Firesafety compliance has always been and continues to be a
high priority for the Borough of Washington. Officials frequently
assess what can be done to assure the safety of all Borough residents,
and to that end, the Borough of Washington deems it necessary to implement
fire watch procedures when there exist substantial risks to life,
safety and property, including when all or part of the required fire
protection systems in Borough structures are intentionally interrupted
for repairs and maintenance, not functioning properly, not functioning
at all, or when they are damaged or destroyed by fire or other disaster.
In certain circumstances detailed herein, the Fire Official, Fire
Chief or his designee, is hereby authorized to order a fire watch
for the affected structure in order to ensure continued safety of
residents during this period.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
A temporary measure intended to ensure continuous and systematic
surveillance of a building or portion(s) thereof by one or more qualified
individuals for the purpose of identifying and controlling fire hazards,
detecting early signs of an unwanted fire, raising an alarm of fire
to the occupants and notifying the Fire Department.
A.
A fire watch may be ordered by the Fire Official or the fire officer
in charge in public and privately owned buildings and or properties
within the Borough of Washington under the following circumstances:
(1)
Where required fire protection systems are out of service due to
system failure, repair, scheduled maintenance, vandalism, etc. The
Fire Official shall be notified immediately, and where the Fire Official
determines that an imminent hazard exists pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.16,
an approved fire watch may provide for all occupants left unprotected
by the shutdown until the fire protection system has been returned
to service. Upon restoration of the fire protection system as supported
by proper documentation, the Fire Official shall then sign off on
the ability to remove such fire watch.
(2)
When, in the opinion of the Fire Official or fire officer in charge,
it is essential for public safety in a place of assembly or any other
place where people congregate, because of the number of persons, or
the nature of the performance, exhibition, display, contest or activity,
the owner, agent or lessee shall provide one or more fire watch personnel,
as required and approved, to remain on duty during the times such
places are open to the public, or when such activity is being conducted.
(3)
When required by the Fire Official for building demolition that is
hazardous in nature, qualified personnel shall be provided to serve
as an on-site fire watch. Fire watch personnel shall be provided with
at least one approved means of notification of the Fire Department,
and their sole duty shall be to perform constant patrols and watch
for the occurrence of fire.
(4)
A fire watch shall be posted by the Fire Official or the fire official
in charge at the following type of events: hot-work welding or cutting,
fireworks displays, fumigation in gastight tank or vault, tent, canopy
or membrane structures used as places of assembly.
B.
A fire watch may include the maintaining of posted fire lanes, means
of egress, posted occupancy loads, building surveillance for signs
of smoke or fire, checking for proper permits, inspecting for proper
safety precautions of cooking equipment, and other functions as required
by the Fire Official or his assigned designee.
C.
Should a fire watch be posted by the Fire Official or the fire official
in charge, the party performing the fire watch is then responsible
to contact and maintain open communications with the fire official
in charge with actions such as the status of the fire watch and conditions
of the property in question. Proper fire watch procedure forms will
be supplied to the Fire Chief. The Department of Fire Prevention shall
take responsibility of all posted fire watches and report back to
the Fire Chief on the status of the property and fire protection systems.
D.
Should the building owner, agent, or lessee be unable to post their
own fire watch, a fire watch shall be performed by the Washington
Borough Department of Fire Prevention. In the event no one of the
above agency is available, other qualified individuals may be utilized
at the discretion of the Fire Official or the assigned designee. Any
qualified individuals used for the purposes of a fire watch shall
report directly to the Fire Official or his assigned designee, who
will report to the Administrator of Washington Township.
A.
A fire watch shall be paid for by the building owner, tenant, lessee,
or organization for which the fire watch is requested or required,
as appropriate.
B.
All fire watch services not incurred and paid by the Borough of Washington,
but performed by the Borough Fire Department and billed through the
Borough, shall be billed at the rate of $35 per hour per person, with
a minimum of three hours per person. Individuals conducting said fire
watch shall receive hourly payment after payment is made by the owner.
C.
There shall be a $100-per-hour fee for the use of each Borough vehicle
utilized, plus a 15% administration fee.
D.
All payments for fire watch services provided by the Borough Fire
Department shall be made within 10 days after service is provided.
E.
Payments shall be made payable to the Borough of Washington.
Any person, partnership, corporation, or other entity that violates
the provisions of this article shall be subject to the penalties as
set forth in the Uniform Fire Code, New Jersey Edition, or by Fire
Prevention.
