[Adopted as §§ 8-1 through
8-6 of the 1971 Revised General Ordinances]
A.
Adoption by reference. There is hereby adopted, for
the purpose of providing fire protection and prevention and prescribing
regulations governing conditions hazardous to life and property from
fire, that certain code known as the “BOCA Basic Fire Prevention
Code, 1996” issued by the Building Officials and Code Administrators
International, Inc., being particularly the 1996 Edition thereof,
and the whole thereof, save and except such portions as are hereinafter
deleted, modified, changed or amended, and the same are hereby adopted
and incorporated as fully as if set out at length herein, and the
provisions thereof shall be controlling within the corporate limits
of the Township. Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:49-5.1 et seq., the aforesaid
code, which is printed in book form, is adopted by reference thereto,
and a copy of the printed code plainly marked to indicate deletions,
modifications, changes and amendments thereto as hereinafter shown
is annexed to this article and shall be a part of it as if fully as
though it had been set forth at length herein.
[Amended 5-5-1981 by Ord. No. 81-4; 4-1-2008 by Ord. No.
2008-3]
B.
Public record. Three copies of the printed code have
been placed on file in the office of the Township Clerk for the use
and examination of the public.
C.
Amendments to code. The aforesaid code is amended
and changed in the following respects:
(1)
Whenever the word "municipality" is used in the code,
it shall mean the Township of Stillwater.
D.
Enforcement by Bureaus of Fire Prevention.
(1)
A Bureau of Fire Prevention is hereby established
in both of the two voluntary Fire Departments in the Township. It
shall be the function and duty of each Bureau to enforce the Fire
Prevention Code in that area of the Township in which its voluntary
Fire Department has primary jurisdiction, and each Bureau shall be
operated under the general supervision of its department's Fire Chief.
(2)
A Director of each Bureau of Fire Prevention shall
be appointed by the respective Fire Chiefs, and such appointments
shall be subject to approval by the Township Committee. Upon approval,
such appointments shall continue during good behavior and satisfactory
service. No Director shall be removed from office except for cause
after public hearings.
(3)
The Chiefs of both voluntary Fire Departments may
detail such members of their respective departments as inspectors
as shall from time to time be necessary. The Chiefs of both voluntary
Fire Departments may recommend to the Township Committee the employment
of technical inspectors who, when such authorization is made, shall
be selected through an examination to determine their fitness for
the position. The examination shall be open to members and nonmembers
of both voluntary Fire Departments and appointments made after examination
shall be for an indefinite term with removal only for cause.
(4)
Both Fire Prevention Bureaus shall make and transmit
annual reports to the Township Committee; they shall contain all the
proceedings under this code with such statistics as the Chiefs of
both voluntary Fire Departments may wish to include therein. The Chiefs
of both voluntary Fire Departments may also recommend any amendments
to the code which in their respective judgments shall be desirable.
E.
Modification of code. Both Directors of the Bureaus
of Fire Prevention shall have the power to modify any of the provisions
of the Fire Prevention Code upon application in writing by the owner
or lessee, or his duly authorized agent, when there are practical
difficulties in the way of carrying out the strict letter of the code,
provided that the spirit of the code is observed, public safety secured
and substantial justice done. Particulars of such modification when
granted or allowed and the decision of the head of the particular
Bureau of Fire Prevention involved shall be entered upon the records
of that Department, and a signed copy shall be furnished to the applicant.
Whenever the Chief of either voluntary fire
department disapproves an application or refuses to grant the permit
applied for, or when it is claimed that the provisions of the code
do not apply or that the true intent and meaning of the code have
been misconstrued or wrongly interpreted, the applicant may appeal
from the decision of the Chief of that Fire Department to the Township
committee within 30 days from the date of the decision appealed.
The limits referred to in Section 16.61 of the
Fire Prevention Code, in which new bulk plants for flammable or combustible
liquids are prohibited, are hereby established as the entire Township.
The limits referred to in Section 12-5b of the
Fire Prevention Code, in which storage of explosives and blasting
agents is prohibited, are hereby established as the entire Township.
The limits referred to in Section 21-6a of the
Fire Prevention Code, in which bulk storage of liquefied petroleum
gas is restricted, are hereby established as the entire Township.
The Committeeman designated by the Township
Committee for purposes of liaison with the volunteer fire companies
in the Township, both Chiefs of the two volunteer fire departments
and the heads of the two Bureaus of Fire Prevention shall act as a
committee to determine and list, after giving affected persons an
opportunity to be heard, any new materials, processes or occupancies
which require permits, in addition to those now enumerated in the
code. The heads of the two Bureaus of Fire Prevention shall post such
list in a conspicuous place in their respective offices and distribute
copies thereof to interested persons.
