[Adopted 11-9-2009 by Ord. No. 1425-2009]
Firesafety compliance has always been and continues to be a
high priority for the Borough of Edgewater. Borough officials frequently
assess what can be done to assure the safety of all Borough residents,
and to that end, the Borough deems it necessary to implement fire
watch procedures when there exist substantial risks to life, safety
and property, including when all or part of the required fire protection
systems in Borough structures are intentionally interrupted for repairs
and maintenance, not functioning properly, not functioning at all,
or when they are damaged or destroyed by fire or other disaster. In
certain circumstances detailed herein, the Fire Official, or his designee,
is hereby authorized to order a fire watch for the affected structure
in order to ensure continued safety of residents during this period.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
A temporary measure intended to ensure continuous and systematic
surveillance of a building or portion(s) thereof by one or more qualified
individuals for the purpose of identifying and controlling fire hazards,
detecting early signs of an unwanted fire, raising an alarm of fire
to the occupants and notifying the Fire Department.
A.
A fire watch may be ordered by the Fire Official or his assigned
designee in public and privately owned buildings and or properties
within the Borough of Edgewater under the following circumstances:
(1)
Required fire-protection systems are out of service due to system
failure, repair, scheduled maintenance, vandalism, etc.;
(2)
A fire watch is requested by the building owner, tenant, or lessee;
(3)
Public and private events where 100 people or more are in attendance;
(4)
Events where with the approval of the Fire Official or his assigned
designee the posted occupancy load is exceeded;
(5)
All other situations deemed necessary by the Fire Official or his
assigned designee.
B.
A fire watch may include the maintaining of posted fire lanes, means
of egress, posted occupancy loads, enforcement of no smoking in posted
areas, building surveillance for signs of smoke or fire, checking
for proper permits, inspecting for proper safety precautions of cooking
equipment, and other functions as required by the Fire Official or
his assigned designee.
C.
Fire watches shall be performed by active members of the Borough
of Edgewater Fire Prevention Bureau, and or the Edgewater Fire Department.
In the event none of the above is available, other qualified individuals
may be utilized at the discretion of the Fire Official or his assigned
designee. Any qualified individuals used for the purposes of a fire
watch shall report directly to the Fire Official or his assigned designee,
who will report to the Administrator of the Borough of Edgewater.
[Amended 6-15-2015 by Ord. No. 1520-2015; 5-16-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-009]
A.
A fire watch shall be paid for by the building owner, tenant, lessee,
or organization for which the fire watch is requested or required,
as appropriate.
B.
All fire watch services not incurred by the Borough of Edgewater
shall be paid at the rate of $40 per hour per person.
C.
In the event a Borough fire apparatus is deemed necessary for said
fire watch, such apparatus shall be billed and paid for at a rate
of $25 per hour per apparatus.
D.
There shall be a minimum payment of four hours per person and per
apparatus, plus an additional 15% administrative fee.
E.
All payments shall be made within 10 days after service is provided.
F.
Payments shall be made payable to the Borough of Edgewater.
Any person, partnership, corporation, or other entity that violates
the provisions of this article shall be subject to the penalties as
set forth in the Uniform Fire Code.
