The purpose of this chapter is to provide property owners, building occupants, developers, contractors, and any other stakeholders the specific requirements of the Town of Derry with regards to the procedures and enforcement of the fire prevention laws, codes, and regulations.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town of Derry effective 9-20-2016; amended in its entirety 5-6-2025. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
A.
A permit is required to be obtained for any of the following activities:
(1)
Installation or modification of a fire alarm system.
(2)
Installation or modification of an automatic sprinkler system, to include NFPA 13D systems.
(3)
Installation or modification of any other water-based fire suppression system.
(4)
Installation or modification of a standpipe system.
(5)
Installation or modification of any fixed fire suppression system.
(6)
Installation of propane/natural gas-fired appliances.
(7)
Installation of oil-fired appliances.
(8)
Installation or modification of propane/natural gas piping.
(9)
Installation of underground storage tanks.
(10)
To operate a place of assembly.
(11)
Fireworks display.
(12)
Blasting.
B.
Any fee associated with a permit or inspection will be according to the latest fee schedule maintained by the Derry Fire Department.
A.
Listed agent. Any individual who is installing, modifying, or maintaining a fire alarm system shall have a valid listed agent certificate issued to them by the Derry Fire Department in accordance with § 51-13.
B.
Keys. All fire alarm control panel keys shall be CAT 30.
C.
Fire alarm initiating devices.
(1)
Manual pull stations shall be resettable by use of a CAT 30 key only; no disposable parts shall be required to reset. Manual pull stations shall be predominately red in color.
(2)
Rooftop HVAC units which have duct smoke detection shall be permanently labeled on two opposite sides with numbers at least six inches high and of contrasting colors.
(3)
Any initiating device that is equipped with a key reset shall be accessible by a CAT 30 key.
D.
Notification devices.
(1)
A red exterior visual beacon or strobe, located as required by the Fire Prevention Division, shall activate with the notification appliances upon fire alarm activation. An alarm condition (flow) on a sprinkler system shall activate a green exterior beacon or strobe. In most cases, the devices shall be located on the side of the building facing a public way of primary access by the Fire Department.
E.
System maintenance. The most recent system inspection report shall be provided to the Fire Prevention Division within 30 days from the date of inspection.
A.
Fire Department connections.
(1)
The Fire Prevention Division shall approve the locations of all Fire Department connections.
(2)
The Fire Department connection shall be a four-inch Storz connection unless otherwise specified by the Fire Prevention Division.
(3)
For new buildings, a fire hydrant shall be installed within 100 feet of the Fire Department connection. The location of the hydrant shall be approved by Fire Prevention. Exception: This requirement may be waived by the Derry Fire Department for buildings located outside the hydrant district. This requires specific approval from the Fire Prevention Division.
A.
Key boxes. Any building with an automatic sprinkler system, fire alarm system or firefighter elevator recall shall be provided with an emergency access key box (Knox-Box®) compatible with the Derry Fire Department key access system. Each key box will be supplied with all necessary keys to gain access to all interior spaces within the building. The location and quantity of the key box(es) shall be approved by Fire Prevention. Property owners and occupants shall notify the Fire Department when keys or locks are changed and provide keys for the key vault.
B.
Emergency contact information. Any building with an automatic sprinkler system, fire alarm system or key box shall provide a list of not less than three people who can be contacted after normal working hours to provide information about the building or who can respond to emergency requests for assistance from the Fire Department. The owner and occupant shall notify the Fire Department of all changes to the emergency contact list.
A.
Elevators. All new elevators shall be of sufficient size to fit a Derry Fire Department ambulance/medical cot while in the supine position. Where there is more than one elevator in a building, at least one must meet these criteria. This elevator must be clearly marked as to distinguish itself from the other elevators in the building. The international medical symbol for emergency medical services (star of life) shall be acceptable for this purpose. This requirement shall not apply to lifts or existing elevators.
A.
Permit required to install gas-operated equipment. All installations of gas-fired equipment in the Town of Derry require a permit to be obtained from the Fire Department. Upon completion of the installation, a final inspection by the Fire Department is required.
A.
Any fire alarm technician installing, making modifications, or maintaining any fire alarm system in the Town shall hold a valid and current listed agent certificate issued by the Derry Fire Department.
B.
Applicants for annual registration as a listed agent in the Town of Derry shall pay a fee.
C.
Certificates issued anytime within the year will expire at the end of the last day of December of each calendar year.
A.
The Fire Department shall designate the numbers to be affixed to the buildings on streets and ways in the Town of Derry. Every dwelling, building or structure (whether existing on the date of adoption of this chapter or which may exist in the future) located in the Town of Derry shall be required to have such number posted upon such dwelling, building, or structure or upon the property where such improvements exist so as to be plainly visible from the street or way which abuts the main entrance to such property.
B.
For any building or structure for which a number has or shall be designated, the numbers shall be a minimum of four inches high with a one-half-inch stroke.
C.
The owner of any property seeking a building permit for a new building or structure shall apply for and affix to said building, prior to the issuance of an occupancy permit, a building number designation from the Fire Department.
D.
No person shall affix or permit to be affixed to or shall allow to remain upon any building in the Town any different number from the one designated by the Fire Department, with the exception of dates affixed for historical purposes.
A.
The Town shall take every reasonable precaution to assure that the alarm signals and alarm messages received by the Fire Department are given appropriate attention and are acted upon with dispatch. Nevertheless, the Fire Department shall not be liable for any defects in operation of alarm devices, nor for the failure or neglect of any person in connection with the installation and operation of alarm signals or the receipt or relaying of such signals and messages.
B.
In the event that the Fire Department finds it necessary to disconnect an alarm device, the Fire Department shall incur no liability by such action. The Fire Department does have the responsibility for immediate notification to the registered owner whose fire alarm device has been disconnected.
A.
Any registered owner or lessee of a property having an alarm connected to the municipal alarm system, to an alarm agent, alarm business, or person responding to alarms which causes any signal, message, or alarm to be transmitted to the Derry Fire Department either by direct telephone or other communication and which is proven to be a false alarm shall pay a false alarm charge to the Town.
B.
"False alarm" means the activation of an alarm system through mechanical failure, accidental tripping, inoperation, malfunction, misuse, or the neglect of the owner or lessee of an alarm system, or of his employees or agents. Upon failure of the Fire Department to find any evidence of legitimate cause for the alarm activation, a conclusive presumption of false alarm will be made. False alarms shall not include alarms caused by earthquakes, violent winds, or external causes beyond the control of the owner or lessee of the alarm system. The Derry Fire Department false alarm evaluation document will be used to determine false alarm charges.
C.
This charge shall be based on the number of false alarms received from the same alarm system during a calendar year. The false alarm limits shall be based on the number of alarm-initiating devices connected to the fire alarm system. Each fire alarm control panel will be considered a separate system.
Number of Devices Connected to System | False Alarm Limit Per Year |
|---|---|
1 to 125 | 3 |
126 to 250 | 5 |
251 to 375 | 10 |
376 or more | 15 |
D.
Notification.
(1)
Registered alarm users will be notified by the Derry Fire Department, in writing, of all false alarm responses over the limit.
(2)
All false alarm service charges will be submitted to the alarm user in writing monthly by the Derry Fire Department.
(3)
A copy of the Derry fire response report shall be provided to the registered owner or lessee. This shall be deemed sufficient notification to the alarm user of such response.
(4)
An alarm user may appeal false alarm service charges, in writing, to the Fire Chief within 10 days after receipt of the notice of penalty.
E.
Payment of false alarm service charge.
(1)
Payment of the alarm service charge shall be billed to the registered owner of the building and paid to the Town of Derry Office of the Tax Collector.
(2)
Payments shall be due within 30 days of receipt of notification.
(3)
Failure to make payment for alarm service charges within 30 days of receipt of notification shall result in a penalty charge of $10 added to the alarm service charge. Penalty charges will be assessed for each thirty-day period, not to exceed 90 days that the alarm service charge remains unpaid.
(4)
No penalty shall be assessed to an alarm user while the alarm service charge is being considered under appeal by the Fire Chief.