[HISTORY: Adopted by the Governing Body of
the Town/Village of East Rochester 2-9-1983 by L.L. No. 2-1983 as
Ch. 157 of the 1983 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
It shall be the responsibility of the owner
of each new or existing multifamily dwelling unit to install smoke
and/or heat detectors in each such multifamily dwelling unit as hereinafter
provided. Said smoke detectors shall be capable of sensing visible
or invisible particles of combustion; heat detectors shall be capable
of sensing abnormally high temperatures or rate of temperature rises;
and both types shall be capable of providing a suitable, audible alarm
thereof.
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Approved by the Fire Marshal of the Town/Village of East
Rochester or his designated representative.
A structure arranged, intended or designed to be occupied
by three or more families living independently of each other with
separate housekeeping facilities for each family.
Accepted by the Fire Marshal of the Town/Village of East
Rochester or his designated representative.
Space between the top of the uppermost floor construction
and the underside of the roof.
Space occupied by one or more persons for living, sleeping,
eating or cooking. Restaurants for employees and occupants, kitchens
serving them and kitchenettes shall not be deemed to be habitable
space.
A protection device that can sense an abnormally high air
temperature or an abnormal rate of heat rise and, on sensing such
a condition, can automatically initiate a signal indicating the condition.
Includes any building or portion thereof not an apartment
house or hotel used by families or single individuals as a place of
shelter or lodging, but not including a building where less than three
persons are received or lodged.
To keep in operating condition at all times.
A building occupied or intended to be occupied as a residence
or home by three or more families or persons living independently
of each other, except, however, an apartment house as herein defined.
The term "multifamily dwelling" shall include, but is not limited
to, flats, hotels, motels, lodging houses, rooming houses, boardinghouses,
boarding schools, school dormitories, furnished room houses, clubhouses
or fraternal houses, homes for the indigent and single-family dwellings
with one or more transient or permanent boarders, roomers or lodgers.
Space used as kitchenettes, pantries, bath-, toilet, laundry,
rest, dressing, locker, storage, utility, heater and boiler rooms,
closets and other spaces for service and maintenance of the building
and those spaces used for access and vertical travel between stories.
Applied to a building or land, shall include any part owner,
joint owner, tenant in common, tenant in partnership, joint tenant
or tenant by the entirety of the whole or of a part of such building
or land.
The area or areas of the family living unit in which the
bedrooms or sleeping rooms are located. Bedrooms or sleeping rooms
separated by other use areas, such as but not limited to kitchens
or living rooms (except bathrooms), shall be considered as separate
sleeping areas for the purposes of this chapter.
Includes all areas of buildings, structures or areas thereof
utilized primarily for the storage or sheltering of goods, merchandise,
products, vehicles or animals.
A.
Smoke detectors and heat detectors shall have Underwriters'
Laboratories, Inc. or FM Global listings. Smoke detectors shall be
of the ionization or photoelectric type, capable of sensing visible
or invisible particles of combustion. Detectors sensitive only to
heat are not acceptable except in certain areas. Smoke detectors and/or
heat detectors shall be capable of producing a suitable, audible alarm
having a minimum rating of 85 dBA at 10 feet and also a visible or
audible signal when the fire detection system (i.e., the fire control
panel box and/or the individual smoke detector units) is not operating
properly.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
B.
Suitable audible alarm. Each detection device shall
cause the operation of an alarm which shall be clearly audible in
all bedrooms over background noise levels with all intervening doors
closed. The tests of audibility level shall be conducted with all
household equipment in operation. Also, all alarm-sounding devices
must have a minimum rating of 85 dBA at 10 feet.
A.
The following location requirements shall apply for
up to 10 units:
(1)
At least one smoke detector, hard-wired or battery-operated,
shall be installed to protect each sleeping area. To assure protection
for any sleeping area which might require more than one smoke detector
because of arrangement or dimension or for any sleeping area exceeding
800 square feet, there shall be a minimum of one smoke detector for
each 800 square feet or any part thereof.
(2)
Stairways, passageways, corridors, hallways, basements,
storage areas, laundry rooms and/or any other nonhabitable areas not
considered part of the dwelling unit shall have smoke detectors, hard-wired
or battery-operated, installed in these areas. There shall be a minimum
of one smoke detector for each 800 square feet or any part thereof.
B.
The following location requirements shall apply for
11 or more units:
(1)
At least one hard-wired smoke detector shall be installed
to protect each sleeping area and interconnected to an electric fire
alarm control panel box with a battery backup system which, upon actuation
of any detector, shall be capable of actuating horns or bells installed
in an area that would alert all occupants of each unit. To assure
protection for any sleeping area which might require more than one
smoke detector because of arrangement or dimension or for any sleeping
area exceeding 800 square feet, there shall be a minimum of one smoke
detector for each 800 square feet or any part thereof.
(2)
Stairways, passageways, corridors, hallways, basements,
storage areas, laundry rooms and/or any other nonhabitable areas not
considered part of the dwelling unit and furnace rooms, janitor's
closets, elevator shafts, dumbwaiter shafts, utility closets or attics
shall have hard-wired smoke or heat detectors installed in these areas
and interconnected to an electric fire alarm control panel box with
a battery backup system which, upon actuation of any detector, shall
be capable of actuating horns or bells installed in an area that would
alert all occupants of each unit.
C.
Smoke and/or heat detectors shall be installed in
the above-mentioned areas in accordance with the following guidelines:
(1)
In passageways, corridors, hallways, etc., smoke detectors
shall be installed a maximum of 30 feet apart, with the first detector
being not more than 15 feet from the end wall.
(2)
In areas such as furnace or boiler rooms, incinerator
rooms, elevator shafts, dumbwaiter shafts, utility or janitor closets
there shall be a minimum of at least one heat detector installed in
each such unit.
(3)
To assure protection for storage or other areas which might require more than one smoke or heat detector due to arrangement or dimension for any area, except those mentioned in Subsection C(1) above, there shall be a minimum of one smoke detector installed for each 800 square feet of open area or part thereof, and where required, there shall be a minimum of one heat detector installed for each 625 square feet of open area or part thereof.
(4)
At least one smoke detector shall be installed in
each stairway leading to an occupied area in such a manner as to assure
that rising smoke is not obstructed in reaching the detector and that
rising smoke cannot effectively bypass such detector.
(5)
Whenever possible, smoke and/or heat detectors should
be centrally located on the ceilings to assure maximum coverage.
Fire alarm systems shall, at each floor level:
A.
Have manually operated fire alarm signaling devices,
be mounted in durable boxes and be designed to transmit an alarm signal
to sounding devices on the premises.
B.
Be located in a public hall or passageway in the natural
path of escape from fire and be accessible on every story without
the necessity of first passing through a fire door or fire zone.
C.
Be located within 200 horizontal feet of any room
or any point on a story not divided into rooms.
D.
Be ready to operate at all times when activated.
E.
Be readily identifiable as such and have a conspicuous
exterior color and label.
F.
Be designed and used only for fire protection purposes.
Fire alarm systems shall:
A.
Be provided with devices designed to sound a clear,
audible alarm signal that is distinct from all signals made by other
sounding devices used in the vicinity. All fire alarm sounding devices
within a building shall be of the same type.
B.
Have sounding devices so located that the alarm is
audible in all parts of the building.
Fire alarm systems shall:
A.
Be supplied with electrical energy from both a main
source and from an auxiliary source, such as a battery supply or generator.
If a generator is used as an auxiliary source, automatic transfer
shall occur within 15 seconds of main power interruption.
B.
Have circuits for the transmission of alarms used
only for fire protection.
C.
Have all wiring and equipment installed in accordance
with Article 760, Fire Alarm Systems, National Electrical Code NFPA
No. 70.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
A.
Emergency lighting shall:
(1)
Be provided in multiple dwellings (11 units or more)
to illuminate adequately passenger elevators and exits.
(2)
Be designed and installed so as to permit occupants
to make their way safely out of the building in the event of failure
of the normal lighting.
(3)
Be furnished through an independent electrical wiring
system supplied from a main source, and from an auxiliary source.
B.
Means shall be provided for automatically transferring
the emergency lighting and power supply from the main source to the
auxiliary source within 15 seconds in the event of failure of the
main source.
A.
Exits in multiple dwellings (11 units or more) shall
be provided with exit and directional signs visible from the approach
to the exits.
B.
Directional signs shall be provided at locations from
which the exit doorway is not readily discernible.
C.
Such signs shall be worded in plainly legible block
letters with the word "exit" for exit signs and the words "to exit,"
with a suitable pointer or arrow indicating the direction of exit,
for directional signs. Letters for signs shall be conspicuous, readily
discernible and at least six inches high, except that, for internally
illuminated signs, the height of such letters shall be at least 4 1/2
inches.
D.
Exit and directional signs shall be illuminated either
externally or internally by electric lights and shall be kept illuminated
at all times when the building is occupied. Where a system of emergency
lighting is provided, electric lights illuminating exit and directional
signs shall be supplied with current from the emergency lighting system.
When such system is not provided, current shall be supplied from a
separate circuit or circuits controlled from a central location. Circuits
supplying exit and directional sign outlets shall supply no other
outlets.
It shall be the responsibility of the property
owner or agent to test, inspect and maintain any smoke or heat detector
and emergency lighting in accordance with the manufacturer's warranty
and/or suggested maintenance and to have a minimum of at least two
detectors on the site to replace defective detectors that cannot be
repaired. In addition, the property owner shall provide any tenant
access to a copy of the maintenance schedule, operating manual and
any other instructions or precautionary literature which the manufacturer
may supply.
Any person who violates or maintains a violation
of any provision of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of an offense
punishable by a fine not exceeding $250 or by imprisonment for a term
not exceeding 15 days, or both. Each day the violation continues shall
be deemed a separate offense.
