[Adopted 3-24-1992 by Ord. No. 1514]
There is hereby adopted by the City of Clairton the fire control
measures and regulations as herein set forth for the purposes of controlling
conditions which could impede or interfere with fire-suppression forces.
References herein to the "fire official" shall refer to the Fire Chief
or other duly authorized fire official or code enforcement official
of the City.
The fire official, or duly authorized representatives, as may
be in charge at the scene of a fire or other emergency involving the
protection of life and/or property, is empowered to direct such operations
as may be necessary to extinguish or control any suspected or reported
fires, gas leaks or other hazardous conditions or situations or to
take any other action necessary in the reasonable performance of his
duty. The fire official may prohibit any person, vehicle or object
from approaching the scene and may remove or cause to be removed from
the scene any person, vehicle or object which may impede or interfere
with the operations of the Fire Department. The fire official may
remove or cause to be removed any person, vehicle or object from hazardous
areas. All persons ordered to leave a hazardous area shall do so immediately
and shall not reenter the area until authorized to do so by the fire
official.
It shall be unlawful to interfere with, attempt to interfere
with, conspire to interfere with, obstruct or restrict the mobility
of or block the path of travel of any Fire Department emergency vehicle
in any way or to interfere with, attempt to interfere, conspire to
interfere with, obstruct or hamper any Fire Department operation.
A person shall not willfully fail or refuse to comply with any
lawful order or direction of the fire official nor interfere with
the compliance attempts of another individual.
A vehicle shall not be driven or propelled over any unprotected
fire hose of the Fire Department when laid down on any street, alleyway,
private drive or any other vehicular roadway without the consent of
the fire official in command of said operation.
Authorized emergency vehicles shall be restricted to those which
are defined and authorized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Upon the approach of any authorized emergency vehicle giving
audible and visual signal, the operator of every other vehicle shall
immediately drive the same to a position as near as possible and parallel
to the right-hand edge or curb of the street or roadway, clear of
any intersection, and shall stop and remain in such position until
the authorized emergency vehicle or vehicles shall have passed, unless
otherwise directed by the fire official or a police officer.
It shall be unlawful for the operator of any vehicle, other
than one on official business, to follow closer than 500 feet to any
fire apparatus traveling in response to a fire alarm or to drive any
vehicle within the block or immediate area where fire apparatus has
stopped in answer to a fire alarm.
A person shall not, without proper authorization from the fire
official in charge of said Fire Department emergency equipment, cling
to, attach himself to, climb upon or into, board or swing upon any
Fire Department emergency vehicle, whether the same is in motion or
at rest, nor sound the siren, horn, bell or other sound-producing
device thereon nor manipulate or tamper with or attempt to manipulate
or tamper with any levers, valves, switches, starting devices, brakes,
pumps or any equipment or protective clothing on or a part of any
Fire Department emergency vehicle.
It shall be unlawful for any person to damage or deface or attempt
or conspire to damage or deface any Fire Department emergency vehicle
at any time or to injure or attempt to injure or conspire to injure
Fire Department personnel while performing departmental duties.
A.
The driver of any emergency vehicle, as defined in § 199-27 of this article, shall not sound the siren thereon or have the front red lights on or disobey any existing traffic regulation, except when said vehicle is responding to an emergency call or when responding to, but not upon returning from, a fire. Tactical strategies, such as but not restricted to moving emergency vehicles into or between stations for standby purposes, do not constitute an emergency call. The driver of an emergency vehicle may:
(1)
Park or stand irrespective of the provisions of existing traffic
regulations.
(2)
Proceed past a red or stop signal or other sign, but only after slowing
down as may be necessary for safe operation.
(3)
Exceed the prima facie speed limit so long as the action does not
endanger life or property.
(4)
Disregard regulations governing direction of movement or turning
in specified directions.
B.
The exemptions herein granted to an emergency vehicle shall apply
only when the driver of any such vehicle, while in motion, sounds
an audible signal by bell, siren or exhaust whistle as may be reasonably
necessary and when the vehicle is equipped with at least one lighted
lamp displaying a red light visible under normal atmospheric conditions
from a distance of 500 feet to the front of such vehicle.
A.
It shall be unlawful to obscure from view, damage, deface, obstruct
or restrict the access to any fire hydrant or any Fire Department
connection for the pressurization of fire-suppression systems, including
fire hydrants and Fire Department connections that are located on
public or private streets and access lanes or on private property.
Parking restrictions near fire hydrants shall be governed by the Pennsylvania
Vehicle Code.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 101 et seq.
B.
If upon the expiration of the time mentioned in a notice of violation
obstructions or encroachments are not removed, the fire official shall
proceed to remove the same in accordance with the procedure for the
removal of abandoned vehicles in the City. Cost incurred in the performance
of necessary work shall be paid from the municipal treasury on certificate
of the fire official and with the approval of the chief administrative
official; and the legal authority of the municipality shall institute
appropriate action for the recovery of such costs.
A person shall not use or operate any fire hydrant intended
for use of the Fire Department for fire-suppression purposes unless
such person first secures a permit for such use from the fire official
and the water company having jurisdiction. This section shall not
apply to the use of such hydrants by a person employed by and authorized
to make such use by the water company having jurisdiction.
The fire official shall recommend to the City Manager the location
or relocation of new or existing fire hydrants and the placement or
replacement of inadequate water mains located upon public property
and deemed necessary to provide an adequate fire flow and distribution
pattern. A fire hydrant shall not be placed into or removed from service
until approved by the fire official.
All new and existing shipyards, oil storage plants, lumberyards,
amusement or exhibition parks and educational or institutional complexes
and similar occupancies and uses involving high fire or life hazards
and which are located more than 150 feet from a public street or which
require quantities of water beyond the capabilities of the public
water distribution system shall be provided with properly placed fire
hydrants. Such fire hydrants shall be capable of supplying fire flows
as required by the fire official and shall be connected to a water
system in accordance with accepted engineering practices. The fire
official shall designate and approve the number and location of fire
hydrants. The fire official may require the installation of sufficient
fire hose and equipment housed in accordance with the approved rules
and may require the establishment of a trained fire brigade when the
hazard involved requires such measures. Private hydrants shall not
be placed into or removed from service until approved by the fire
official.
A person shall not obstruct, remove, tamper with or otherwise
disturb any fire hydrant or fire appliance required to be installed
or maintained under the provisions of the current Fire Prevention
Code adopted by the City[1] except for the purpose of extinguishing fire, training
or testing purposes, recharging or making necessary repairs or when
permitted by the fire official. Whenever a fire appliance is removed
as herein permitted, it shall be replaced or reinstalled as soon as
the purpose for which it was removed has been accomplished. Defective
and nonapproved fire appliances or equipment shall be replaced or
repaired as directed by the fire official.
A person shall not sell, trade, loan or give away any form,
type or kind of fire extinguisher which is not approved by the fire
official or which is not in proper working order or the contents of
which do not meet the requirements of the fire official. The requirements
of this section shall not apply to the sale, trade or exchange of
obsolete or damaged equipment for junk when said units are permanently
disfigured or marked with a permanent sign identifying the unit as
junk.
A person or persons shall not erect, construct, place or maintain
any bumps, fences, gates, chains, bars, pipes, wood or metal horses
or any other type of obstruction in or on any street, within the boundaries
of the municipality. The word "street," as used in this article, shall
mean any roadway accessible to the public for vehicular traffic, including
but not limited to private streets or access lanes, as well as all
public streets and highways within the boundaries of the City. Additional
restrictions on parking in designated fire lanes shall be as provided
in the current Fire Prevention Code adopted by the City.[1]
Special fire police may be nominated by the Fire Chief from among the members of the Clairton Volunteer Fire Department and Relief Association. All such special fire police so nominated may be appointed, confirmed and sworn by the Mayor. After appointment, special fire police shall display appropriate badges of authority and shall have full power to regulate traffic and control crowds at or in the vicinity of any fire on which their companies are in attendance and to exercise such other powers as are necessary in order to facilitate and prevent interference with the work of firefighters in extinguishing fires. Special fire police shall also have the authority to perform these duties at any function, event or parade conducted by and under the auspices of the Volunteer Fire Department or other organization in the City when so authorized by the City Council or, in the event of accidents, floods or other emergencies, until the arrival of the proper police authority and thereafter subject to such authority. In addition to the powers and duties specified in this section, special fire police shall have the authority to enforce the provisions of § 199-33, regarding blocking fire hydrants, and § 199-39, regarding street obstructions and parking in fire lanes.
Any person or persons violating any of the provisions of this
article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine
of not more than $1,000, plus costs of prosecution, and, in default
of payment of such fine and costs, to imprisonment for a period not
exceeding 90 days. Each day's violation shall be considered a
separate and distinct violation.
