[Adopted 6-18-2024 by Ord. No. 2024-10]
Fire safety compliance has always been and continues to be a
high priority for the Borough of East Rutherford. Borough officials
frequently assess what can be done to assure the safety of all Borough
residents, and to that end, the Borough 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, 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 his assigned
designee in public and privately owned buildings and or properties
within the Borough of East Rutherford under the following circumstances:
(1)
Required fire-protection systems are out of service due to system
failure, repair, scheduled maintenance, vandalism, etc.
(2)
An "imminent hazard," as defined by N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.16, exists.
(3)
A fire watch is requested by the building owner, tenant, or lessee;
(4)
Public and private events where 100 people or more are in attendance;
(5)
Events where with the approval of the Fire Official or his assigned
designee the posted occupancy load is exceeded;
(6)
Hot work or the use of an open flame during the performance of construction
in an occupied building or the use of open flame or pyrotechnics before
a live audience.
(7)
All other situations deemed necessary by the Fire Official or his
assigned designee.
B.
A fire watch may include the maintaining of posted fire lanes, means
of egress, posted occupancy loads, enforcement of no smoking in posted
areas, 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.
Fire watches shall be performed by any of the following:
(1)
A member of the East Rutherford Fire Department.
(2)
Employees of the Borough of East Rutherford, Bureau of Fire Safety.
(3)
Firefighters or fire inspectors from any fire department that has
a mutual aid agreement with the East Rutherford Fire Department.
(4)
In the event a required fire watch cannot be fulfilled with any personnel
as detailed above, the Fire Marshal is permitted to fill the fire
watch with other authorized personnel.
(5)
Fire watchers for the purposes of a fire watch shall report directly
to the Fire Official or their designed representative.
(6)
In the event of a fire incident, the fire watchers shall report to
the Fire Chief or Fire Department Incident Commander.
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 by the Borough of East Rutherford
shall be paid at the rate of $50 per hour per person.
C.
In the event a Borough fire apparatus is deemed necessary for said
fire watch, such apparatus shall be billed and paid for at a rate
of $25 per hour per apparatus.
D.
There shall be a minimum payment of eight hours per person and per
apparatus, plus an additional 15% administrative fee.
E.
All payments shall be made within seven days after service is provided.
F.
Payments shall be made payable to the Borough of East Rutherford
Fire Safety.
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.
