[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Springettsbury as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 10-25-1990 by Ord. No. 1990-06 (Ch. 7, Part 1, of the 2003 Code); amended in its entirety 1-9-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-01]
A vehicle shall not be driven or propelled over any unprotected fire hose of the Fire Department when laid down on any street, alleyway, private drive, or any other vehicular roadway without the consent of the Fire Code Official in command of said operation.
Shall be restricted to those which are defined and authorized under the laws of the State of Pennsylvania, as defined by 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 102, as may be amended.
Upon the approach of any authorized emergency vehicle, giving audible and visual signals, the operator of every other vehicle shall immediately drive the same 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 the Fire Code 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 from any fire apparatus traveling in response to a fire alarm or to drive any vehicle within the block or immediate area where fire apparatus has stopped in answer to a fire alarm.
A person shall not, without proper authorization from the Fire Code Official in charge of said Fire Department emergency equipment, cling to, attach himself to, climb upon or into, board, or swing upon any Fire Department emergency vehicle, whether the same is in motion or at rest, or sound the siren, horn, bell or other sound-producing device thereon, or to 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 Fire Department emergency vehicle.
It shall be unlawful for any person to damage or deface or attempt or conspire to damage or deface any Fire Department emergency vehicle at any time or to injure or attempt or conspire to injure Fire Department personnel while performing departmental duties.
A.
The driver of any emergency vehicle, as defined in this article, 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 the action does not endanger life or property.
(4)
Disregard regulations governing direction of movement or turning in unspecified directions.
B.
The exemptions herein granted to an emergency vehicle shall apply only when the driver of any such vehicle, while in motion, sounds 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 to the front of such vehicle.
The Fire Department is hereby delegated the responsibility for the location, relocation, approvals, additions, and costs of fire hydrants.
Any person, firm, or corporation who shall violate any provision of this article, upon conviction thereof in an action brought before a district justice in the manner provided for the enforcement of summary offenses under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000 plus costs and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 90 days. Each day that a violation of this article continues or each section of this article which shall be found to have been violated shall constitute a separate offense.
[Adopted 1-9-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-01[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: The provisions of this article were originally specified to be added as Chapter 156A but were renumbered to maintain the organization of the Code.
A certain document, three copies of which are on file in the office of the Manager of Springettsbury Township, being marked and designated as the International Fire Code, 2018 Edition, including all applicable appendix chapters (see International Fire Code Section 101.2.1, 2018 Edition), as published by the International Code Council, (hereafter referred to as the "Fire Code") be and is hereby adopted as the Fire Code of Springettsbury Township regulating and governing the safeguarding of life and property from fire and explosion hazards arising from the storage, handling and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, and from conditions hazardous to life or property in the occupancy of buildings and premises as herein provided; providing for the issuance of permits and collection of fees therefor; and each and all of the regulations, provisions, penalties, conditions and terms of said Fire Code on file in the office of Springettsbury Township are hereby referred to, adopted, and made a part hereof, as if fully set out in this legislation, with the additions, insertions, deletions and changes set forth herein.
The Fire Code is hereby amended and modified as follows:
A.
Section 101.1: insert "Springettsbury Township."
B.
Section 109: "Board of Appeals" is deleted.
C.
Section 110.4: insert "Summary Offense; maximum of $1,000; 90 days."
D.
Section 112.4: insert "$1,000; $1,000."
E.
Section 1103.5.3: insert "January 1, 2035."
F.
Section 5704.2.9.6.1: insert "Springettsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania."
G.
Section 5706.2.4.4: insert "Springettsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania."
H.
Section 5806.2: insert "Springettsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania."
I.
Section 6104.2: insert "Springettsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania."
A.
A Fire Code Official, as described in the International Fire Code, shall be established, selected and subject to the authority of the Township.
B.
Older buildings that have been properly updated and were constructed and/or renovated with proper permitting prior to the adoption of this code will still fall into the code under which they were constructed, unless there is a renovation that expands useful space by more than 25% of the existing space as permitted, or there is an improvement made which increases the value of the property in question by more than 25% of its fair market value.
C.
Nothing in the Fire Code shall require equipment or installation for buildings that passed previous inspections and were properly permitted unless a new UCC permit is required for renovations or change in occupancy.
D.
The adoption of the Fire Code will not impact existing commercial occupancies or businesses unless a UCC permit must be obtained for renovation or change of nature of use, unless the occupancy has fallen into disrepair, or unless previously required systems, services and devices have been illegally removed.
E.
References in the Fire Code that direct back to the UCC, IEBC, or IEBC shall be handled either by Springettsbury Township or the Fire Code Official.
The appendixes within the 2018 International Fire Code that do not apply and are not adopted herein are Appendixes A, K, L, and M. All other remaining appendixes as contained in the 2018 version of the International Fire Code are adopted accordingly, as they provide specific benefits within the land development process as well as with other aspects of York Area United Fire and Rescue planning and operation.
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this article is, for any reason, held to be unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this article. The Board of Supervisors hereby declares that it would have passed this article and each section, subsection, clause or phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses and phrases be declared unconstitutional.