[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Monaca 5-14-1990
by Ord. No. 787. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire Department — See Ch.
16.
Fire prevention — See Ch.
127.
There are hereby adopted by the Borough of Monaca the fire control measures
and regulations as herein set forth for the purposes of controlling conditions
which could impede or interfere with fire suppression forces.
The Fire Prevention Code Official or duly authorized representatives
as may be in charge at the scene of a fire or other emergency involving the
protection of life and/or property are empowered to direct such operations
as may be necessary to extinguish or control any suspected or reported fires,
gas leaks or other hazardous conditions or situations or of taking any other
action necessary in the reasonable performance of their duty. The Fire Prevention
Code Official may prohibit any person, vehicle or object from approaching
the scene and may remove or cause to be removed any person, vehicle or object
which may impede or interfere with the operations of the Fire Department.
The Fire Prevention Code Official may remove or cause to be removed any person,
vehicle or object from a hazardous area. All persons ordered to leave a hazardous
area shall do so immediately and shall not reenter the area until authorized
to do so by the Fire Prevention Code Official.
It shall be unlawful to interfere with, attempt to interfere with, conspire
to interfere with, obstruct or restrict the mobility of or block the path
of travel of any Fire Department emergency vehicle in any way or to interfere
with, attempt to interfere with, conspire to interfere with, obstruct or hamper
any Fire Department operation.
A person shall not willfully fail or refuse to comply with any lawful
order or direction of the Fire Prevention Code Official and shall not interfere
with the compliance attempts of another individual.
A vehicle shall not be driven or propelled over any unprotected fire
hose of the Fire Department when laid down on any street, alleyway, private
drive or any other vehicular roadway without the consent of the Fire Prevention
Code Official in command of said operation.
A. Authorized emergency vehicles shall be restricted to
those which are defined and authorized under the laws of the state of Pennsylvania.
B. Upon the approach of any authorized emergency vehicle,
giving audible and visual signal, the operator of every other vehicle shall
immediately drive the same to a position as near as possible and parallel
to the right-hand edge or curb of the street or roadway, clear of any intersection,
and shall stop and remain in such position until the authorized emergency
vehicle or vehicles shall have passed, unless otherwise directed by the Fire
Prevention Code Official or a police officer.
[Amended 9-10-1996 by Ord. No. 822]
It shall be unlawful for the operator of any vehicle, other than one
on official business, to follow closer than 500 feet from any fire apparatus
traveling in response to a fire alarm or to drive any vehicle within the block
or immediate area where fire apparatus has stopped in answer to a fire alarm.
A person shall not, without proper authorization from the Fire Prevention
Code Official in charge of said Fire Department emergency equipment, cling
to, attach himself to, climb upon or into, board or swing upon any Fire Department
emergency vehicle, whether the same is in motion or at rest, or sound the
siren, horn, bell or other sound-producing device thereon or manipulate or
tamper with or attempt to manipulate or tamper with any levers on or a part
of any Fire Department emergency vehicle.
It shall be unlawful for any person to damage or deface or attempt or
conspire to damage or deface any Fire Department emergency vehicle at any
time or to injure or attempt or conspire to injure Fire Department personnel
while performing departmental duties.
The driver of any emergency vehicle, as defined in §
129-6 of this chapter, shall not sound the siren thereon or have the front red lights on or disobey any existing traffic regulation, except when said vehicle is responding to an emergency call or when responding to but not upon returning from a fire. Tactical strategies, such as but not restricted to move-ups, do not constitute an emergency call.
A. The driver of an emergency vehicle may:
(1) Park or stand irrespective of the provisions of existing
traffic regulations.
(2) Proceed past a red or stop signal or other sign but only
after slowing down as may be necessary for safe operation.
(3) Exceed the prima facie speed limit so long as the action
does not endanger life or property.
(4) Disregard regulations governing direction of movement
or turning in specified directions.
B. The exemptions herein granted to an emergency vehicle
shall apply only when the driver of any such vehicle, while in motion, sounds
an audible signal by bell, siren or exhaust whistle as may be reasonably necessary
and when the vehicle is equipped with at least one lighted lamp displaying
a red light visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of
500 feet from the front of such vehicle.
A. It shall be unlawful to obscure from view, damage, deface,
obstruct or restrict the access to any fire hydrant or any Fire Department
connection for the pressurization of fire suppression systems, including fire
hydrants and Fire Department connections that are located on public or private
streets and access lanes or on private property.
B. If, upon the expiration of the time mentioned in a notice
of violations, obstructions or encroachments are not removed, the Fire Prevention
Code Official shall proceed to remove the same. Costs incurred in the performance
of necessary work shall be paid from the municipal treasury on certificate
of the Fire Prevention Code Official and with the approval of the chief administrative
official, and the legal authority of the municipality shall institute appropriate
action for the recovery of such costs.
A person shall not use or operate any fire hydrant intended for use
of the Fire Department for fire suppression purposes unless such person first
secures a permit for such use from the Fire Prevention Code Official and the
water company having jurisdiction. This section shall not apply to the use
of such hydrants by a person employed by and authorized to make such use by
the water company having jurisdiction.
The Fire Prevention Code Official shall recommend to the chief administrative
official of the municipality the location or relocation of new or existing
fire hydrants and the placement of inadequate water mains located upon public
property and deemed necessary to provide an adequate fire flow and distribution
pattern. A fire hydrant shall not be placed into or removed from service until
approved by the Fire Prevention Code Official.
All new and existing shipyards, oil storage plants, lumberyards, amusement
or exhibition parks and educational or institutional complexes and similar
occupancies and uses involving high fire or life hazards and which are located
more than 150 feet from a public street or which require quantities of water
beyond the capabilities of the fire hydrants shall be capable of supplying
fire flows as required by the fire prevention code practices. The Fire Prevention Code Official shall designate and approve
the number and location of fire hydrants. The Fire Prevention Code Official
may require the installation of sufficient fire hose and equipment housed
in accordance with the approved rules and may require the establishment of
a trained fire brigade when the hazard involved requires such measures. Private
hydrants shall not be placed into or removed from service until approved by
the Fire Prevention Code Official.
A person shall not obstruct, remove, tamper with or otherwise disturb
any fire hydrant or fire appliance required to be installed or maintained
under the provisions of the fire prevention code except for the purpose of extinguishing fire, training or testing
purposes, recharging or making necessary repairs or when permitted by the
Fire Prevention Code Official. Whenever a fire appliance is removed as herein
permitted, it shall be replaced or reinstalled as soon as the purpose for
which it was removed has been accomplished. Defective and nonapproved fire
appliances or equipment shall be replaced or repaired as directed by the Fire
Prevention Code Official.
A person shall not sell, trade, loan or give away any form, type or
kind of fire extinguisher which is not approved by the Fire Prevention Code
Official or which is not in proper working order or the contents of which
do not meet the requirement of the Fire Prevention Code Official. The requirements
of this section shall not apply to the sale, trade or exchange of obsolete
or damaged equipment for junk when said units are permanently disfigured or
marked with a permanent sign identifying the unit as junk.
A person or persons shall not erect, construct, place or maintain any
bumps, fences, gates, chains, bars, pipes, wood or metal horses or any other
type of obstruction in or on any street within the boundaries of the municipality.
The word "street," as used in this chapter, shall mean any roadway accessible
to the public for vehicular traffic, including but not limited to private
streets or access lanes, as well as all public streets and highways within
the boundaries of the municipality.
[Added 9-10-1996 by Ord. No. 822]
Any person or persons, firm or corporation who shall violate any of
the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction before a District Justice,
be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000, plus the costs of prosecution,
and, in default of payment thereof, may be imprisoned in the Beaver County
Jail for not more than 30 days. Each day's violation shall constitute a separate
offense.