[Adopted 10-10-1977 by Ord. No. 437; amended in its entirety 12-8-1997 by Ord. No. 564]
This article may be cited and referred to as
the "Honesdale Fire Prevention Code."
A certain document, at least one copy of which is on file with the Secretary of the Borough of Honesdale, being marked and designated as the "BOCA National Fire Prevention Code, Tenth Edition/1996," as published by the Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc., as modified in §
109-4 herein, is hereby adopted as the Fire Prevention Code of the Borough of Honesdale in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the control of buildings and structures as herein provided; and each and all of the regulations, provisions, conditions and terms of the BOCA National Fire Prevention Code, Tenth Edition/1996, as supplemented, with the modifications as prescribed in §
109-4 herein, are hereby referred to, and adopted and made a part hereof as if fully set out in this article.
The administration and enforcement of this article shall be carried out as prescribed by Chapter
85, Code Enforcement, Article
I, Enforcement and Administration of Codes, as amended. Said article provides for certain powers and duties of a Code Enforcement Official and for procedures relative to applications, fees, inspections, appeals, penalties and other matters.
Fees shall be as set forth from time to time
by resolution of the Borough Council. The current Fee Schedule can
be found on file in the borough offices.
Any person who shall violate any of the provisions
of this code or fail to comply with any order issued pursuant to any
section thereof shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a fine
of not more than $1,000, plus costs of prosecution, and in default
of payment of such fine and costs shall be sentenced to imprisonment
for a period of not more than 30 days. Each day that a violation continues
shall be deemed a separate offense.
[Adopted 1-4-2021 by Ord. No. 701]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
BUILDING/ZONING OFFICER
An individual employed by the Borough to oversee and enforce
Borough building codes, ordinances, and property maintenance.
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
Include, and are not limited to, office buildings, industrial
property, medical centers, hotels, motels, malls, retail stores, civic
buildings, and warehouses.
FIRE CHIEF, DEPUTY CHIEF
An appointed/elected head and or deputy head of the Fire
Department as voted or appointed by the Department membership.
KNOX-BOX®
A rapid entry system of secure lock boxes allowing fire personnel
the ability to quickly enter a building, minimizing the chance damage
to the property or personnel. The Knox-Box® brand of system is currently installed in Honesdale fire apparatus,
and no other brand of system is compatible.
RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES
Residential properties containing four or more units shall
be considered as commercial property for the intent of this article.
All new commercial, industrial storage facilities and apartment
buildings with four or more dwelling units shall be required to install
a Knox-Box® rapid entry system with
a tamper switch. Said regulations are as follows:
A. The Knox-Box® shall be located at
or near the recognized public entrance of the structure, the specific
location to be determined by the Fire Chief or the Code Enforcement
Officer.
B. The specific model of the Knox-Box® which is selected by the property owner must have a tamper switch,
and the model must be approved by the Fire Chief or Borough Code Enforcement
Officer.
C. The Knox-Box® is not required to be
connected to an automatic fire alarm.
D. A use and occupancy permit will not be issued until the Knox-Box® has been inspected by the Code Enforcement Officer.
All existing commercial, industrial, storage facilities and
apartment buildings with four or more dwelling units shall be required
to install a Knox-Box® rapid entry
system with a tamper switch, or register the name, address and contact
numbers of authorized key holders to the property with the Borough
Fire Chief and Borough Zoning Office. Said regulations are as follows:
A. The Knox-Box® shall be located at
or near the recognized public entrance of the structure, the specific
location to be determined by the Fire Chief or the Fire Chief's
or the Borough's designee.
B. The specific model of the Knox-Box®, which is selected by the property owner, must have a tamper switch,
and the model must be approved by the Fire Chief.
C. The Knox-Box® is not required to be
connected to an automatic fire alarm.
D. A use and occupancy permit will not be renewed until the Knox-Box® has been inspected by the Code Enforcement Officer.
E. Owners of existing structures must comply with this section within
12 months of its adoption or face possible violations.
It is the duty and responsibility of the Fire Chief and the
Borough Secretary to maintain all records and forms pertaining to
the Knox-Box® rapid entry systems.
The Honesdale Borough Fire Chief shall place all building keys
within the Knox-Box®. The Fire Chief
shall follow the regulations as outlined by the Knox-Box® manufacturer when ordering keys and boxes. In
the Fire Chief's absence, the Deputy Fire Chief shall perform
these duties.
The box shall contain the following:
A. Keys. Keys shall be labeled so as to be easily identified in the
field. The following keys shall be included:
(2) Alarm room (if one exists).
(3) Mechanical rooms and sprinkler control rooms (if one exists).
(4) Fire alarm control panel (if one exists).
(5) Electrical rooms (if one exists).
(6) Special keys to reset pull-stations or other fire protection devices.
(7) Elevator keys, if required.
(8) All other rooms as directed by the Fire Chief.
B. A current list of key facility personnel knowledgeable about safety
procedures of materials on-site, complete with telephone numbers of
such personnel in the event of an incident after normal hours of operation.
Methods of opening gates or areas for emergency access must
be one of the following:
A. Padlock and chain with links no larger than one-fourth inch in diameter.
In case of emergency, the Fire Company will utilize bolt cutters and
cut the chain in order to gain access.
The following types of properties are exempt from this article:
A. Private residence in single-family homes.
B. Multifamily homes of less than four units.
C. Buildings that are open and manned 24 hours a day.
Any ordinance or part(s) thereof inconsistent herewith are hereby
repealed.
Should any section, subsection, clause, provision or other portion
of this article be declared invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction,
such decision shall not affect the validity of the remainder of this
article, the Borough Council of Honesdale Borough having adopted this
article as if such invalid portions had not been included therein.
This article shall become effective five days after the adoption
thereof.