[Adopted 12-17-1974 as L.L. No. 10-1974]
Fire regulations are formulated by the Nassau
County Fire Commission. The Board of Trustees of the Village of Great
Neck Plaza believes that it would be in the best interests of its
residents to exercise its police power by adopting these regulations
so that there may be local enforcement of these regulations.
As used in this Article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Any restaurant, banquet hall, cafeteria, coffee shop, diner
or other place where food is served.
Any place where persons may assemble for civic, political,
religious, social, recreational, educational or other purposes.
The following regulations are applicable to
all public assembly and/or eating places.
Where a certificate of compliance showing the
permissible capacity is issued by the village, it must be conspicuously
posted and readily available to the fire inspector. Where no such
certificate is issued or available, the capacity of the premises shall
be based on one person per 15 square feet of floor space seated at
tables or booths of the dining area and one person per three square
feet of floor space standing, or six square feet seated at bars or
counters.
The number of exits shall be as follows:
|
Number of Persons
|
Minimum Number of Exits
|
|---|---|
|
300 or fewer
|
2
|
|
301 to 600
|
3
|
|
601 to 1,200
|
4
|
A.
Exits must be as remote from each other as possible.
B.
On the grade floor, the distance to any exit shall
not exceed 100 feet for buildings erected on and after July 1, 1957;
before July 1, 1957, 125 feet. Where the New York State Uniform Fire
Prevention and Building Code applies, 150 feet if unsprinklered and
200 feet if sprinklered.
C.
Above and below the grade floor, the distance to any
exit shall not exceed 100 feet if unsprinklered and 150 feet if sprinklered.
The number and width of doors and stairways
shall be determined by the capacity of the places, floors or tiers
they serve.
A.
No single exit door shall be less than 40 inches in
width in new construction or 36 inches in existing construction, except
that individual doors in double doors or banks of doors shall be not
less than 24 inches in width in new construction and 22 inches in
existing construction.
B.
The capacity of doorways shall be based on 50 people
per foot of door width.
C.
Only 50% of width of main entrance door or doors may
be used in figuring capacity.
Every door serving as a means of exit shall
swing in the direction of egress.
No exit door shall be locked, bolted or otherwise
fastened, except by locking devices approved by the Fire Marshal.
When the premises are occupied, the door must be openable from the
inside by pressure on the door or on an approved panic release device.
No aisle shall be less than 36 inches in width.
Aisles leading to an exit shall be equal in width to the exit (except
in theaters and schools).
Required exits shall not lead through a kitchen,
serving pantry, boiler room, storage room or other place of similar
hazard.
Internally illuminated exit signs shall be provided
over all exit doors or equivalent opening forming part of an exit.
Lighted directional signs shall be provided, as required. All signs
shall have letters at least six inches in height.
No source of illumination shall be provided,
except electricity. Decorative candles may be used on dining tables
when enclosed in stable, hurricane-type holders.
Automatic emergency lighting must be provided
to light all exits, stairways and passageways, as designated by the
Fire Marshal.
A.
Basement storage will only be permitted in rooms of
one-hour fire resistance rating, with Underwriters' Laboratories labeled
Class C self-closing fire doors and fire door assemblies.
B.
All basement ceilings must have a one-hour minimum
rating.
C.
No storage will be permitted around or under any stairs.
A.
In new construction, stairs from basement to first
floor must be fully enclosed by fire-resistive partitions, one-hour
minimum rating, with Underwriters' Laboratories labeled Class C self-closing
fire doors and assemblies at top and bottom.
B.
In existing buildings where the basement ceiling is
fire-retarded, as provided in No. 18, an Underwriters' Laboratories
labeled Class C self-closing fire door and assembly at the head or
foot of the stairs may be accepted at the discretion of the Fire Marshal.
A.
Central heating plants in new construction must be
in a room of fire-resistive material, two-hour minimum rating, with
Underwriters' Laboratories labeled Class B self-closing fire door
and assembly. In existing construction, one-hour rating and Class
C door will be accepted.
B.
Adequate air supply and ventilation for heating plant
must be obtained directly from outside.
C.
Overhead oil- or gas-fired heaters may be used when
installed in accordance with national standards and where approved
by the Fire Marshal.
D.
No portable space heaters will be permitted.
A.
All combustible curtains, drapes and/or decorations
shall be rendered flameproof, and a certificate shall be kept readily
available for the inspector, showing the date of flameproofing, life
of the flameproofing and by whom flameproofing was done.
B.
In existing buildings, all combustible ceilings, walls
and woodwork shall be replaced, covered or treated with a fire-retardant
coating satisfactory to the Fire Marshal.
Underwriters' Laboratories approved fire extinguishers
shall be provided, as required by the Fire Marshal. Fifteen-pound
CO2 or equivalent dry powder extinguishers
will be required for boiler rooms; ten-pound CO2 or equivalent dry powder extinguishers for kitchens; and two-and-one-half-gallon
water-type extinguishers for other areas.
No place of public assembly shall be permitted
in a building any part of which is used for a hazardous occupancy
such as, but not limited to:
No Class I or Class II flammable liquids shall
be kept or stored on the premises.
A.
Kitchens and serving pantries must be cut off from
the remainder of the premises with fire-resistive walls and ceilings
of two-hour minimum rating in new construction and one-hour for existing
construction.
B.
Door openings between kitchens and/or pantries and
the dining rooms they serve shall be protected by Underwriters' Laboratories
labeled Class B self-closing fire doors and assemblies in new construction
and Class C in existing construction.
C.
Serving counter openings must be protected by automatic
two-hour rated, self-closing doors in new construction and one-hour
in existing construction or by automatic sprinklers.
D.
If kitchens and pantries are protected by an automatic
sprinkler system, fire resistance rating of walls and ceilings may
be reduced to one hour and doors to Class C in new construction.
E.
View panels will be permitted in fire doors, provided
that they are protected by one-fourth-inch clear wire glass of not
more than 100 square inches in area in Class B doors and not more
than 1,296 square inches in Class C doors.
A.
Range hoods must comply with Pamphlet No. 96 National
Fire Protection Association.
B.
Hoods equal to the length and breadth of the ranges
and cooking equipment shall be provided. They shall be not more than
seven feet above the floor and shall not be within 18 inches of any
combustible material. Where 18 inches clearance is required to unprotected
combustible material, the clearance may be reduced to that indicated
below when the combustible material is protected as follows:
|
Type of Protection
|
Clearance
(inches)
|
|---|---|
|
1/4-inch asbestos millboard spaced
out 1 inch on noncombustible spacers
|
12
|
|
28-gauge sheet metal on 1/4-inch asbestos
millboard
|
12
|
|
28-gauge sheet metal spaced out 1 inch
on noncombustible spacers
|
9
|
|
28-gauge sheet metal on 1/8-inch asbestos
millboard spaced out 1 inch on noncombustible spacers
|
19
|
|
l/4-inch asbestos millboard on 1-inch
mineral wool bats reinforced with wire mesh or equivalent
|
6
|
|
22-gauge sheet metal on 1-inch mineral
wool bats reinforced with wire mesh or equivalent
|
3
|
|
NOTES:
|
|
1 Asbestos
millboard referred to above is a different material than asbestos
cementboard. It is not intended that asbestos cementboard be used
in complying with these requirements.
|
C.
"Combustible material" as pertaining to materials
adjacent to or in contact with heat-producing appliances, chimneys,
chimney connectors, vents, vent connectors, steam and hot-water pipes,
warm-air ducts, grease ducts and rubbish chutes means material made
of or surfaced with wood, compressed paper, plant fibers or other
material that will ignite and burn. Such material shall be considered
as combustible even though flameproofed, fire-retardant treated or
plastered.
D.
Hoods shall be provided with mechanical exhaust ducts,
which shall be connected to an independent chimney or stack, insulated
from contact with combustible material and terminating above the roof.
E.
All hood and duct seams and joints shall have a liquidtight
external weld.
F.
Exhaust ducts must be provided with an adequate number
of access doors for easy inspection and cleaning.
G.
Hoods, ducts, chimneys and stacks must be cleaned
as often as may be necessary, but not less than twice a year. A record
shall be kept available for the inspector, showing date of cleaning
and by whom cleaned.
H.
Electric wiring under hoods shall be in conduit, and
all fixtures shall be vaporproof.
A.
An automatic fire-extinguishing system must be installed
to protect hoods, ducts, chimneys, stacks, deep fat fryers and broilers.
Range top protection is also required and all systems must be installed
in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association Standard
No. 96. Special engineered systems may be used if approved by the
Fire Marshal.
B.
All gas-operated equipment in the kitchen shall be
provided with an automatic shutoff device activated by the extinguishing
system. The shutoff device must be designed so that it can only be
reset manually. Operation of this valve shall not interrupt the supply
of gas to any other areas in the building. A metal tag shall be affixed
to the cylinder giving the location of the shutoff valve.
C.
Automatic shutoff devices shall also be provided for
electric deep fat fryers, ranges and griddles. New electric deep fat
fryers shall be equipped with a separate high limit control in addition
to the adjustable operating control (thermostat) to shut off fuel
or energy in the event that fat exceeds a temperature of 425°
F.
D.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) systems
shall be equipped with an automatic exhaust fan shutoff device activated
by the extinguishing system.
E.
Exhaust fans must remain on when dry chemical systems
are activated.
F.
Plans for automatic extinguishing systems and shutoff
devices must be submitted to the Nassau County Fire Marshal for approval
prior to installation.
G.
Automatic extinguishing systems shall be inspected
every six months by a qualified person engaged in such work. A tag
attesting to this inspection shall be affixed to the supply cylinder
of the system, showing the date and by whom the work was performed.
Properly rated BC extinguishers shall be provided,
as required by the Fire Marshal (minimum 20 BC rating).
A.
All new automatic extinguishing system installations
must comply with all of the above regulations.
B.
Any alterations, additional or modifications to existing automatic extinguishing system installations will necessitate full compliance with § 114-3 above.
C.
It shall be the responsibility of the owner or operator
of the business and the authorized installer to complete the installation
in compliance with the manufacturer's specifications and the requirements
of the Fire Marshal's Office.
The Chief Fire Inspector of the village as well
as those fire inspectors operating under his supervision shall have
the power to enforce the provisions of this Article.
Any person who violates a provision of this
Article shall be liable to pay a penalty not to exceed $250 or imprisoned
for a period not exceeding 15 days, or both, for each day that said
violation continues.
