A.
This article applies to the storage and handling of cellulose-nitrate
motion-picture film, hereafter referred to as "nitrate film" or "flammable
motion-picture film." Film having a cellulose-acetate or other approved
slow-burning base, marked "safety film," is exempt from the provisions
of this article.
B.
COMMISSIONER
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
The Fire Commissioner of the City of Yonkers.
A.
It shall be unlawful to store, keep or handle nitrocellulose motion-picture
film without having obtained a permit from the Fire Commissioner.
The application shall include the name and address of the applicant,
the location of the premises, the other purposes for which the building
is used, the nature of the business in which the applicant is engaged
in the building and such other information as the Commissioner may
require. Application for each permit shall be accompanied by a permit
fee. Each such permit or renewal thereof shall expire on December
31 next following its issuance and may be renewed for a period of
one year from the date of expiration upon application and payment
of a permit fee. No such permit shall be issued or renewed until the
Commissioner, after inspection, has been satisfied that the other
provisions of this article, the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention
and Building Code and the Yonkers City Code have been complied with.
In the event of any conflict between the Code of the City of Yonkers
and the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code,
the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code shall
govern.
B.
The permit fee authorized hereunder shall be set by the Fire Commissioner,
subject to the approval of the Mayor, and shall be effective 48 hours
after posting in the office of the City Clerk.
C.
No person shall sell, lease or otherwise dispose of any nitrate motion-picture
film to any person not having a permit to handle, use or display such
film.
No permit for the storage and use of flammable motion-picture
films shall be issued for any building:
A.
Which is situated within 100 feet of the nearest wall of any building
occupied as a hospital, church, school, theater or other place of
public amusement or assembly.
B.
Which is occupied as a tenement house, hospital, dwelling or hotel.
C.
Which is of wooden construction.
D.
Which does not contain one or more separate rooms, booth included,
used exclusively for the storage and use of such film.
Storage of nitrate motion-picture film not in process or being
worked on shall be in accordance with the following:
A.
Except as provided in Subsection C of this section, amounts in excess of 25 pounds (five standard rolls) but not in excess of 1,000 pounds (200 standard rolls) shall be kept in approved cabinets or in vaults.
B.
Amounts in excess of 1,000 pounds shall be kept in vaults.
C.
Unexposed nitrate film enclosed in the original, unbroken, shipping
cases, conforming to I.C.C. regulations, shall be kept in a sprinklered
room; if the amount exceeds 750 pounds (150 standard rolls), it shall
be stored in a room used for no other purpose.
A.
Cabinets shall be of approved construction and shall have a capacity
not in excess of 375 pounds (75 standard rolls).
B.
Every cabinet having a capacity of over 50 pounds of film shall be
provided with a vent to the outside of the building. The vent shall
have a minimum effective sectional area of 14 square inches per 100
pounds of film capacity. Vent flues shall be of construction equivalent
to 18 U.S. gauge sheet metal (riveted) and, where inside the building,
shall be covered with one-inch approved heat-insulating material.
All cabinets shall be provided with a least one sprinkler.
C.
Film in cabinets shall be in individual roll containers or in I.C.C.
shipping containers. Materials other than film shall not be stored
in the same cabinet with film. Where cabinets are provided with individual
insulated compartments for each roll, the individual rolls stored
therein need not be in cans or other containers.
A.
All nitrate film shall be kept in closed containers except during
the actual time it is being worked upon or examined.
B.
Nitrate film shall not be placed or kept under benches, tables or
other surfaces which would shield it from the discharge of sprinklers.
C.
Scrap nitrate film shall be kept separate from wastepaper, safety
film and rags and shall be kept under water at all times. It shall
be collected from workrooms at least once daily and removed from the
building.
D.
Discarded film in full or part rolls shall be kept in containers
in vaults.
E.
Scrap film shall not be burned or baled.
All examining, rewinding of reels, repairing or piecing together
of flammable motion-picture films shall be done in a booth, room or
compartment used for no other purpose and separated from the rest
of the building by fireproof partitions and self-closing fire-resisting
doors.
No celloidin, amylacetate or other similar flammable cement
or liquid in quantities greater than one quart shall be kept in a
room where flammable motion-picture films are stored or repaired.
No heat other than steam or hot-water heat and no stove, forge,
torch, boiler, furnace, flame or fire and no electric or other appliance
likely to produce an exposed spark shall be allowed in any booth,
room or compartment where flammable motion-picture films are stored,
displayed, used or repaired.
Motion-picture projectors shall not be operated except when
located in enclosures constructed, equipped and maintained in accordance
with the requirements of this section.
A.
Construction.
(1)
Motion-picture projectors shall be operated or set up for operation
only within an approved enclosure not less than eight feet wide, 10
feet deep and eight feet high for one projection machine and not less
than 14 feet wide, 10 feet deep and eight feet high for two machines
and not less than 60 square feet of floor space for each additional
machine.
(2)
The walls and ceilings of the booth shall have a fire-resistive rating
of at least two hours. Only noncombustible material shall be used
in the wall construction, and all joints therein shall be tight enough
to prevent the discharge of smoke. The floor shall have a fire-resistive
rating of at least 2 1/2 hours and extend under and to the outside
edge of all walls. Floor-surfacing materials shall be cemented to
the supporting floor.
B.
Two openings for each motion-picture projector shall be provided;
one for the projectionist's view (observation port) shall be
not larger than 200 square inches, and the other through which the
picture is shown (projection port) shall be not larger than 120 square
inches. Where separate stereopticon, spot or floodlight machines are
installed in the same enclosure with picture projectors, not more
than one opening for each such machine shall be provided for both
the operator's view and for the projection of the light, but
two or more machines may be operated through the same opening. Such
openings shall be as small as practicable and shall be capable of
being protected by approved automatic shutters.
C.
Each opening shall be provided with an approved gravity shutter set
into guides not less than one inch at the sides and bottom and overlapping
the top of the opening by not less than one inch when closed. Shutters
shall be of not less than 10-gauge iron or its equivalent. Each shutter
shall have a fusible link above it, and there shall be a fusible link
located over each upper projector magazine which, upon operating,
will close all shutters. There shall also be provided suitable means
for manually closing all shutters simultaneously from any projector
head and from a point within the projection room near each exit door.
Shutters on openings not in use shall be kept closed.
D.
All shelves, furniture and fixtures within the enclosure shall be
constructed of noncombustible material, except that tables may be
of wood construction with no member less than 1 1/2 inches in
its least dimension. No combustible material of any sort shall be
permitted or allowed to be within such enclosure except the films
used in the operation of the projector and film cement.
E.
Ventilation shall be provided by one or more mechanical exhaust systems
which will draw air from each arc lamp housing and from one or more
points near the ceiling. Systems shall exhaust to outdoors either
directly or through a noncombustible flue used for no other purpose.
The exhaust capacity shall be not less than 15 nor more than 50 cubic
feet per minute for each arc lamp housing plus 200 cubic feet per
minute for the room itself. Systems shall be controlled from within
the enclosure and have pilot lights to indicate operation. The exhaust
system serving the projection room may be extended to cover rooms
associated therewith such as rewind rooms. No dampers shall be installed
in such exhaust systems. Ventilation of these rooms shall not be connected
in any way with ventilating or air-conditioning systems serving other
portions of the building.
F.
Exhaust ducts shall be of noncombustible material and shall either
be kept one inch from combustible material or covered with 1/2 inch
of noncombustible heat-insulating material.
G.
Fresh-air intakes other than those direct from the open air shall
be protected by approved fire shutters arranged to operate automatically
with the port shutters.
H.
Provision shall be made so that the auditorium lights can be turned
on from inside the projection room and from at least one other convenient
point in the building.
Areas of buildings used for nitrate motion-picture film exchanges
shall be equipped with approved automatic sprinklers.
A.
The Fire Commissioner is hereby empowered to enter and inspect any
room, compartment, booth, location or audience room in which a motion-picture
machine is installed or where an exhibition by a motion-picture machine
is being given or is intended to be given; and any person interfering
with an inspection of the Fire Commissioner shall be deemed to have
violated the provisions of this article.
B.
The proprietor or, in his absence, the manager or other representative
in control of any room, building or premises to which the public is
admitted and in which an exhibition by one or more motion-picture
machines is given shall be held responsible for full compliance with
the provisions of this article before the same is open to the public.
Any operator who shall operate or cause to be operated a machine which
is not installed in accordance with these provisions shall be deemed
to have violated the provisions of this article.
C.
When the provisions of this article are not conformed to or where
defects of installation exist, the Fire Commissioner is hereby empowered
to cut off all electric current to said room or building or premises,
and the supply of electric current shall not be restored by anyone
until the provisions of this article are complied with.[1]
