[Adopted 12-14-2009 by Ord. No. 2008-21; amended in its entirety 4-12-2010 by Ord. No.
2010-11]
The purpose of this article is to ensure that no licensed automobile
junkyard or automobile salvage yard shall pose a hazard to the health,
safety and welfare of persons or property both within the Town of
Johnston and in the surrounding communities.
No license shall be granted for an automobile junkyard or automobile
salvage yard under this article unless the following requirements
concerning fire prevention are satisfied:
A.
The facility has submitted a fire-protection plan stamped by a fire-protection
engineer (FPE) and approved by the Fire Chief of the Town, or his
or her designee; and
B.
The facility has submitted site locator plans, site sketches, and
operating plans to the Fire Chief for his or her review and approval
so as to provide emergency service whenever so required.
The following required elements must be included in the facility's
fire-protection plan:
A.
All buildings located at the facility shall be equipped with portable
fire extinguishers.
B.
All facility equipment, including but not limited to dozers, front-end
loaders and compactors, shall be supplied with fire extinguishers.
C.
The facility shall be completely enclosed by contiguous fencing not
less than six feet in height. All access gates shall be designated
with a sign and shall be colored with fire lane designated coloring.
D.
The facility shall be equipped with continuous security monitoring
with video capabilities encompassing the entire fenced-in enclosure
of the facility.
E.
The facility shall install at least two access gates, each located
at opposing ends of the facility. To ensure that access gates are
wide enough to accommodate Fire Department vehicles, said gates shall
be not less than 22 feet in width.
F.
Overnight piles of stacked cars shall be restricted to the dimensions
40 feet by 40 feet by 14 feet and shall be separated on all sides
by twenty-foot fire lanes which are clearly marked.
G.
The facility shall not permit any storage piles within 10 feet of
any property line or 25 feet of any building.
H.
The facility shall be equipped with a hydrant system and/or standpipe
provision that will achieve a maximum hose line radius of 150 feet
and 30 feet of hose stream. Said system shall be clearly marked with
appropriate signage.
I.
The facility shall maintain an emergency lighting system with signage
clearly indicating the location of the lighting control panel or switches
and access to activation instructions.
J.
The telephone number of the Fire Department and location of the nearest
telephones shall be posted conspicuously in working locations in the
open yard and in each building.
K.
Tanks or drums shall be stored in piles separate from piles of other
materials.
L.
Piles or containers with metal shavings, turnings, and dusts shall
be stored in an area separate from other salvage materials and identified
with warning signs indicating the type of metal, the fact that it
is combustible, and the warning not to use water to extinguish any
fire.
A.
The roof of a building located in a salvage yard shall not be used
for storage purposes.
B.
Fires shall not be permitted in a facility except when used for heating
purposes or for operating machinery or welding or cutting equipment.
C.
No automobile shall be subjected to salvage operations unless and
until the gas tank, fuel cells, powers supply, battery, and safety
restraint system (SRS)have been removed prior to the vehicle's being
stacked more than one high or being crushed. The processing of the
tires removed from the vehicles shall be in accordance with an approved
fire-protection and safety plan approved by the Town Fire Marshal.
D.
Storage piles of material other than stacked cars or processed material
shall not exceed 12 feet in height.
E.
For a metals-processing facility, storage piles of processed material
shall not exceed 30 feet in height.
F.
No vegetation shall be allowed to grow or accumulate within the area
immediately surrounding the access gates, nor shall snow be allowed
to accumulate within this specified area.
The Fire Chief or his or her designee is authorized to conduct
random, unannounced inspections of facilities licensed or registered
under this regulation to insure continued compliance with the approved
fire-protection plan and regulations described in this article.
A.
If any facility, notified by the Fire Chief at the time of inspection,
is found to be in noncompliance with the approved plan and/or regulations,
said facility shall immediately cease operation until such time as
it corrects any deficiency and the Fire Chief or his or her designee
finds the facility is in compliance with the approved fire-protection
plan and regulations.
B.
If the Fire Chief finds that any facility is in violation of the
fire-protection plan or any of the prohibitions described throughout
this article on three separate inspections, within any three-year
lime period, the Fire Chief shall petition the Town Council to have
the facility's license revoked.
