The Munhall Bureau of Fire and the Munhall Building Code Official Office shall be the authority having jurisdiction (hereinafter called "AHJ") in relation to this article.
[Adopted 5-16-2007 by Ord. No. 1520]
A.
All new and existing commercial occupancies, schools, health-care facilities, skilled-nursing facilities and places of assembly shall be required to install a fire alarm system with a minimum of smoke detection and/or heat detection.
B.
Any residential occupancy with three or more units shall be required to install a fire alarm system with a minimum of smoke detection.
Fire suppression systems shall be required in any commercial kitchen range hood and deep fryer. Such systems shall be installed, tested and maintained in accordance with National Fire Protection Association standard (NFPA).
A.
The minimum standards for the installation of automatic detection and suppression systems shall be based on the appropriate NFPA National Fire Protection Association standards.
B.
If National Fire Protection Association standards do not apply to devices or equipment, the minimum standard maintained shall be that of the factory manufacturing the equipment or devices.
A.
All new construction and upgrades to existing fire protection systems must be approved by the AHJ.
B.
Plans for all proposed fire protection, suppression and detection systems shall be submitted to Munhall Borough for review by the Munhall Bureau of Fire and the Building Code Official.
C.
Munhall Borough and the AHJ shall only review and approve prints or plans that have been stamped with approval by a certified professional fire protection engineer.
D.
It shall be the responsibility of the person submitting prints or plans to have any Changes suggested by the AHJ approved and stamped by a certified fire protection engineer. The prints/plans shall be resubmitted to the AHJ for final approval.
E.
It shall be the responsibility of the contractor to submit as-build drawings to Munhall Borough after completion of the project.
All fire alarm systems shall report to a central monitoring station that shall dial the Munhall Borough emergency dispatch number to alert the Fire Department of an emergency. All alarms shall dial the Munhall Borough Emergency Dispatch center before notification of any key holders or occupancy contacts.
A.
All fire protection detection and suppression systems shall be regularly inspected, tested and maintained in accordance with the appropriate National Fire Protection Association standards. The Munhall Bureau of Fire and the Munhall Borough Code Officer shall only witness inspection and testing being performed. It is recommended that a qualified fire protection contractor perform any inspection, testing and maintenance of fire protection systems.
B.
A copy of all inspection and testing information shall be forwarded to the Munhall Bureau of Fire office by the owner/occupant.
C.
A representative from the Munhall Bureau of Fire or the Munhall Code Officer shall witness all testing of newly installed fire protection systems. New installation must be approved by the AHJ in order to be in compliance with the Munhall Borough Fire Protection Code. Any regular inspection/testing of existing fire protection systems should be witnessed by the AHJ when available.
In addition to inspection, testing and maintenance of fire protection systems, private fire hydrants shall be flow tested, flushed and lubricated annually as stated in the National Fire Protection Association standards for water based fire protection systems.
A.
Regular inspection and testing shall be performed based on appropriate National Fire Protection Association standards. All inspection and testing of fire protection systems shall be performed only after receiving a Munhall Borough permit.
B.
Fees for permits for new installation of or upgrades to existing fire protection systems shall be as set from time to time by resolution of the Borough Council. Such fees shall be paid to Munhall Borough before the start of any work. A Munhall Borough permit shall be issued by the Borough Code Officer to the applicant. The fee amount shall be based upon the estimated total cost of the service.[1]
C.
The fee for a permit for inspection/testing of fire protection systems shall be as set from time to time by resolution of the Borough Council and shall be good for one calendar year. "Systems" include fire alarm, fire sprinkler, fire pump, etc.[2]
D.
A representative of the Munhall Bureau of Fire or Munhall Borough Code Official shall witness, when available, all inspection and testing of fire protection systems. Fees for the on-site witness by the Munhall Borough Code Official shall be billed for on an hourly basis at the prevailing rate set forth by Munhall Borough.
A.
A fine of $200 shall be assessed to any property that does not perform regular inspection and testing of fire protection systems in accordance with appropriate National Fire Protection Association standards. Fines will double every month until such property is in compliance with Munhall Borough ordinances.
B.
A fine of up to $500 shall be assessed to any property that does not maintain fire protection systems in proper working order. A period of 30 days will be given to any location to effect repairs to fire protection systems after either the Fire Department or the Building Code Official has been made aware of deficiencies. Fines shall double every month until repairs have been made and the systems conform to the appropriate fire protection standards.
C.
A fine of up to $500 shall be imposed for any property that does not comply with Munhall Borough fire protection ordinances. Fines can double every month until the property is made to comply with Munhall Borough fire protection ordinances.
D.
The AHJ shall have the authority to revoke the occupancy permit of any property that is shown or documented to have any of the following conditions:
(1)
Unsafe conditions in relation to any known fire protection code or standard.
(2)
Unsafe conditions that would place occupants in danger or inhibit egress from a structure.
(3)
Conditions that are determined to be a health or life safety hazard.
(4)
Unsafe structural condition that would pose a hazard to occupants or any person.
E.
The AHJ shall issue, in writing, a written warning and list of safety violations to a property owner. A property owner will have a period of 10 working days to effect corrections or repairs after a violation has been identified. If after 10 days the violation has not been resolved, the AHJ will have the option to impose fines of up to $500. All fines can double each week until the safety issues have been resolved.
F.
All fines shall be imposed by the Munhall Borough Code Official and done so at the request of the Munhall Bureau of Fire.
G.
Any location that transmits more than two false alarms in a sixty-day period shall be subject to a fine of $150. "False Alarm" is defined as any activation of a fire alarm system for no apparent reason.
H.
Any location that transmits more than two nuisance alarms in a sixty-day period shall be subject to a fine of $300 per occurrence. "Nuisance alarm" is defined as an alarm from any property that activates the fire alarm system due to a reoccurring condition such as burnt food, excess dust or system deficiencies.