Village of Montebello, NY Article VII Fire Protection Equipment

§ 89-30 Scope.

The provisions of Article VII shall apply to new and existing conditions, except that the provisions of § 89-31 shall not apply where equivalent or more stringent legal requirements are enforced by the Building Department or other municipal departments.

§ 89-31 Specification of equipment for premises.

A. The Chief of the Bureau of Fire Prevention or Fire Inspector shall survey each place of assembly, business, education, industry, health, mercantile, storage, multiple-residence occupancy, public and private schools, nursery schools and day-care centers and shall specify suitable fire extinguishing equipment, systems or appliances and fire detecting devices as shall be necessary to provide reasonable safety to persons and property.

B. Such devices or appliances may consist of automatic fire alarm systems, automatic sprinklers or water spray systems, standpipes and hoses, fixed or portable fire extinguishers of a type suitable for the likely probable class of fire, exit lights, emergency lighting units, panic hardware or other equipment. For special storage or hazardous processes, appliances of more than one type or special systems may be required. Automatic fire alarm and sprinkler systems shall be defined in Section 902 of the Fire Code of New York State.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III).

§ 89-32 Sprinklers and fire detection systems.

A. In accordance with Table I,[1] all buildings and structures occupied for purposes other than residential buildings with less than six units that exceed 5,000 square feet of total floor area, or a place of assembly with an occupant load of more than 100 persons, except assembly spaces used expressly for religious purposes, shall be fully protected by an automatic sprinkler.

[1] Editor's Note: Table I is included at the end of this chapter.

B. Requirements for existing buildings.

(1) Approved automatic sprinkler systems shall be installed and maintained in operable condition, as specified in this section, in all of the following existing buildings:

(a) All places of public assembly where the maximum number of occupants permitted is determined to be 200 or greater.

(b) All educational buildings which are three or more stories in height.

(c) All institutional-type occupancies (i.e., nursing homes, hospitals, homes for aged, etc.).

(d) All multiple residences of a transient nature, including rooming houses and boardinghouses, which contain six or more units.

(e) Any building, regardless of its nature or classification, in which an unusually hazardous condition exists.

C. Where the installation of approved automatic sprinkler systems is required in existing buildings pursuant to Subsection B(1) above, such sprinkler systems must be installed within two years of the effective date of this section.

D. All sprinkler systems shall be installed and maintained in accordance with the most current edition of the National Fire Protection Association Standard for Sprinkler Systems (NFPA 13) or the appropriate NFPA Standard for special occupancies.

E. All sprinkler system components shall be tested and inspected in accordance with National Fire Protection Association Standard for the Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems (NFPA 25) Copies of all service, repair, inspection and testing reports shall be forwarded to the Fire Inspector within 10 days of such service repair, inspection or testing.

§ 89-33 Color coding of siamese connections.

In order to ensure that fire fighters utilize the proper siamese connection, all siamese connections and/or the protective covers installed on the siamese connection shall be color coded as follows:

RED	Siamese supplying a standpipe (fire hose) system.
GREEN	Siamese supplying a sprinkler system.
YELLOW	Siamese supplying a combination of standpipe and sprinkler system.

§ 89-34 Fire detection systems. [1]

A. All buildings and structures other than one-family and two-family residences shall be equipped with fire detection and alarm systems as described in Table I.[2] A sprinkler system with a water flow device monitored to immediately send an alarm to the Fire Department shall be considered a fire detection system.

[2] Editor's Note: Table I, Fire Prevention Device Requirements, is included at the end of this chapter.

B. Where a 110-volt (hard-wired) smoke detector is required to be installed in any building (including a one- or two-family dwelling) by the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code or successor standards adopted by New York State or any other applicable regulation, such smoke detector shall be equipped with a battery backup to ensure operation of the smoke detector in the event of a power interruption.

C. All fire detection and alarm systems shall be installed and maintained in accordance with the most current edition of the National Fire Protection Association Fire Alarm Code (NFPA 72). Copies of all service, repair, inspection and testing reports shall be forwarded to the Fire Inspector within 10 days of such service, repair, inspection or testing.

D. The Fire Inspector shall be notified in writing prior to the installation of any fire alarm or fire detection system. Such notification shall consist of plans sufficient to determine compliance with the Fire Code.

E. Fire alarm or fire detection systems shall have an annunciation or remote located at or near the main entrance of the building. Such annunciation shall show the location and type of alarm. A floor plan of the protected premises shall also be provided at this location. The location of any annunciator or panel not clearly visible upon entry of the main entrance of a building shall be marked with a sign.

F. Upon activation of a fire alarm the persons in charge of a premises shall cause the premises to be evacuated unless an evacuation plan preapproved by the Fire Inspector and Fire Department is in place. In such case the provisions of the plan shall be followed.

G. No fire system shall be reset from an alarm condition unless approved by the Fire Inspector or Fire Department Officer-in-Charge. A sign stating such shall be provided on all fire alarm panels capable of resetting an alarm.

H. The owner or responsible party of any premises containing a fire alarm or fire detection system shall ensure that a qualified technician is available to respond within two hours of notification to initiate needed repair or service of the system.

I. If the fire alarm system signal transmission to the alarm receiving station is not tested on a daily basis, all dedicated phone lines used for the purpose of transmitting fire alarm signals shall be equipped with a visual/audio signal on the exterior of the building to operate in the event of a line failure or disablement. It shall be the sole responsibility of the property owner to maintain all dedicated fire alarm system phone lines active at all times.

J. A red nameplate with one-inch white letters shall be located below the visual/audio signal with the following information:

(1) Name of alarm company.

(2) Telephone number of the alarm company.

[1] Editor's Note: Added at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. III).

§ 89-35 Portable fire extinguishers.

Portable fire extinguishers, installed and maintained in accordance with National Fire Protection Association Standard No. 10, the Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers, shall be provided in all occupancies as required by Table I.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: Table I is included at the end of this chapter.

§ 89-36 Protection of cooking equipment and ductwork.

A. All commercial cooking appliances, exhaust removal systems, ductwork, and related equipment shall be protected by an automatic fire extinguishing system installed and maintained in compliance with current applicable National Fire Protection Association Standards.

B. These systems shall be inspected by an approved service firm on a semiannual basis. To ensure proper inspection, a uniform inspection form, provided by the Fire Inspector, shall be utilized with a copy of the completed form forwarded to the Fire Inspector within 10 days of the inspection.

§ 89-37 Special extinguishing systems.

Wherever deemed necessary for the protection of a special hazard, the Fire Inspector may require the installation of a special extinguishing system. Any such special extinguishing system shall be installed and maintained in accordance with the most current applicable National Fire Protection Association Standards.

§ 89-38 Access to fire protection equipment.

A. The parking of any vehicle within 15 feet of any fire hydrant or fire department siamese connection shall be prohibited.

B. No shrubs, dumpsters, or other items that may obstruct the view of and/or access to any fire hydrant or fire department siamese connection shall be permitted.

§ 89-39 Strobe lights.

A. In order to notify responding fire fighters of conditions within a building or structure equipped with sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, or containing hazardous materials or other hazards to fire fighters, identification strobe lights shall be installed on the exterior of the building as follows:

	RED STROBE LIGHT	Located above the fire department siamese connection of a sprinklered building to indicated activation of the water flow alarm.
	YELLOW STROBE LIGHT	Installed to indicate activation of a pull station, smoke detector, heat detector or other alarm device.
	BLUE STROBE LIGHT	Installed to indicate the presence of hazardous materials, conditions or other danger to fire fighters.

B. The exact location of these lights shall be determined by the Fire Inspector.