[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of
the City of Bangor 10-23-2006 by Ord. No. 06-341.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed
former Ch. 81, Building Code, adopted 7-14-2003 by Ord. No. 03-220.
[Amended 11-22-2010 by Ord. No. 11-010]
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
In accordance with 30-A M.R.S.A. § 3003,
as the same may be amended from time to time, the Maine Uniform Building
and Energy Code is hereby adopted and incorporated by reference as
the minimum standard for the construction, alteration, addition, repair,
removal, demolition, use, location, occupancy, and maintenance of
all buildings and structures and their service equipment, both existing
and proposed, located within the City of Bangor.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
The Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code.
[Added 10-15-2008 by Ord. No. 08-298]
A.
CITY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER
Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context
otherwise indicates, the following term has the following meaning:
A communications center established or authorized by the
City that provides police, fire, and emergency medical dispatch services
and any emergency command post established by the City to support
emergency services response to any natural or man-made disaster or
a mass gathering.
B.
Scope. This section applies to:
(1)
Large new buildings. This section shall apply to any newly constructed building receiving a building permit after the date this section goes into effect that is greater than 40,000 square feet and classified for use and occupancy under the version of the International Building Code adopted in § 81-1 of the Code of the City of Bangor as:
(2)
Large existing buildings. Upon the modification, alteration, or repair of an existing building designated in one of the classes listed under Subsection B(1) of this section that is greater than 40,000 square feet or will be greater than 40,000 square feet upon completion of the modification, alteration, or repair, this section shall apply to the entire building if:
(a)
Alterations or repairs are made within a twelve-month
period at a cost of 50% or more of the assessed value of the building
prior to modification; or
(b)
The usable floor area is expanded or enlarged
by more than 50% within a twelve-month period; or
(c)
The usable floor area is expanded or enlarged
by more than 40,000 square feet within a twelve-month period.
(3)
Buildings with a large basement occupant load. This section shall apply to the basement of a building designated in one of the classes listed under Subsection B(1) of this section in which the occupant load below street level is greater than 100 persons, regardless of the actual occupancy, provided that:
(a)
The building is newly constructed, receiving
a building permit after the date this section goes into effect;
(b)
Alterations or repairs are made to the building
within a twelve-month period at a cost of 50% or more of the assessed
value of the building prior to modification; or
(c)
Alterations or repairs are made to the building
within a twelve-month period which result in the occupant load below
street level of the building increasing by more than 50% or 100 persons.
(4)
Sublevel parking structures. This section shall apply
to the sublevel portion of any parking structure in which the area
below street level is greater than 10,000 square feet, provided that:
(a)
The parking structure is newly constructed,
receiving a building permit after the date this section goes into
effect;
(b)
Alterations or repairs are made to the parking
structure within a twelve-month period at a cost of 50% or more of
the assessed value of the parking structure prior to modification;
or
(c)
Alterations or repairs are made to the parking
structure within a twelve-month period which result in the area below
street level increasing by more than 50% or 10,000 square feet.
C.
Radio coverage.
(1)
Prohibition. Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person may not erect, construct, or modify a building or structure or any part thereof that is subject to this section in accordance with Subsection B above if that building or structure fails to support adequate radio coverage for firefighters, police officers, or emergency medical services personnel.
(2)
Frequency range. The Chief of Police and Fire Chief
or their designee or designees, in consultation with the appropriate
police, fire, and emergency medical services personnel, shall determine
the frequency range or ranges that must be supported under this section.
D.
Required radio field strength inbound to the building
or structure.
(1)
Required minimum average radio field strength. Except as provided in Subsection D(2), for inbound communications, a minimum average radio field strength of one microvolt for analog systems and five microvolts for digital systems is required throughout 85% of the area of each floor of the building when transmitted from the City communications center, or, alternatively, a designee of the Chief of Police or Fire Chief must determine that 85% of the area of each floor of the building or structure meets a minimum signal level of DAQ 3.5 (delivered audio quality) as set forth in the following chart:
Delivered Audio Quality Definitions
| |
---|---|
DAQ
(Delivered Audio Quality)
|
Subjective Performance Description
|
1
|
Unusable, speech present but unreadable
|
2
|
Understandable with considerable effort; frequent
repetition due to noise/distortion
|
3
|
Speech understandable with slight effort; occasional
repetition required due to noise/distortion
|
3.5
|
Speech understandable with repetition only rarely
required; some noise/distortion
|
4
|
Speech easily understood; occasional noise/distortion
|
4.5
|
Speech easily understood; infrequent noise/distortion
|
5
|
Speech easily understood
|
(2)
Exception. If the radio field strength outside the
building or structure where the receiving antenna system is located
is less than one microvolt for analog systems and five microvolts
for digital systems and less than 85% of the area of each floor of
the building or structure meets a minimum signal level of DAQ 3.5
(delivered audio quality), the minimum average radio field strength
for inbound communications must be equal to or greater than the radio
field strength that is delivered to the receiving antenna of the building
or structure.
E.
Required radio strength outbound from building or structure. For outbound communications transmitted to the City communications center, a minimum average radio signal strength of one microvolt for analog systems and five microvolts for digital systems is required, or, alternatively, a designee of the Chief of Police or Fire Chief must determine that 85% of the area of each floor of the building or structure meets a minimum signal level of DAQ 3.5 (delivered audio quality) as set forth in the chart in Subsection D(1) above.
F.
Amplification; authorization required. If amplification
is used in the communications system of a building or structure, all
necessary authorizations from the Federal Communications Commission
must be obtained prior to the use of the system. Copies of such authorizations
must be available to the City communications center on request.
G.
Enhanced amplification systems.
(1)
Enhancements. If, in order to achieve adequate radio
signal strength under this chapter, a building or structure must enhance
its communications systems, the building or structure may use any
of the following:
(2)
Battery. If any part of the enhanced amplification
system installed to achieve adequate radio signal strength under this
chapter contains an electrically powered component, the system must
be capable of operating on an independent battery or generator system
for a period of at least eight hours without external power input
or maintenance. Any independent battery system used pursuant to this
subsection must automatically charge in the presence of external power.
The building owner, controller, or occupant shall check the status
of the battery backup at the same time as required by the Fire Prevention
Code for checking the emergency lighting battery backup.
(3)
Environmental controls. Amplification equipment installed
pursuant to this section must meet applicable heating, ventilation,
cooling, and humidity requirements as stipulated by the manufacturer's
installation instructions.
(4)
Physical location of equipment. The control box for
amplification equipment installed pursuant to this section must be
clearly marked "Emergency Communications" and physically located in
an area that:
(5)
Provision of information to City communications center.
The owner of a building or a structure subject to this chapter shall
provide the following to the City communications center:
(a)
A building or structure plan indicating the
location of the amplification equipment and associated antenna systems,
including a view showing routes(s) of access to the equipment; and
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
(b)
Schematic drawings of the electrical equipment,
backup power equipment, antenna system, and any other equipment associated
with the amplification equipment.
H.
Ground system.
(1)
Single point; internal tie. The communications system,
including any amplification systems, cable, and antenna systems, of
a building or structure subject to this chapter must be grounded with
a single-point ground system of five ohms or less. The ground system
must include an internal tie point within three feet of any amplification
equipment.
(2)
Protection. System transient suppression and grounding
protection are required for the telephone circuits, alternating-current
circuits, and radio frequency cabling in communications systems of
buildings and structures subject to this chanter.
I.
Testing.
(1)
Testing procedure. Tests of the communications systems
pursuant to this chapter must be coordinated with the City communications
center. Such testing must be conducted on actual emergency services
frequencies authorized by the Federal Communications Commission.
(2)
Measurement guidelines. Measurements for testing communications
equipment pursuant to this chapter must be in accordance with following
guidelines:
(a)
Measurements must be made with a service monitor
using a unity gain antenna on a small ground plane;
(b)
Measurements must be made with the antenna held
in a vertical position at three to four feet above the floor;
(c)
A calibrated service monitor may be used to
conduct testing;
(d)
Where simultaneous measurements for purposes
of verifying the accuracy of the measurements are made, a variance
of three decibels between instruments is permissible;
(e)
If varying measurements in one location are
obtained, the measurement for that location is the average of those
varying measurements;
(f)
Signal strength must be measured in stairwells
and parking areas;
(g)
The building or structure must be divided into
fifty-foot grids, and measurements must be taken as close as possible
to the center of each grid.
(3)
Initial test. The initial test of the communications
system of a building or structure subject to this chapter must be
conducted, at no expense to the City communications center, in the
presence of a designee of the Chief of Police or Fire Chief.
(4)
Annual test. A designee of the Chief of Police or
Fire Chief shall conduct annual tests of the communications system
of the building or structure, at no expense to the building owner.
(5)
If the communications system of a building or structure
fails to demonstrate adequate radio coverage, the owner of the building
or structure shall remedy the problem and restore the functioning
of the communications system consistent with the requirements of this
chapter. In such instances, a designee of the Chief of Police or Fire
Chief may retest the communications system at no expense to the building
owner.
J.
Violations and penalties. Whoever violates the provisions
of this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than $100
for each offense. Each day a violation exists shall constitute a separate
offense.