[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Lower
by Ord. No. 92-24 (Sec. 11-8 of the 1975 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended by Ord. No. 2002-26]
In each and every shopping center, multiple-dwelling group, industrial
park, office building, hotel, motel, school, institution or other place where
more than 50 persons congregate at the same time, hereafter constructed in
the Township of Lower, County of Cape May, State of New Jersey, in order to
provide adequate fire protection, the following minimum standards are hereby
established and required to be met:
A.
No shopping center or industrial area shall be constructed
unless it shall have water mains therein of at least 12 inches in size. If
a twelve-inch main installed in any shopping center or industrial area shall
not complete a good gridiron, then a sufficiently larger size water main shall
be installed to afford ample and proper fire protection, depending upon the
size, construction, layout and occupancy of the buildings.
B.
In multiple-dwelling groups, at least an eight-inch main
shall be installed, unless the circumstances in that particular multiple-dwelling
group meet the standards set forth hereinafter.
C.
Fire hydrants shall be spaced so that short hose lays
of 400 feet or less can be employed and so that there are a sufficient number
of hydrants within a reasonable distance to obtain the quantities of water
needed to handle a serious fire.
D.
In industrial areas and shopping centers, fire hydrants
shall be a maximum of 300 feet apart and so located that all buildings in
the complex can be reached by comparatively short hose lays of 400 feet or
less from more than one hydrant; spacing shall be the same for large individual
buildings of industrial or mercantile occupancy.
E.
In multiple housing developments, fire hydrants shall
be spaced not more than 500 feet apart, with additional fire hydrants located
as may be necessary so that all sides of the buildings can be reached with
short hose lays of 400 feet or less.
F.
Any water main extensions shall follow the residential
site improvement standards unless otherwise addressed by this chapter.
The owner of each and every shopping center, multiple-dwelling group,
industrial park, office building, hotel, motel, school, institution or other
place where more than 50 persons do or may congregate at the same time to
be constructed in the future shall submit to the subcode official and Fire
Commissioner and/or their designated representatives triplicate copies of
his plan or proposal to comply with this chapter. Upon the receipt of the
triplicate copies of such plan or proposal, the Fire Commissioner and/or his
designated representatives shall retain one copy thereof for his records,
file one copy thereof with the Township Engineer and file the remaining copy
of said plan or proposal with the water company which services the area in
which the proposed construction is to be erected.
The plans or proposals shall be reviewed in accordance with Chapter 345, Fire Zones, Lanes and Areas, of the Township Code.
No construction permit shall be issued for any developmental application
to the board for any application for commercial developments over 10,000 square
feet and for all residential developments of five units or more where the
distance to the nearest available service main is 1,000 feet or less. In such
cases, public water must be provided to the premises.
No fire hydrant shall be placed at the closed end of a turnaround of
a cul-de-sac unless the distance between the open end and the closed end is
greater than 500 feet, in which event fire hydrants shall be placed at both
the open and closed ends of the turnaround. Whenever a fire hydrant is located
in the closed end of a turnaround of a cul-de-sac, the water lines connected
to same shall be looped, and the plans for same shall be approved by the office
of the Bureau of Fire Safety or by the Commissioners, provided that the water
lines installed for such a hydrant may dead-end at the hydrant so long as
the flow capacity of the hydrant shall be no less at the closed end of the
turnaround than for the hydrant located at the open end, but in no event shall
such water lines be less than eight-inch mains, and there shall be no dead
end mains greater than 500 feet in length.
B.
Said flow capacities are to be rated by a flow measurement
test at a period of ordinary demand, the rating to be based on 20 pounds per
square inch of residual pressure when initial pressures exceed 40 pounds per
square inch. When initial pressures are less than 40 pounds per square inch,
residual pressure shall be at least half the initial pressures.
All fire hydrants shall be painted in accordance with the following
schedule:
All fire hydrants installed in the municipality shall have no less than
two-and-one-half-inch hose connection nozzles and one four-and-one-half-inch
pumper nozzle. All threads are to conform to a national standard designated
by the office of the Bureau of Fire Safety or, if no such office exists, then
by the Commissioners.
Each public hydrant shall be marked or identified by numbers no less
than three inches high placed upon the steamer connection and below the bonnet,
where feasible, indicating the size main in inches, to which the hydrant is
connected. Such markings or identification shall be painted on each hydrant,
shall face the street or, in the absence of a public street, the direction
from which reasonably might be expected responding fire apparatus, and notwithstanding
the foregoing the size and color of such marking or identification shall be
readily visible to a person with 20/20 vision from a distance of 75 feet in
daylight and in clear weather.
The Bureau of Fire Safety shall inspect such hydrants to ensure compliance
herewith.
Any person, firm, corporation or other entity who or which shall violate
any provision of this chapter shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $500
or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days, or both, and each day
in which such violation continues shall constitute a separate violation or
offense. This penalty provision shall be construed as an addition to and not
in place of any other remedies available in law or in equity.
