[Amended by Ord. No. 3-2002]
A. The Uniform Fire Safety Act, N.J.S.A. 52:27D-192 et seq., was enacted
for the purpose of establishing a system for the enforcement of minimum
firesafety standards throughout the State of New Jersey.
B. The Uniform Fire Safety Act authorizes municipalities to provide
for local enforcement and to establish local enforcement agencies
for that purpose.
C. It is in the best interests of the City to have the Uniform Fire
Safety Act enforced locally.
Pursuant to Section 11 of the Uniform Fire Safety Act, N.J.S.A.
52:27D-202, the New Jersey Uniform Fire Safety Code shall be locally
enforced in the City.
[Amended by Ord. No. 3-2002]
The local enforcing agency shall be the Bureau of Fire Prevention.
[Amended by Ord. No. 3-2002]
The local enforcing agency established by §
162-3 shall be part of the Fire Division within the Department of Public Safety and shall be under the direct supervision and control of the Fire Official. The Official shall report to the Public Safety Director.
[Amended by Ord. No. 3-2002; 9-5-2017 by Ord. No.
09-2017]
A. Appointment of Fire Official. Enforcement of the New Jersey Uniform
Fire Code shall be under the supervision of the Fire Official, who
shall be appointed in compliance with regulations set forth by the
New Jersey Civil Service Commission.
B. Inspectors and employees. Such inspectors and other employees as
may be necessary in the local enforcing agency shall be appointed
in compliance with regulations set forth by the New Jersey Civil Service
Commission. Such inspectors must be certified by the Department of
Community Affairs Bureau of Fire Safety.
C. Removal from office. Inspectors and other employees of the enforcing
agency shall be subject to removal by the Common Council for inefficiency
or misconduct in compliance with regulations set forth by the New
Jersey Civil Service Commission.
D. Qualifications.
Effective with the retirement of the current Fire Official, the newly
appointed Fire Official shall have the following in order to be appointed:
(1) NAFI-CFEI,
National Association of Fire Investigators certification and/or IAAI-CFI,
International Association of Fire Investigators certification.
(2) New
Jersey Division of Criminal Justice basic course for arson investigators.
(3) Four
years' experience working as a Fire Official in the State of New Jersey.
(4) Three
years' experience working as a company officer in the State of New
Jersey.
(5) IAAI
expert witness courtroom testimony.
The local enforcing agency shall enforce the Uniform Fire Safety
Act and the codes and regulations adopted under it in all buildings,
structures and premises within the established boundaries of the City,
other than owner-occupied one- and two-family dwellings, and shall
faithfully comply with the requirements of the Uniform Fire Safety
Act and the Uniform Fire Safety Code.
The Bureau of Fire Prevention shall carry out the periodic inspection
of life hazard uses required by the Uniform Fire Safety Code on behalf
of the Commissioner of Community Affairs.
Pursuant to Sections 15 and 17 of the Uniform Fire Safety Act,
N.J.S.A. 52:27D-206 and 208, any person aggrieved by any order of
the local enforcing agency shall have the right to appeal to the Construction
Board of Appeals of Burlington County.
In addition to the inspections and fees required pursuant to
the Uniform Fire Safety Act and the regulations of the State of New
Jersey Department of Community Affairs, the following firesafety inspections,
permits and fees shall be required, none of which shall apply to fees
or inspections of life hazard uses as governed by the Uniform Fire
Safety Act, unless such uses are to be inspected more frequently than
required by the Act.