The purpose of this Chapter
16 (hereinafter "this chapter") is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public and employees by establishing minimum standards for fire safety, through the standardization of design, installation, testing and maintenance requirements for automatic sprinkler systems in commercial buildings.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to all commercial buildings located within the Village of Somers, Wisconsin except those buildings excluded under §
16.04. The provisions of this chapter are not retroactive and shall not apply to any building built prior to August 15,1996.
All building code requirements, rules and laws of the State
of Wisconsin shall apply to all buildings located within the Village
of Somers, Wisconsin. The requirements of this chapter shall not lessen
any building code requirements, rules or laws of the State of Wisconsin.
Should any conflict arise between this chapter and the codes, rules
or laws, the more stringent regulation shall govern.
If in any section, clause or any part of this chapter, including
those matters adopted from the Wisconsin Administrative Code or any
other state law, rules or regulations, shall be judged unconstitutional
or invalid by any court of law, the remaining provisions of this chapter
shall remain in full force and effect.
Owner may not construct or alter any building, or portion of
a building, or permit any building to be constructed or built except
in compliance with this chapter.
Except as provided under § 16.09(D), the Wisconsin
registered fire protection contractor responsible for the work shall
keep at the building site at all times one set of plans bearing the
stamp of conditional approval from the Somers Fire Department and
a copy of the specifications. The plans shall be open to inspection
by an authorized representative of the Somers Fire Department.
All fire protection systems installed in the Village of Somers,
Wisconsin shall be tested in accordance with the requirements of the
most recent Wisconsin state code and NFPA pamphlets. In the event
that a conflict between these documents occurs, the fire protection
contractor shall comply with the most stringent requirements. Two
copies of each Material and Test Certificate shall be provided to
the Somers Fire Department before an occupancy permit will be granted.
The Somers Fire Department may revoke any approval, issued under
the provisions of this chapter, for any false statements or misrepresentation
of facts upon which the approval was based.
Plan approvals issued by the Somers Fire Department shall expire
two years after the approval date indicated on the fire protection
plans, unless extended as provided below.
Upon written request and payment of the fees specified under §
16.32, the expiration date described under §
16.13 may be extended for a single two-year period provided the written request and fee is submitted prior to the expiration date of the original approval and the originally approved plans are revised to comply with the requirements of this chapter at the time that the request is made.
A conditional approval of a fire protection design by the Somers
Fire Department shall not be construed as an assumption of any design
responsibility.
The provisions of this chapter shall be enforced by the Somers
Fire Department or its authorized representatives.
Whenever the Chief shall disapprove an application or refuse to grant a permit applied for or when it is claimed that the provisions of the Code do not apply, the applicant shall proceed as set forth in §
1.17 of the Code of Ordinances of the Village of Somers.
The most current edition of all NFPA/IBC documents are hereby
incorporated by reference into this chapter.
Smoke and heat detection systems shall be installed throughout
the following buildings. These systems shall be monitored 24 hours
per day by a remote central station service. When activated, the systems
shall send an alarm signal to the central station service who shall
then notify the Kenosha County Dispatch Center immediately.
(A)
Theaters and Assembly Buildings.
(G)
Adult Day Care Facilities.
(H)
Community-Based-Residential-Facilities.
(I)
Schools and Other Places of Instruction.
(O)
Child Day Care Facilities.
[Amended 7-13-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-017]
All fire protection systems and system components shall be inspected
and maintained in accordance with § SPS 314.13, Wis. Adm. Code.
As used in this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:
(A)
APPROVED — Approved by the authority charged with enforcement
of this ordinance and whenever required by a recognized testing laboratory
for automatic sprinkler systems and devices.
(B)
AREA (GROSS) — The maximum horizontal projected area within
the perimeter of the outside surface of walls or supports of the building
or structure — Exterior cantilevered open balconies are not
included.
(C)
AREA (NET) — The occupied or usable floor area in a building
but not including space occupied by columns, walls, partitions, stairways,
mechanical shafts or ducts.
(D)
ATTIC — The space not used for human occupancy located
between the ceiling of uppermost story and the roof.
(E)
AUTOMATIC CLOSING DEVICES — As applied to a fire protective
device, is one which functions without human intervention and is actuated
as a result of a predetermined temperature rise, rate of the rise
of temperature, combustion products or smoke density, such as an automatic
fire door, automatic fire shutter or automatic fire event.
(F)
AUTOMATIC FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEM — For fire protection
purposes, means an integrated system of underground and overhead piping
designed in accordance with fire protection and engineering standards.
The word system includes a suitable water supply, such as a gravity
tank, fire pump, reservoir or pressure tank of connection beginning
at the supply side of an approved gate valve located at or near the
property line where the pipe or piping system provides water used
exclusively for fire protection and related appurtenances and to standpipes
connected to automatic sprinkler systems. The portions of the sprinkler
system above ground is a network of specially sized or hydraulically
designed piping installed in a building, structure or area, generally
overhead, and to which sprinklers are connected in a systematic pattern,
and includes a controlling valve and a device for actuating an alarm
when the system is in operation — The system is usually activated
by heat from a fire and discharges water over the fire area.
(G)
AUTOMATIC FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM — A mechanical system
designed and equipped to detect a fire, actuate an alarm and suppress
or control a fire using water, water spray, foam, carbon dioxide,
or other approved suppression agent.
(H)
BASEMENT — A basement floor that is level below the first
or ground floor level, with its entire floor below exit discharge
grade.
(I)
CHANGE OF USE (REPORTED) — A change in the use of property,
which has been made known by the owner to the Somers Fire Department
through procedures established by the Village of Somers.
(J)
CHANGE OF USE (UNREPORTED) — A change in the use of property
which has not been made known by the owner to the Somers Fire Department
through procedures established by the Village of Somers.
(K)
CLOSING DEVICE (FIRE DOOR) — A closing device is one which
will close the door and be adequate to latch or hold, or both, hinged
or sliding door in closed position.
(1)
An automatic closing device is one which functions without human
intervention and is actuated as a result of the predetermined temperature
rise, rate of rise of temperature, combustion products or smoke density.
(2)
Self closing device is one which will maintain the door in a
closed position.
(L)
COMM — The Wisconsin Administrative Code designation for
various chapters of such code under the administration of the Department
of Commerce.
(M)
DWELLING — Any building that contains one or more dwelling
units.
(N)
DWELLING UNIT — Any building, structure or part thereof,
which is used or intended to be used as a home, residence, or sleeping
place by one or more persons, maintaining a common household and designed
as a unit for occupancy by not more than one family — Dwelling
shall also mean a living unit in any enclosed floor space constituting
one or more inhabitable rooms with or without accessory rooms and
used by a person or family.
(O)
FIRE CHIEF — The Executive Officer of the Somers Fire
Department or the Fire Chief's designate.
(P)
FIRE DEPARTMENT CONNECTION (FDC) — An approved fire hydrant
shall mean a water hydrant connected to a municipal water main which
has one five-inch Storz connection and two two-and-one-half-inch connections
— The connecting water line between the municipal water main
and the approved fire hydrant shall not be less than six inches.
(Q)
FIRE HYDRANT (APPROVED) — An approved fire hydrant shall
mean a water hydrant connected to a municipal water main which has
one five-inch Storz connection and two two-and-one-half-inch connections.
The connecting water line between the municipal water main and the
approved fire hydrant shall not be less than six inches.
(R)
FIRE RESISTIVE — The type of construction in which the
structural members, including walls, partitions, columns, floor and
roof construction, are of non-combustible materials, with fire resistive
rating of at least four hours.
(S)
FIRE WALL — A wall which has a fire resistance rating
of not less than four hours and which subdivides a building or separates
building to restrict the spread of fire, including a three foot parapet
wall beyond the furthest point of the sides and roof.
(T)
GROUND FLOOR — That level of a building on a sloping or
multi-level site, which has its floor line at, and not more than three
feet, above existing discharge grade for at least one-half of the
required exit discharges.
(U)
HIGH HAZARD OCCUPANCY — Any building which by reason of
its construction or combustible occupancy is deemed a severe hazard
to life or property by the Fire Chief.
(V)
ILHR — The Wisconsin Administrate Code designation for
the Department of Industry, Labor and Human Relations.
(W)
MULTIFAMILY DWELLING — All apartment building, rowhouse,
townhouse, condominium or manufactured building, that does not exceed
60 feet in height or six stories, and that consists of three or more
attached living units, or two or more living units with a business
occupancy attached, the initial construction of which is begun on
or after January 1, 1995, and excludes a multidwelling facility licensed
under the State of Wisconsin as set forth in Ch. SPS 350, Wis. Adm.
Code.
[Amended 7-13-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-018]
(X)
NFPA (NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION) — A copy of
NFPA Standards shall be on file at the Somers Fire Department.
(Y)
PUMPER PAD — An area approved by the Fire Chief and designated
for fire engine access to a Fire Department Connection (FDC) and fire
hydrant combination. Said site may be a shared portion of the pavement
but shall not cause driveway access to be blocked when in use.
(Z)
STANDPIPE — An arrangement of piping, valves, hose connections,
and allied equipment installed in a building or structure with the
hose connections located in such a manner that water can be discharged
in streams or spray patterns through attached fire hose and nozzles,
for the purpose of extinguishing a fire, and so protecting a building
or structure and its contents, in addition to protecting the occupants.
This is accomplished by connections to water supply systems or by
pumps, tanks, and other equipment necessary to provide an adequate
supply of water to the hose connections.
(AA)
STORY — The space in a building between the surfaces of
any floor and the floor next above, or below, or roof next above,
or any place not defined as basement, ground floor, mezzanine, balcony,
penthouse or attic.
(BB)
STORIES, NUMBER OF — The number of stories of a multi-story
building includes all stories except the basement, ground floor, attic,
or interior balcony or mezzanine floor.
(CC)
STRUCTURES — An assembly of materials forming a construction
for occupancy or use, meeting the definition of place of employment
or public building.
(DD)
WATERFLOW ALARM — A listed device constructed and installed
so that the flow of water from a single automatic sprinkler head of
the smallest orifice size installed on the system will result in an
audible and visual alarm, and send such notification to a Central
Station within one minute after such flow begins.