The owner, agent, occupant or person charged with the custody
of any public building, auditorium, hotel, theater, lodge hall, or
church, and in the case of schools, the President of the Board of
Education or the person in charge thereof or owning the same, shall
be held liable for the equipment and maintenance of such apparatus
as is required in this article for the maintenance and safety of all
exits, stairs, doors, windows or passageways.
It shall be the duty of the Director of Public Safety or his
assistants to inspect all apparatus to be installed, and their location,
and to make or cause to be made periodic inspections concerning the
operation and accessibility of regular and emergency exits in all
such public places.
The location and number of fire appliances shall be as follows
(unless another location shall be more accessible and convenient for
protection against fires):
(A) Theaters:
(1)
Stage, two one-quart chemical hand extinguishers, one on each
side of the stage; one two-and-one-half gallon chemical hand extinguisher,
readily accessible; one five-gallon hand pump; one fire axe.
(2)
Foyer: two one-quart chemical hand extinguishers, one at each
end; manager's office, one two-gallon chemical hand extinguisher or
five-gallon hand pump.
(B) Public buildings, auditoriums, lodge halls and hotels: five-gallon
hand pump and fire axe at or near the main entrance on the ground
floor; five-gallon hand pump at or near the foot of all basement stairways;
two pails in boiler room unless oil burner is used, then two-and-one-half
gallon special chemical hand extinguisher just outside boiler room
door; one-quart chemical hand extinguisher on stage, and one-quart
chemical hand extinguisher in lobby.
(C) Churches: one five-gallon pump at or near main entrances on ground
floor; one five-gallon hand pump and fire axe in boiler room.
(D) Schools: one five-gallon hand pump and fire axe at or near main entrance
on ground floor; same at head of each stairway; same in boiler room.
It shall be the duty of the principal or other person in charge
of the pupils in every school in the City to establish and maintain
a good and efficient fire drill, which shall be practiced at least
twice a year during the time the building is used for school purposes.
A written report shall be made by the principal or person in charge
of such building of each fire drill held, and of the time elapsed
from the first fire signal until the last person was out.
It shall be unlawful to remove from its proper place any fire
apparatus or appliances except for inspection or in case of emergency.
All public buildings which may be or are used for church, school,
opera performance, theater, lecture room, hotel, public meeting or
similar purposes, or which may be or are used for the collection of
people for worship, amusement or instruction, and all buildings used
for stores to which the public is invited, shall be so built that
all doors leading from the main hall or place of assembly shall open
outward; and all means of egress for persons within such buildings
shall be by means of doors which shall open outward from the main
hall and from the building.
In all theaters and public meeting halls a light illuminating
the word "Exit" shall be kept burning over each regular and emergency
exit while the theater or hall is occupied by an audience or by patrons.
All plans for new construction and for the substantial rehabilitation
of an existing structure shall be certified as complying with the
Americans with Disabilities Act, the Illinois Accessibility Code (71
Ill. Adm. Code 400), the White Cane Law (775 ILCS 30/1 et seq.) and
any other relevant federal or state laws.