There is hereby adopted by the Borough the fire control measures
and regulations as herein set forth for the purposes of controlling
conditions which could impede or interfere with fire suppression forces:
The Fire Chief, or his duly authorized representative, in charge
at the scene of a fire or other emergency involving the protection
of life and/or property is empowered to direct such operations as
may be necessary to extinguish or control any suspected or reported
fires, gas leaks or other hazardous conditions or situations and take
any action necessary in the reasonable performance of their duty.
The Fire Chief may prohibit any person, vehicle or object from approaching
the scene and may remove or cause to be removed from the scene any
person, vehicle or object which may impede or interfere with the operations
of the Fire Department. The Fire Chief may remove or cause to be removed
any person, vehicle or object from hazardous areas. All persons ordered
to leave a hazardous area shall do so immediately and shall not reenter
the area until authorized to do so by the Fire Chief.
It shall be unlawful to interfere with, attempt to interfere
with, conspire to interfere with, obstruct or restrict the mobility
of or block the path of travel of any Fire Department emergency vehicle
in any way or to interfere with, attempt to interfere with, conspire
to interfere with, obstruct or hamper any Fire Department operation.
A person shall not willfully fail or refuse to comply with any
lawful order or direction of the Fire Chief, or his duly authorized
representative, or interfere with the compliance attempts of another
individual.
A vehicle shall not be driven or propelled over any unprotected
fire hose when laid down on any street, alleyway, private drive or
any other vehicular roadway without the consent of the fire official
in command of an operation.
Authorized emergency vehicles shall be restricted to those which
are defined and authorized under the laws of the State of New Jersey.
Upon the approach of any authorized emergency vehicle giving
audible and visual signal, the operator of every other vehicle shall
immediately drive to a position as near as possible and parallel to
the right-hand edge or curb of the street or roadway, clear of any
intersection, and shall stop and remain in such position until the
authorized emergency vehicle or vehicles shall have passed, unless
otherwise directed by a fire official or a police officer.
It shall be unlawful for the operator of any vehicle, other
than one on official business, to follow closer than 300 feet of any
fire apparatus traveling in response to a fire alarm or to drive any
vehicle within the immediate area where fire apparatus has stopped
in answer to a fire alarm.
A person shall not, without proper authorization from the Fire
Chief, or his duly authorized representative, cling to, attach himself
to, climb upon or into, board or swing upon any emergency vehicle,
whether the same is in motion or at rest, or sound the siren, horn,
bell or other sound-producing device thereon or manipulate or tamper
with or attempt to manipulate or tamper with any levers, valves, switches,
starting devices, brakes, pumps or any equipment or protective clothing
on or a part of any emergency vehicle.
It shall be unlawful for any person to damage or deface or attempt
or conspire to damage or deface any emergency vehicle at any time
or to injure or attempt to injure or conspire to injure Fire Department
personnel performing departmental duties.
A.
The driver of any emergency vehicle shall not sound the siren thereon
or have the front red lights on or disobey any existing traffic regulation,
except when said vehicle is responding to an emergency call or when
responding to, but not upon returning from, a fire. Tactical strategies,
such as but not restricted to move-ups, do not constitute an emergency
call. The driver of an emergency vehicle may:
(1)
Park or stand irrespective of the provisions of existing traffic
regulations.
(2)
Proceed past a red or stop signal or other sign, but only after slowing
down as may be necessary for safe operation.
(3)
Exceed the prima facie speed limit so long as doing so does not endanger
life or property.
(4)
Disregard regulations governing direction of movement or turning
in specified directions.
B.
The exemptions herein granted to an emergency vehicle shall apply
only when the driver of any such vehicle, while in motion, sounds
an audible signal by bell, siren or exhaust whistle, as may be reasonably
necessary, and when the vehicle is equipped with at least one lighted
lamp displaying a red light visible under normal atmospheric conditions
from a distance of 500 feet from such vehicle.
A.
It shall be unlawful to obscure from view, damage, deface, obstruct
or restrict the access to any fire hydrant or any Fire Department
connection for the pressurization of fire suppression systems, including
fire hydrants and connections that are located on public or private
streets and access lanes or on private property. Violators will be
served with a notice of violation.
B.
If, upon the expiration of the time mentioned in a notice of violation,
obstructions or encroachments are not removed, the Fire Chief shall
proceed to remove the same. Costs incurred in the performance of necessary
work shall be paid from the municipal treasury on certificate of the
Fire Chief and with the approval of the chief administrative official,
and the legal authority of the municipality shall institute appropriate
action for the recovery of such costs.
A person shall not use or operate any fire hydrant intended
for use by the Fire Department for fire suppression purposes unless
such person first secures a permit for such use from the Fire Chief,
or his duly authorized representative, and the Department of Public
Works. This section shall not apply to the use of such hydrants by
a person employed by and authorized to make such use by the Department
of Public Works.
The Fire Chief shall recommend to the Borough Commissioners
the location or relocation of new or existing fire hydrants and the
placement or replacement of inadequate water mains located upon public
property and deemed necessary to provide an adequate fire flow and
distribution pattern. A fire hydrant shall not be placed into or removed
from service until approved by the Fire Chief.
All new and existing shipyards, oil storage plants, lumberyards,
amusement or exhibition parks and educational or institutional complexes
and similar occupancies and uses involving high fire or life hazards
and which are located more than 150 feet from a public street or which
require quantities of water beyond the capabilities of the public
water distribution system shall be provided with properly placed fire
hydrants. Such fire hydrants shall be capable of supplying fire flows
as required by the Fire Chief and shall be connected to a water system
in accordance with accepted engineering practices. The Fire Chief
shall designate and approve the number and location of fire hydrants.
The Fire Chief may require the installation of sufficient fire hose
and equipment housed in accordance with the approved rules and may
require the establishment of a trained fire brigade when the hazard
involved requires such measures. Private hydrants shall not be placed
into or removed from service until approved by the Fire Chief.
A person shall not obstruct, remove, tamper with or otherwise
disturb any fire hydrant or fire appliance required to be installed
or maintained under the provisions of the Fire Prevention Code,[1] except for the purpose of extinguishing fire, training
or testing purposes, recharging or making necessary repairs or when
permitted by the Fire Chief. Whenever a fire appliance is removed
as herein permitted, it shall be replaced or reinstalled as soon as
the purpose for which it was removed has been accomplished. Defective
and nonapproved fire appliances or equipment shall be replaced or
repaired as directed by the Fire Chief.
A person shall not sell, trade, loan or give away any form,
type or kind of fire extinguisher which is not approved by the Fire
Chief or which is not in proper working order or the contents of which
do not meet the requirements of the Fire Chief. The requirements of
this section shall not apply to the sale, trade or exchange of obsolete
or damaged equipment for junk when said units are permanently disfigured
or marked with permanent sign identifying the unit as junk.
A person or persons shall not erect, construct, place or maintain
any bumps, fences, gates, chains, bars, pipes, wood or metal horses
or any other type of obstruction in or on any street within the boundaries
of the municipality. The word "street," as used in this chapter, shall
mean any roadway accessible to the public for vehicular traffic, including
but not limited to private streets or access lanes, as well as all
public streets and highways within the boundaries of the municipality.
