City of Westbrook, ME Article II Water Supplies for Firefighting

[Adopted 4-25-2005; amended 9-26-2005 (Ch. 13, Art. V, of the 2007 Code)]

§ 162-5 Fire hydrants, rules.

No person shall install, relocate, modify or disconnect from the supply main for service any fire hydrant, whether such fire hydrant be located in a public way or on private property, except in accordance with the requirements of this article.

§ 162-6 Fire hydrants, standards.

A. No fire hydrant shall be so installed, relocated or modified unless it shall conform to the specifications as acceptable to the Portland Water District and the City.

B. Water mains proposed to provide water supply to fire hydrants in private developments or subdivisions shall be at least eight inches in diameter. All residential subdivisions and private developments shall install hydrants at driving intervals of not more than 800 feet. All nonresidential and mixed-use subdivisions and private developments shall install hydrants at driving intervals of not more than 500 feet.

C. Each fire hydrant, no matter where located, shall be connected to the water supply main by means of a branch line at least six inches in diameter, with a hydrant control valve located on the branch line. All piping connecting supply mains and branch lines to fire hydrants shall be ductile iron pipe.

D. All fire hydrants, whether owned or leased by the City or privately owned, shall be maintained in proper operating condition at all times and shall be inspected on a regular basis to assure their efficient operation in accordance with NFPA 24. Such inspections shall be conducted at least monthly from October 15 and April 15, and once between April 16 and October 14. If any such inspection reveals that a fire hydrant is inoperative or not in proper operating condition, the Fire & Rescue Department shall be immediately notified. The owner of a private fire hydrant shall be responsible for correcting any such condition discovered affecting such privately owned fire hydrant as expeditiously as possible and shall notify the Fire & Rescue Department upon completion of the necessary repairs. Owners of private hydrants shall be responsible for all required inspections and maintenance, including but not limited to removing accumulations of snow/ice from the fire hydrant(s) and draining the hydrant(s) prior to winter freeze.

E. Upon the location, relocation or modification of any private or public fire hydrant, the owner or contractor for the owner of any such fire hydrant shall notify the Fire & Rescue Department immediately after installation, relocation or modification of such fire hydrant has been completed. Such hydrant shall be flow tested by the owner or contractor for the owner and the pressure and gallons-per-minute flow results of such testing reported to the Chief of the Fire & Rescue Department. No such private or public fire hydrant shall be utilized or placed in service by the owner until after final approval by the Chief of the Department, which final approval shall not be granted by the Chief until after acceptable results have been obtained from the flow testing. Hydrants within new subdivisions and developments shall be installed and operational prior to any actual combustible construction commencing.

§ 162-7 Obstruction of fire hydrants.

No person or persons shall obstruct or permit to be obstructed by any means any fire hydrant located within the City of Westbrook. Any person or persons causing snow to obstruct a fire hydrant shall immediately clear said fire hydrant. Failure to so do shall result in clearing of the fire hydrant by the Westbrook Fire & Rescue Department and charging the person responsible for obstructing the fire hydrant for all costs associated therewith.

§ 162-8 Private ways.

In areas of the City where landowners elect to develop private ways in compliance with Chapter 335, Land Use, water supplies for fire suppression purposes shall be provided by one of the following options:

A. Option 1. Fire suppression shall be provided by water mains and fire hydrants as specified in this article.

B. Option 2. Private ways up to 800 feet in length from the nearest municipal fire hydrant, measured by actual driving distance, shall install an automatic sprinkler system per NFPA 13D in one- and two-family dwellings, NFPA 13R in all other residential structures and NFPA 13 in any commercial structure.

C. Option 3. Private ways exceeding 800 feet in length from the nearest municipal fire hydrant, measured by actual driving distance, shall install an automatic sprinkler system per NFPA 13D in one- and two-family dwellings, NFPA 13R in all other residential structures and NFPA 13 in any commercial structure. Additionally, the property owner(s) shall supply an underground stationary water tank of no less than 10,000 U.S. gallons with a static water supply system at no less than 800-foot intervals. Said requirements for a static water supply system shall be per specifications of the Fire & Rescue Department and NFPA 1142, Standard on Water Supplies for Suburban and Rural Fire Fighting, 2001 Edition.

§ 162-9 Automatic sprinkler systems.

Dwellings protected by an automatic sprinkler system meeting the NFPA 13D or the NFPA 13R standards are not required to be privately monitored; additionally, these systems must be provided with a 2.5-inch female national standard thread (NST) fire department connection and cap.