A Bureau of Fire Prevention in the Fire Department is hereby authorized
to be operated under the supervision of the Fire Council of the Fire Department.
The Fire Council shall appoint as many inspectors as it deems advisable
to compose the Bureau of Fire Prevention and shall adopt such rules as may
be necessary for its proper administration. The designation of inspectors
and the rules and regulations adopted shall be subject to approval by the
Board of Trustees.
It shall be the duty of the Bureau of Fire Prevention, in cooperation
with the Fire Chief, to enforce all laws and ordinances covering the following:
A.
Fires. The prevention of fires.
B.
Explosives. The storage and use of explosives.
C.
Fire alarm systems; extinguishing equipment. The installation
and maintenance of fire alarm systems and fire-extinguishing equipment.
D.
Fire escapes. The maintenance and regulation of fire
escapes.
E.
Exits. The means and adequacy of exit from factories,
schools, hotels, lodging houses, asylums, hospitals, churches, halls, theaters
and all other places where persons live or congregate for any purpose.
F.
Additional powers. The Bureau shall have such other powers
and perform such other duties as are set forth herein or are essential to
achieve the safety standards set by the State Department of Labor.
A.
Duty of Bureau. The Bureau of Fire Prevention shall investigate
the cause, origin and circumstances of every fire in the Village by which
property has been destroyed or damaged and, so far as possible, shall determine
whether the fire was the result of carelessness or design. Such investigation
shall be begun immediately upon the occurrence of every fire, and if it appears
that a fire is of suspicious origin, the Bureau shall cause the Fire Chief
to be notified immediately.
B.
Duty of Fire Chief. Upon being notified by the Bureau
or if, upon his own initiative, the Fire Chief has reason to believe that
a fire is of suspicious origin, he shall take charge of any physical evidence
available, shall immediately notify the authorities designated by law to pursue
the investigation and prosecution of such matters and shall fully cooperate
with such authorities in furtherance of the search of evidence and in any
prosecution that may ensue. For such purposes, the Fire Chief may request
the Village Counsel and the Superintendent of Buildings to give him aid and
assistance, and when so requested, the Village Counsel and the Superintendent
of Buildings shall comply to the full extent of their ability.
C.
Report required. The Fire Chief shall make a report thereof,
in writing, and file it in the office of the Village Clerk within three days
after the occurrence of every fire with a statement as to its cause, its origin,
the extent of the damage done, the insurance upon the damaged property and
such other information as may be related thereto.
Upon the direction of the Bureau of Fire Prevention or upon his own
initiative, the Fire Chief is authorized and it shall be his duty to enter
and to inspect boardinghouses, rooming houses, tourist homes and paying guest
houses when, in the interests of public safety against such hazards, such
inspection seems desirable. In the alternative, the Fire Chief may designate
an inspector or the Superintendent of Buildings to make such inspection.
Upon direction of the Bureau of Fire Prevention or of the Fire Chief,
the Fire Chief, a duly designated inspector or the Superintendent of Buildings
shall inspect:
A.
All manufacturing plants; places where acetylene or other
gases, chemicals, oils explosives and inflammable materials are used or stored;
the interior of all structures equipped with fire alarm or automatic sprinkler
systems; and such other places as may be designated by the Fire Chief as fire
hazards.
B.
All premises and thoroughfares enclosed or unenclosed,
except the interior of private dwellings, to determine whether there exists
any condition conducive to danger from fire, such as improper accumulations
of wastepaper, boxes, shavings, trash or other inflammable or explosive materials,
or whether there are obstructions to property, fire escapes, stairs, passageways,
doors and windows which might impede the operations of the Fire Department
or block the egress of persons in the event of fire or whether there are any
structures which, because of disrepair, structural defects or lack of proper
installation, are of such nature as to create danger to life and property
in the event of fire.
Whenever a violation of rules of reasonable safety is found to exist,
the Fire Chief shall order the owner or occupant to remove dangerous materials
or remedy other hazardous conditions as he may direct within 24 hours.
A.
Required. In every multiple family dwelling, office building,
public hall, lodge room, club, business establishment, commercial building
and all places of public assembly, the owner shall provide lights, each of
not less than 15 watts capacity, to illuminate all vestibules, entrance halls,
stairs, fire stairs and fire towers on every floor and along the basement
corridors. Such lights are to be installed as directed by the Superintendent
of Buildings.
B.
Hours of operation. Except as provided in Subsection C hereof, every such light shall be turned on at sunset every day and shall not be extinguished until sunrise of the following morning unless the structure in which it is installed is neither in use nor available for use or occupancy. If, by accident or in some other way without knowledge of the owner, such lights become extinguished before the prescribed time, the owner shall not be held liable for violation of this section; however, the burden of proving that when the lights were not in operation it was without his knowledge or consent shall be upon such owner.
C.
Certain lights to burn continuously. Within every fire
stairway and fire tower at every floor and within every stairway at every
floor which is without a window admitting outer light and in every public
hall, basement and corridor of places of public assembly where there is no
window admitting outer light, lights, as provided herein, shall be kept burning
continuously so as to illuminate all sections of such stairs, fire stairs,
fire towers, public halls and corridors.
D.
Interior of business premises to be visible from street.
In every business establishment, at all times when the same is not open for
business, there shall be kept burning such lights of not less than 15 watts
capacity as will adequately illuminate all sections of the interior so as
to make them visible upon inspection through the windows of said establishment
from the street. No shades or other obstructions shall be permitted which
make such inspection impossible.
The principal, teachers or other persons in charge of any public, private
or parochial school or other educational institution shall conduct a fire
drill at least once in each month and shall keep all doors and exits of school
buildings unlocked during school hours.
Signs indicating the location of the nearest fire alarm box shall be
installed at the entrances of all multiple dwellings and places of public
assembly. Such signs shall be installed as ordered by the Superintendent of
Buildings and shall meet the specifications of the Bureau of Fire Prevention.
Every boiler rooms, fire room or cellar which has a depression in the
floor of such nature as to constitute a hazard shall have such depression
properly guarded with a metal rail of a type and height approved by the Superintendent
of Buildings.
All vehicles used for the transportation of fuel oil or other inflammable
oils or chemicals within the Village are subject to inspection by inspectors
of the Bureau of Fire Prevention to assure compliance with the laws governing
the construction and operation of such vehicles.
The service of any order hereunder may be made upon the occupant of
the premises to whom it is directed either by delivering a copy of the same
personally or by leaving it with any person of suitable age and discretion
in charge of such premises or, if no such person is found upon the premises,
by affixing a copy thereof in a conspicuous place on the front door of said
premises. An order may be served upon the owner of such premises by delivering
to and leaving with him a copy thereof or, if such owner is absent from the
Village, by mailing a copy to his last known address.
The Bureau of Fire Prevention, after having received notification from
the National Board of Fire Underwriters that an electrical violation has been
disclosed, shall notify the Superintendent of Electric Distribution to disconnect
the service to the premises on which such violation exists until said violation
has been rectified. It shall be the duty of said official to comply with such
order.
It shall be unlawful for any person, being the owner or occupant, lessee
or otherwise, in charge or control of any premises, subject to an order made
pursuant to this article, to fail or refuse to comply with such order within
the time specified therein or, if no time is specified, within a reasonable
time or to violate any of the provisions of this article.
Any person who shall willfully refuse to permit an inspection, as provided
herein, shall be liable to a fine of not more than $25 for each offense.
