[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.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire control measures — See Ch. 313.
Fire districts — See Ch. 318.
Tampering with fire-fighting equipment — See Ch. 324.
Fire prevention — See Ch. 340.
Fire zones, lanes and areas — See Ch. 345.
[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 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.
A. 
All fire hydrants shall be classified as follows:
(1) 
Class A: flow capacity greater than 1,000 GPM.
(2) 
Class B: flow capacity of 500 to 1,000 GPM.
(3) 
Class C: flow capacity of less than 500 GPM.
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:
A. 
The tops and nozzle caps shall be painted with the color indicated for each of the following classes:
(1) 
Class A: green.
(2) 
Class B: orange.
(3) 
Class C: red.
B. 
All fire hydrant barrels will be painted with yellow or white fluorescent paint.
C. 
The owner of any existing fire hydrants, including water companies, shall comply with this chapter by one year from adoption of this chapter.
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.
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.