It is the purpose of this chapter to prescribe
regulations for the safeguarding of life and property from the hazards
of fire and explosion arising from the storage, handling and use of
hazardous substances, materials and devices and from conditions hazardous
to life or property in the use or occupancy of buildings or premises.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply equally
to new and existing conditions not in compliance with this chapter,
except that existing conditions not constituting an immediate district
hazard to life or property may be permitted to continue for a period
not in excess of 10 years.
The Building Inspector of the Town of Mount
Pleasant shall enforce the provisions of this chapter. He shall be
assisted in the performance of his duties by inspectors appointed
by the Town Board of the Town of Mount Pleasant. Any Fire Department
or fire district may recommend to said Town Board qualified persons
for appointment as such inspectors.
The Chief of the Fire Department, the Building
Inspector or any inspector may, at all reasonable hours, enter any
building or premises for the purpose of making an inspection or investigation.
It shall be the duty of the Chief of the Fire
Department to inspect, or cause to be inspected, by Fire Department
officers or members all buildings and premises, except the interiors
of dwellings, as often as may be necessary for the purpose of ascertaining
and causing to be corrected any conditions liable to cause fire or
endanger life from fire or any violations of the provisions of this
chapter and of any ordinance affecting the fire hazard.
Whenever there shall be found in any building
or upon any premises any of the following dangerous or hazardous conditions
or materials, such dangerous conditions or materials shall be removed
or remedied upon order of the Building Inspector:
A. Dangerous or unlawful amounts of combustible or explosive
or otherwise hazardous materials.
B. Hazardous conditions arising from defective or improperly
installed equipment for handling or using combustible or explosive
or otherwise hazardous materials.
C. Dangerous accumulations of rubbish, wastepaper, boxes,
shavings or other highly flammable materials.
D. Accumulations of dust or waste material in air-conditioning
or ventilating systems or of grease in kitchen or other exhaust ducts.
E. Obstructions to or on fire escapes, stairs, passageways,
doors or windows, liable to interfere with the operations of the Fire
Department or egress of occupants in case of fire.
F. Any building or other structure which, for want of
repairs, lack of sufficient fire escapes or other exit facilities,
automatic or other fire alarm apparatus or fire-extinguishing equipment
or by reason of age or dilapidated condition or from any other cause
creates a hazardous condition.
The service of orders for the correction of
violations of this chapter shall be made upon the owner, occupant
or other person responsible for the conditions, either by delivering
a copy of same to such person or by delivering the same to and leaving
it with any person in charge of the premises or, in case no such person
is found upon the premises, by affixing a copy thereof in a conspicuous
place on the door to the entrance of the said premises. Whenever it
may be necessary to serve such an order upon the owner of premises,
such order may be served either by delivering to and leaving with
said person a copy of said order or by sending such copy by registered
mail to the owner's last known post office address.
Unless otherwise expressly stated, the following
terms shall, for the purpose of this chapter, have the meanings indicated
in this section:
APPROVED
Accepted by the Building Inspector as a result of investigation
and experience or by reason of test.
FIRE-RESISTANCE RATING
The time in hours that the material or construction will
withstand the standard fire exposure as determined by a fire test.
ICC CONTAINER
Any container approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission
for shipping any liquid, gaseous or solid material of a flammable,
toxic or other hazardous nature.
OWNER
Includes his duly authorized agent or attorney, a purchaser,
devisee, fiduciary and a person having a vested or contingent interest
in the property in question.
PERSON
Includes a corporation and copartnership as well as an individual.
This chapter shall not be construed to hold
the municipality responsible for any damage to persons or property
by reason of the inspection or reinspection authorized herein or failure
to inspect or reinspect or the permit issued as herein provided or
by reason of the approval or disapproval of any equipment authorized
herein.