[Approved 9-7-1972 by Ch. No. 1363]
Fire alarm systems located in private homes
will not be connected to the municipal fire alarm circuits.
The master fire alarm box protecting a property
shall be the local energy type and shall be located inside the building
protected. The location of the fire alarm master box will be designated
by the Superintendent of Fire Alarm of the City of Pawtucket. Only
under certain circumstances may the master box be installed on the
outside of the building, and then only with the written permission
of the Superintendent of Fire Alarm. The entire installation, including
all material to be connected to the municipal fire alarm circuit,
must be furnished and installed by the owner of the property protected.
The complete maintenance shall be his for as long as the equipment
is connected to the municipal fire alarm circuit.
In the event that trouble or faults develop
in any part of the private system it shall be the prerogative of the
Fire Alarm Division of the City of Pawtucket to disconnect any part
or all of the private system from the municipal fire alarm circuit.
And in the event that this procedure takes place, the Fire Alarm Division
will make a reasonable attempt to notify the owner or agents of the
property, provided that they have furnished this department with the
proper addresses and telephone numbers where they can be reached.
A.
A master box supervisory and reset panel must be installed
with the private system, unless the panel being used will accomplish
the same results.
B.
All wiring from the municipal circuit to the master
box and from the master box to the supervisory panel and associated
equipment shall be approved for the operation at 600 volts. It must
be installed in conduit or approved tubing and conform to the requirements
of the Electrical Code currently in effect in the City of Pawtucket.
All wiring beyond the supervisory panel must be of an approved type
for the equipment used and shall also be installed in conduit or approved
EMT. Splices will be kept to an absolute minimum and will be allowed
only in junction boxes and terminal boxes. Covers of said boxes will
be painted red. Splices will be pigtailed and soldered and insulated
to a degree at least equal to the insulation on the type of wire being
used. Interior wire will be No. 14 solid TW.
[Amended 7-25-1996 by Ch. No. 2420]
In installations where there are more than four
auxiliary pull stations or tripping devices, or where the system extends
to more than one floor of the building, or where the system extends
to more than one building, an identifying device, such as an annunciator,
must be installed to identify the location of the signal's origin.
This device will be located to the satisfaction of the Fire Alarm
Division, and a directory must be included.
In the installation of private systems from
local energy operation, the system shall be designed so that the accidental
loss of operating current will not operate the tripping mechanism
of the master box. If batteries are used, these batteries will be
secondary, storage-type batteries. This type unit shall have built-in
provisions for trickle charge and fast charge on the battery cabinet.
The use of primary batteries or dry batteries is not acceptable.
Water flow detectors installed in the sprinkler
systems must have incorporated in them a retard device which will
hold back the operation of the tripping mechanism for a period of
no less than 20 seconds, and this retard must be noncumulative, so
as to prevent false signals from being sent to the Fire Division on
such occasions as low water pressure, low air pressure or local pressure
surges in the risers.
In installations where heat-detection devices
are to be installed, these devices must be of the combination rate
of rise and the fixed-temperature type, except in location where it
is normal for rapid changes of temperature to exist, such as areas
housing heating ovens, heating coils, boilers, furnaces, etc., and
in these locations a fixed-temperature device of 190° F. shall
be used. All heat-detection devices, before installation, must have
the approval of the National Board of Fire Underwriters and bear the
label, "Underwriters Laboratory." They must be installed and spaced
according to the recommendations of the manufacturer and have the
approval of the Pawtucket Fire Division.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Six original unnumbered paragraphs
dealing with connections to municipal circuits and underground municipal
circuits which immediately followed this section were deleted 7-25-1996
by Ch. No. 2420.
There will be no alteration or additions to
any local energy auxiliary system connected to the municipal fire
alarm circuit without first getting approval from the Superintendent
of Fire Alarms. There will be no major electrical alterations or additions
to any shunt-type auxiliary alarm system, except under the following
conditions:
Plans or prints shall be submitted for approval
to the Superintendent of Fire Alarm prior to installation.
Master boxes will be tested for operation during
the regular procedure of this work. The master box must be available
for this test during all normal working days and hours. The auxiliary
equipment attached to the master box will not be tested by this Division,
and this will be considered to be a part of the owner's responsibility
of maintenance of this system. The resetting or winding of all equipment,
including the master box, will be the responsibility of the owner
of the protected property. Any one article or combination of articles
of the National Fire Protection Association Pamphlet 72 B (Auxiliary
Protective Signaling Systems) which are deemed to be in the best interests
of the Pawtucket Fire Division will be considered as part of the minimum
requirements for Auxiliary Fire Alarm Systems.
The City of Pawtucket or any of its employees
shall under no circumstances be liable for the failure of any or all
of the equipment to operate in the transmission of an alarm to the
Fire Alarm Office, but it is understood that this Division shall do
all within its power to maintain service if it is at all possible.
[Added 6-14-2011 by Ch. No. 2965]
A.
There shall be assessed by the Fire Department an annual fee in the
amount of $400 for each privately owned fire alarm box. The fee shall
be due annually within 30 days after July 1 of each year. The annual
fee shall be charged for the following master box services:
(1)
Twenty-four-hour supervision of the circuits at the fire station.
(2)
Yearly testing of each privately owned fire alarm box.
(3)
Yearly testing and basic maintenance of master.
(4)
Assistance in the restoration of service following an alarm.
(5)
Disconnecting and reconnecting the box for tests and repairs.
(6)
Consultation for system installation, charges and improvements when
written requests are made by the owner of the fire alarm box.
B.
The assessed fees collected from the owner of the fire boxes shall
be deposited to the Treasurer of the City, for the yearly fee required
for the privilege of connection of the box to the City's fire alarm
system.
(1)
The Director of Administration may record a lien against the real
property for any unpaid charges under this section, and the lien shall
be enforced in the same manner provided or authorized by law for enforcement
of common law liens on personal property.
C.
A copy of this statement will be sent to all master box owners in
the City.
