[Ord. No. 04-36]
Whereas, the Uniform Fire Safety Act (P.L. 1983, C 383) was
enacted for the purpose of establishing a system for the enforcement
of minimum fire safety standards throughout the State of New Jersey;
and the Uniform Fire Safety Act authorized municipalities to provide
for local enforcement and to establish local enforcement agencies
for that purpose; and it is in the best interest of the municipality
of Fairview to have the Uniform Fire Safety Act enforced locally.
The Fire Department of the Borough of Fairview has agreed to
the plan, which is set forth herein, for the administration and enforcement
of the Uniform Fire Code.
[Ord. No. 04-36]
Pursuant to Section 11 of the Uniform Fire Safety Act (P.L.
1983, C 383) the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code (N.J.A.C. 5:70 et seq.)
shall be locally enforced in the Borough of Fairview.
[Ord. No. 04-36]
The local enforcing agency shall be the Bureau of Fire Safety
in the Borough of Fairview.
[Ord. No. 04-36]
The Fire Official and the Bureau of Fire Safety have the authority
to assess civil penalties directly without issuing a summons as per
N.J.A.C. 5:70, et seq. of the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code.
[Ord. No. 04-36]
The local enforcing agency established by Subsection
14-1.2 of this section shall carry out the period inspections of life hazard uses required by the Uniform Fire Code on behalf of the Commission of Community Affairs (N.J.A.C. 5:70, et seq.)
[Ord. No. 04-36]
The local enforcing agency established by Subsection
14-1.2 of this section shall be under the direct supervision and control of the Fire Official who shall report to the Borough Administrator. (N.J.A.C. 5:70, et seq.)
[Ord. No. 04-36]
Pursuant to Sections 15 and 17 of the Uniform Fire Safety Act,
any person aggrieved by any order of the local enforcement agency
shall have the right to appeal to the Construction Board of Appeals
of Bergen County, Administrative Building, Hackensack, New Jersey
07601. (N.J.A.C. 5:70 et seq.)
[Ord. No. 04-36; Ord. No. 04-40]
In addition to the inspection and fees required pursuant to
the Act and the regulations of the Department of Community Affairs,
the following additional inspections and fees shall be required. (N.J.A.C.
5:70, et seq.):
a. For those buildings which are not life hazard buildings there will
be an inspection fee as follows: (N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.7 et seq.):
1. All buildings of use group B, F-1, F-2, S-1, S-2 which are less than
12,000 square feet but greater than 5,000 square feet shall be inspected
on an annual basis and the fee shall be $250.
2. All mercantile buildings which are less than 12,000 square feet but
greater than 5,000 square feet shall be inspected on an annual basis
and the fee shall be $250.
3. All buildings of use group F-2 which are greater than 12,000 square
feet shall be inspected on an annual basis and the fee shall be $250.
4. All buildings of use group B, F-1, F-2, S-1, S-2 which are less than
5,000 square feet but greater than 500 square feet shall be inspected
on an annual basis and the fee shall be $150.
5. All mercantile buildings which are less than 5,000 square feet but
greater than 500 square feet shall be inspected on an annual basis
and the fee shall be $150.
6. All buildings of use group B, F-1, F-2, S-1, S-2 which are less than
500 square feet shall be inspected on a biannual basis and the fee
shall be $25.
7. All mercantile buildings which are less than 500 square feet shall
be inspected on a biannual basis and the fee shall be $25.
8. All nonprofit organizations whose premises are used for social functions
by not more than 50 persons shall be inspected on a biannual basis
and the fee shall be $10.
9. Oil fuel tank abandonment: 550 gallons or less — $25; 2,000
gallons or more — $50.
b. The Fire Inspectors, under the direction and supervision of the Fire
Official shall perform cyclical inspections for those buildings which
are of use group R-1, R-2 and R-3 including non-owner occupied one
- and two-family dwelling units and all common areas. The inspection
fees shall consist of the following schedule:
Units 1 through 7
|
$25 per unit
|
Units 8 through 23
|
An additional $20 per unit
|
Units 24 through 47
|
An additional $15 per unit
|
Units 48 and above
|
An additional $12.50 per unit
|
Reinspections
|
$12.50 per unit
|
c. Failure to pay inspection fees within 15 days of the date of receipt
of any inspection notice shall result in the amount of inspection
fees being doubled.
[Ord. No. 04-36]
Any portion of this chapter that may be in conflict with State
law or regulations or those promulgated by the Department of Community
Affairs shall be subordinate and of no effect if the State law or
regulation be to the contrary. (N.J.A.C. 5:70 et seq.)
[Added 4-18-2017 by Ord. No. 17-8]
a. Required in buildings containing fire alarm systems and fire suppression
systems or buildings where visual inspection for the presence of fire
is obstructed or buildings of life hazard use or when, in the opinion
of the Fire Official, there is a need for immediate access in the
event of fire, a high security Knox-Box® shall be installed whereby the Fire Department may gain access to
a building without the use of force. Such Knox-Box® shall contain keys for entry and fire suppression an alarm systems.
A Knox-Box® shall be installed
in the following locations:
1. All high-rise (over four stories) buildings, both residential and
commercial.
2. All multiple-dwelling buildings, which contain three units or more,
and which include any common area between the individual units, and
which common area is locked from the outside of the building.
3. All commercial buildings.
4. All commercial structures which contain one or more individual separately
located businesses, and which contain common area between such commercial
units, and which are locked from the outside.
b. All Knox-Boxes® shall be located in
a prominent and viewable location near the main entrance of the building.
c. All Knox-Boxes®, regardless of the
manufacturer, shall be fitted with locks that are keyed to match the
keys presently utilized by the Fire Department of the Borough of Fairview.
The obligation to install appropriate locks in accordance with this
article shall be the responsibility of the owner of the building or
its duly authorized representative.
d. All Knox-Boxes® must contain and be
adequately marked with the following keys:
8. General storage room key.
e. Colors.
1. All keys placed into Knox-Boxes® shall
be color coded, utilizing only the following specific colors:
(a) Red for all fire alarms, fire suppression systems and firefighter
recall elevator keys.
(b) Yellow for all utilities, gas, electric and generator rooms.
(c) Green for mechanical rooms, storerooms and the like.
2. The only exception to this requirement shall be for master key systems,
in which one master key is utilized for all of the above-mentioned
systems, utilities and rooms.
f. The Knox-Box® installed by the owner
or owners of the building shall be of a proper size, sufficient to
accommodate the amount of keys required for the building. It shall
be the owner or owners responsibility to notify the Fire Prevention
Bureau of any changes in keys or additional keys for the building
which violations are placed in the Knox-Box®.
[Added 6-28-2021 by Ord.
No. 21-14]
a. Existing buildings that do not have approved radio coverage for emergency
responders within the building, based upon the existing coverage levels
of the public safety communication systems of the jurisdiction at
the exterior of the building, shall be equipped with such coverage
according to one of the following:
1. Where an existing wired communication system cannot be repaired or
is being replaced, or where not approved by the Fire Code Official.
2. Where minimum signal strength measurements in 95% of all areas on each floor of the building do not meet the signal strength requirements in Subsection
a2(a) and
(b) below.
(a)
Minimum signal strength into the building. A minimum signal
strength of -95 dBm shall be receivable within the building.
(b)
Minimum signal strength out of the building. A minimum signal
strength of -95 dBm shall be received by the agency's radio system
when transmitted from within the building.
b. Exception: where it is determined by the Fire Code Official that
the radio coverage system is not needed.
[Added 6-28-2021 by Ord.
No. 21-14]
a. A construction permit for the installation of or modification to
emergency responder radio coverage systems and related equipment,
for both newly constructed and existing buildings, is required as
specified in IFC Section 105.7.5. Maintenance performed in accordance
with this code is not considered a modification and does not require
a permit.
[Added 6-28-2021 by Ord.
No. 21-14]
a. Systems, components and equipment required to provide the emergency
responder radio coverage system shall comply with the following.
b. Radio signal strength. The building shall be considered to have an acceptable emergency responder radio coverage when signal strength measurements in 95% of all areas on each floor of the building meet the signal strength requirements in Subsection
b1 and
2 below.
1. Minimum signal strength into the building. A minimum signal strength
of -95 dBm shall be receivable within the building.
2. Minimum signal strength out of the building. A minimum signal strength
of -95 dBm shall be received by the agency's radio system when
transmitted from within the building.
c. System design. The emergency responder radio coverage system shall
be designed in accordance with the below subsections.
1. Amplification systems allowed. Buildings and structures that cannot
support the required level of radio coverage shall be equipped with
a radiating cable system, a distributed antenna system with Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) certified signal boosters, or other
system approved by the Fire Code Official in order to achieve the
required adequate radio coverage.
2. Technical criteria. The Fire Code Official shall maintain a document
providing the specific technical information and requirements for
the emergency responder radio coverage system. This document shall
contain, but not be limited to, the various frequencies required,
the location of radio sites, effective radiated power of radio sites,
and other supporting technical information.
3. Standby power. The standby power supply shall be capable of operating
the emergency responder radio coverage system for a duration of not
less than 24 hours.
4. Signal booster requirements. If used, signal boosters shall meet
the following requirements:
(a)
All signal booster components shall be contained in a National
Electrical Manufacturer's Association (NEMA) 4 type waterproof
cabinet.
(b)
Battery systems used for the emergency power source shall be
contained in a NEMA 4 type waterproof cabinet.
(c)
The signal booster system and battery system shall be electrically
supervised and monitored by a supervisory service or, when approved
by the Fire Code Official, shall sound an audible signal at a constantly
attended location.
(d)
Equipment shall have FCC certification prior to installation.
5. Additional frequencies and change of frequencies. The emergency responder
radio coverage system shall be capable of modification or expansion
in the event frequency changes are required by the FCC or additional
frequencies are made available by the FCC.
[Added 6-28-2021 by Ord.
No. 21-14]
a. The installation of the public safety radio coverage system shall
be in accordance with the following:
1. Approval prior to installation. Amplification systems capable of
operating on frequencies licensed to any public safety agency by the
FCC shall not be installed without prior coordination and approval
of the Fire Code Official.
2. Minimum qualifications of personnel. The minimum qualifications of
the system designer and lead installation personnel shall include
both of the following:
(a)
A valid FCC-issued general radio operator's license.
(b)
Certification of in-building system training issued by a nationally
recognized organization, school or a certificate issued by the manufacturer
of the equipment being installed.
3. These qualifications shall not be required where demonstration of
adequate skills and experience satisfactory to the Fire Code Official
is provided.
4. Acceptance test procedure. Where an emergency responder radio coverage
system is required, and upon completion of installation, the building
owner shall have the radio system tested to verify that two-way coverage
on each floor of the building is not less than 90%. The test procedure
shall be conducted as follows:
(a)
Each floor of the building shall be divided into a grid of 20
approximately equal test areas.
(b)
The test shall be conducted using a calibrated portable radio
of the latest brand and model used by the agency talking through the
agency's radio communications system.
(c)
Failure of not more than two nonadjacent test areas shall not
result in failure of the test.
(d)
In the event that three of the test areas fail the test, in
order to be more statistically accurate, the floor shall be permitted
to be divided into 40 equal test areas. Failure of not more than four
nonadjacent test areas shall not result in failure of the test. If
the system fails the forty-area test, the system shall be altered
to meet the 90% coverage requirement.
(e)
A test location approximately in the center of each test area
shall be selected for the test, with radio enabled to verify two-way
communications to and from the outside of the building through the
public agency's radio communications system. Once the test location
has been selected, that location shall represent the entire test area.
Failure in the selected test location shall be considered failure
of that test area. Additional test locations shall not be permitted.
(f)
The gain values of all amplifiers shall be measured, and the
test measurement results shall be kept on file with the building owner
so that the measurements can be verified during annual tests. In the
event that the measurement results become lost, the building owner
shall be required to rerun the acceptance test to reestablish the
gain values.
(g)
As part of the installation, a spectrum analyzer or other suitable
test equipment shall be utilized to ensure spurious oscillations are
not being generated by the subject signal booster. This test shall
be conducted at the time of installation and subsequent annual inspections.
5. FCC compliance. The emergency responder radio coverage system installation
and components shall also comply with all applicable federal regulations,
including, but not limited to, FCC 47 CFR Part 90.219.
[Added 6-28-2021 by Ord.
No. 21-14]
a. The emergency responder radio coverage system shall be maintained
operational at all times in accordance with the following.
1. Testing and proof of compliance. The emergency responder radio coverage
system shall be inspected and tested annually or where structural
changes occur, including additions or remodels that could materially
change the original field performance tests. Testing shall consist
of the following:
(a)
In-building coverage test.
(b)
Signal booster shall be tested to verify that the gain is the
same as it was upon initial installation and acceptance.
(c)
Backup batteries and power supplies shall be tested under load
of a period of one hour to verify that they will properly operate
during an actual power outage. If within the one-hour test period
the battery exhibits symptoms of failure, the test shall be extended
for additional one-hour periods until the integrity of the battery
can be determined.
(d)
Other active components shall be checked to verify operation
within the manufacturer's specifications.
(e)
At the conclusion of the testing, a report, which shall verify
compliance with this section, shall be submitted to the Fire Code
Official.
2. Additional frequencies. The building owner shall modify or expand
the emergency responder radio coverage system at his or her expense
in the event frequency changes are required by the FCC or additional
frequencies are made available by the FCC. Prior approval of a public
safety radio coverage system on previous frequencies does not exempt
this section.
3. Field testing. Agency personnel shall have the right to enter onto
the property at any reasonable time to conduct field testing to verify
the required level of radio coverage.
[Added 6-28-2021 by Ord.
No. 21-14]
a. Any persons or entities found to be in violation of these requirements of §
14-3 et seq. shall, upon certification of said violation by the Borough of Fairview Fire Official, be subject to a penalty. Such penalties shall not exceed a rate of $1,000 per day for failure to abate the violation. If the violation is not remedied within three months, certificate of occupancy for the building in violation may be revoked.