall be heard inter partes as soon as possible, and no later than the expiry of seven days from the date of the decision.
(c)The court may cancel the Order, confirm it or amend it.
(d)If the court has confirmed the Administrative Stop Order, with or without amendments, it shall be regarded from that day onwards as a judicial stop order within the meaning of section 58.
Judicial Stop Order§
58.
(a)Where a provision under this Law in the matter of fire and rescue safety has been contravened at an asset, the court competent to try a charge in respect of the contravention may order the cessation or restriction of the use of the asset, the closure of the premises, or any other manner that appears to it appropriate in the circumstances of the matter in order to bring about an effective cessation or restriction of the use of the asset (in this Law – a judicial stop order), and may also grant any other mandatory or prohibitory order in the matter of the use of the asset or in the matter of remedying the contravention.
(b)A judicial stop order may be granted whether or not further proceedings have been taken in the matter of the contravention.
(c)A court that has granted a judicial stop order may vary the conditions of the order or revoke it, at the request of the plaintiff, or of a person who considers himself aggrieved by the order and who was not summoned to present his arguments.
(d)The court may reconsider a judicial stop order it has granted if it sees that this is justified by reason of changed circumstances or new facts that came to light after the order was granted.
Savings provisions§
59.
Nothing in the provisions of this Section shall derogate from the provisions of any law, including provisions regarding the issuance of an administrative stop order under another law.
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Contact Us →Chapter VI: Fire Investigation and Operational Debriefs
Section A: Fire Investigation
Conduct of investigations§
60.
The Fire and Rescue Authority shall conduct investigations into fires and their causes, pursuant to this Law and pursuant to the Authority's directives that the Commissioner shall issue in that regard.
Authorisation of fire investigators§
61.
For the purpose of investigating fires, the Commissioner may authorise, from among the Authority's employees, fire investigators with powers under this Law, in whole or in part (in this Law – fire investigator), provided that a fire investigator shall not be authorised unless all of the following conditions are met:
(1)the person has not been convicted of an offence which, by reason of its nature, gravity or circumstances, renders him unfit to be a fire investigator;
(2)the person has received appropriate training in the area of the powers that will be vested in him under this Section, as the Minister has directed;
(3)the person meets additional eligibility conditions, as the Minister has directed.
Powers of fire investigators§
62.
For the purpose of investigating a fire, a fire investigator may –
(1)require any person to provide his name and address and to present before him an identity card or other official document identifying him;
(2)require any person concerned in the matter to provide him with any information or document required for the investigation; in this Section, "document" – including output as defined in the Computers Law, 5755-1995;
(3)conduct tests or measurements or take samples of materials, submit the measurements and samples to a laboratory, preserve them or deal with them in another manner;
(4)enter real property, provided that, without consent, the investigator shall not enter an area used solely as a residential unit and serving as a residential unit only, if 12 hours have elapsed since a fire therein was extinguished, except pursuant to a court order; for this purpose, common areas in a residential building shall not be regarded as an area used solely as a residential unit and serving as a residential unit only;
(5)seize any object or document required for the investigation (in this paragraph – object); the following provisions shall apply to a seizure under this paragraph:
(a)the fire investigator shall draw up a list of the objects seized under this paragraph, including details of the place of their seizure, the date of their seizure and the person from whom they were seized, to the extent that person can be identified;
(b)where a document has been seized, the fire investigator shall, at the request of the owner of the document or the person from whom the document was seized, permit the copying of the document; however, the fire investigator may defer the copying of the document for a period not exceeding 30 days, if in his opinion such copying is liable to obstruct the investigation;
(c)notwithstanding sub-paragraph (b), the seizure of an object that is a computer or computer material, including accessing such material, shall be subject to the provisions of section 23a of the Criminal Procedure Ordinance (Arrest and Search) [New Version], 5729-1969, with the necessary modifications, and the copying of an object that is computer material shall be subject to the provisions of section 32a of that Ordinance, with the necessary modifications, and the powers vested in the police and in a police officer under that section shall be vested in the fire investigator; in this sub-paragraph, "computer" and "computer material" – excluding a computer installed in or attached to a safety and rescue device and not serving any other purpose, and also computer material seized from such a computer;
(d)a seized object shall be returned after the submission of a written report as referred to in section 64, unless the District Commander has directed otherwise on account of the necessity of the object for the purposes of the fire investigation; where the object is required for the purposes of legal proceedings, it shall not be returned until the conclusion of those proceedings, unless a court has directed otherwise;
(e)where a question arises as to whom a seized object is to be returned, the Magistrate's Court within whose jurisdiction the object was seized shall determine the matter, on the application of a fire investigator or a person claiming a right in the object.
Prevention of obstruction of or harm to a criminal investigation§
63.
(a)Where the Israel Police considers that a suspicion of the commission of an offence has arisen, it may notify the Commissioner that the Fire and Rescue Authority shall not exercise the powers under this Section, or that it shall carry out its functions and exercise its powers under this Section subject to the directions of the Israel Police, provided that this is required in order to prevent obstruction of criminal investigation proceedings or harm to such an investigation.
(b)Where a fire investigator considers that a suspicion of the commission of an offence has arisen, the investigator shall report this to the District Commander; the District Commander shall transmit the findings of the investigation and the evidence to the Israel Police.
Report on an investigation§
64.
(a)Upon the conclusion of the investigation, the fire investigator shall submit to the District Commander a written report on the findings and conclusions of the investigation; provisions regarding the manner of submission of the report and the particulars to be included therein shall be prescribed in the Authority's directives.
(b)Where the District Commander considers that a suspicion of the commission of an offence has arisen, the District Commander shall transmit the report and the findings of the investigation and the evidence to the Israel Police.
Fire investigation – Israel Defence Forces§
65.
(a)The Commissioner may authorise a soldier, at the request of the military supervising authority, as a military fire investigator, provided that a military fire investigator shall not be authorised unless all of the following conditions are met:
(1)the person has received appropriate training in the area of the powers that will be vested under this section, as the Minister shall direct;
(2)the person meets additional eligibility conditions, as the Minister has directed.
(b)A military fire investigator shall be vested with the powers under section 62, in whole or in part, as the Commissioner shall direct.
(c)A military fire investigator shall not exercise the powers under this section except in relation to the investigation of fires as detailed below:
(1)on real property in the possession of the Israel Defence Forces;
(2)in an area serving the Israel Defence Forces as a training area, for the investigation of fires that occurred in the course of or as a result of military activity;
(3)in fires in which a soldier in the performance of his duties or military property is involved, in relation to that soldier or that property only.
(d)
(1)Notwithstanding subsection (c), where the Fire and Rescue Authority was involved in extinguishing a fire as referred to in that subsection, or in preventing the spread of fire in such a fire, the Commissioner shall determine, after consulting with the military supervising authority, which authority shall investigate the fire, and until such determination is made, a military fire investigator shall not exercise the powers under this section;
(2)the Commissioner may, with the consent of the military supervising authority, determine which authority shall investigate certain categories of fires as referred to in subsection (c) or in additional circumstances beyond those enumerated in that subsection or in this subsection.
(e)A report as referred to in section 64 in respect of a fire as referred to in subsection (c) shall be transmitted for the review of the Israel Defence Forces and shall be subject to a security classification, as shall be determined by the authority empowered to do so in the Israel Defence Forces.
(f)Where a senior adjudication officer serving in the Military Police Corps considers that a suspicion of the commission of an offence which it is competent to investigate has arisen, the officer may notify the Commissioner that the Fire and Rescue Authority shall not exercise its powers under this Section, provided that this is required in order to prevent obstruction of criminal investigation proceedings or harm to such an investigation.
(g)In this section –
"military supervising authority" – the Head of the Technology and Logistics Directorate of the Israel Defence Forces or a person authorised by him for this purpose, or a person authorised for this purpose by the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defence Forces;
"senior adjudication officer" – as defined in the Military Justice Law, 5715-1955.
Regulations regarding fire investigation§
66.
The Minister may prescribe provisions regarding the investigation of fires under this Section, including the manner of conducting fire investigations and the working procedures of fire investigators.
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