[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of the Village of Wrightstown 10-5-1976 by Ord. No. 1-76 as Ch. 5 of the 1976 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The Wrightstown Volunteer Fire Department is hereby officially recognized as the Fire Department of the Village of Wrightstown, and the duty of the fire fighting and the prevention of fires in the village is delegated to such Department. Its organization and internal regulation shall be governed by the provisions of this chapter and by such bylaws adopted by the Department.
The Wrightstown Fire Department shall adopt bylaws for the control, management and government and for regulating the business and proceedings of the Department.
The Village Board shall appropriate funds to provide for operation and for such apparatus and equipment for the use of the Fire Department as it may deem expedient and necessary to maintain efficiency and properly protect life and property from fire.
The officers and members of the Fire Department shall receive such compensation from the village as may from time to time be fixed by the Department.
A. 
Composition. The Fire Department shall consist of the following officers: one Chief, an Assistant Chief and a Secretary-Treasurer, together with as many drivers and fire fighters as may be appointed by the Chief and approved by the Department and Village Board.
[Amended 11-30-1999 by Ord. No. 113099B]
B. 
Application for membership. Any person desiring to be a member of the Fire Department may file with the Secretary an application in such form as he or she may require. Each applicant shall also file a certificate of physical fitness from such physician as the Chief may designate and agree to pre-membership drug screening.
[Amended 9-1-2020 by Ord. No. 09012020]
C. 
Resignations. All resignations from the Department shall take the same course as applications for and appointments to membership.
D. 
Chief and Assistant Chief.
(1) 
A vacancy in the Office of the Chief and Assistant Chief shall be filled by appointment by the Department. Upon creation of a vacancy of the Office of Chief, the ranking officer shall perform the duties of the Chief until such vacancy has been filled.
(2) 
The Chief and Assistant Chief shall immediately assume office and shall hold office until removed for cause by the members of the Department.
(3) 
No member of the Department shall be eligible for the Office of Chief or Assistant Chief whose entire time, both day and night, is not ordinarily spent within the village limits and who has not been a member of the Department for at least two years.
E. 
Election of officers. The election of the Secretary-Treasurer and such social officers as the bylaws may require shall be held at the annual meeting of the Department in such manner as is provided in the bylaws. In case of any vacancy, the Chief shall appoint a member in good standing to fill the office until the next annual election.
A. 
General supervision. The Chief shall have the general supervision of the Department, which supervision shall be subject to and not conflict with this chapter and the bylaws of the Department. He or she shall be responsible for the personnel and general efficiency of the Department.
B. 
Presiding officer. The Chief shall preside at all meetings, call special meetings, preserve order, decide all points of order that may arise and enforce a rigid observance of this chapter and bylaws.
C. 
Command of fire-fighting operations. The Chief shall be present at all fires and have complete command and entire responsibility of all fire-fighting operations, plan the control of the same, direct the action of the Department when it arrives at the fire, observe that the Department does its duty, grant leaves of absence at a fire when he or she may deem it proper and see that the fire apparatus is kept in proper condition at all times.
D. 
Disciplinary actions. The Chief may demote or expel any officer or member of the Department for neglect or refusal to perform his or her departmental duties, or for nonresidence, subject to an appeal from such demotion or expulsion to the Department.
E. 
Department budget. Not later than October 1 of each year, the Chief shall file with the Village Clerk-Treasurer a detailed estimate of the appropriations needed for the conduct of the Department during the ensuing fiscal year.
F. 
Reports to the Board. The Chief shall submit a written report to the Village Board not later than February 1 of each year, and at such other times as he or she deems desirable, relating to the condition of various pieces of apparatus and appurtenances, the number of hydrants and the condition of the same, the number of fires occurring since the previous report and the date of the same and loss occasioned thereby, the number of members of each company, the total number of active members in the Department and resignations and expulsions from the Department. He or she shall also report upon the drill and training program of the Department, together with other pertinent information, including recommendations for such improvements as he or she deems proper and necessary for the operation of the Department.
G. 
Enforcement of fire prevention ordinances. He or she shall enforce all fire prevention ordinances of the village and state laws and regulations pertaining to fire prevention and shall keep citizens informed on fire prevention methods and on the activities of the Department.
H. 
Fire record book. He or she shall keep a fire record book of every fire to which the Department was called and shall enter in such book the locality of the fire, the time alarm was received, the cause of fire, where the fire started, the cause of delay (if any) in responding, the method of extinguishment and equipment used, the amount of insurance carried on buildings and contents, the estimated fire loss, the time the fire was extinguished, the names of men and women responding and general remarks.
I. 
Apparatus inventory. He or she shall keep an inventory of all apparatus and equipment and an inventory of all hose, showing dates and results of tests on each length, which shall be individually numbered.
J. 
Duties of commanding officer. He or she shall perform such other duties as are usually incumbent on the commanding officer of the Fire Department.
A. 
The Chief shall have control of all apparatus used by the Department and shall be responsible for its proper maintenance. Emergency repairs may be authorized by the Chief.
B. 
No apparatus shall be used for any purpose except for fire fighting within the village limits, or in training therefor, except pursuant to an agreement approved by the Village Board after the Chief has given his or her recommendations on such use. With the approval of the Chief, such apparatus may be used for emergency purposes within the village. A written report of all such uses shall be made quarterly to the Village Board.
A. 
Police authority at fires. The Chief and assistant or officers in command at any fire shall have full and complete police authority at fires. Any officer of the Department may cause the arrest of any person failing to give the right-of-way to the Fire Department in responding to a fire.
B. 
Control of fires. The Fire Chief may prescribe certain limits in the vicinity of any fire within which no persons, excepting fire fighters and police officers and those admitted by order of any officer of the Department, shall be permitted to come. The Chief may cause the removal of any property whenever it shall become necessary for the preservation of such property from fire or to prevent the spreading of fire or to protect the adjoining property, and during the progress of any fire he or she may order the removal or destruction of any property necessary to prevent the further spread of the fire. He or she may also cause the removal of all wires or other facilities and the turning off of all electricity or other services where the same impedes the work of the Department during the progress of a fire.
C. 
Entering premises. Any fire fighter while acting under the direction of the Fire Chief or other officer in command may enter upon the premises adjacent to or in the vicinity of any building or other property then on fire for the purpose of extinguishing such fire, and if any person shall hinder, resist or obstruct any fire fighter in the discharge of his or her duty as is herein provided, the person so offending shall be deemed guilty of resisting fire fighters in the discharge of their duties.
D. 
Duties of bystanders. Every person who shall be present at a fire shall be subject to the orders of the Fire Chief or officer in command and may be required to render assistance in fighting the fire or in removing or guarding property. Such officer may cause the arrest of any person or persons refusing to obey such orders.
E. 
Injury to equipment prohibited. No person shall willfully injure in any manner any hose, hydrant or fire apparatus belonging to the village, and no vehicle, street car or railroad equipment shall be driven over any unprotected hose of a fire department when laid down on any street, private driveway, track or other place, to be used at any fire or alarm of fire, without the consent of the Fire Department official in command.
A. 
The Fire Chief shall bring to the Village Board a recommendation for the office of Fire Inspector, with power to appoint one or more Deputy Fire Inspectors, who shall perform the same duties and have the same powers as the Fire Inspector.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
B. 
Duty of inspection. Fire Inspectors shall inspect quarterly all buildings, premises and thoroughfares within the fire limits and inspect semiannually all buildings, premises and public thoroughfares within the village limits, for the purpose of noting and causing to be corrected any conditions liable to cause fires. Repairs or alterations necessary to remove the hazardous condition shall be made within a reasonable time at the expense of the owner. The Inspector shall also investigate the storage and handling of explosives and inflammable liquids within the village.
C. 
Written record of inspections. The Chief shall keep a written record card of each property inspected which shall conform to the requirements of the State Department of Industry, Labor and Job Development and shall make the quarterly report of inspections required by the Department.
D. 
Correction of fire hazards. When any inspection by the Fire Chief or his or her deputies reveals a fire hazard, the Chief or his or her deputies may serve a notice, in writing, upon the owner of the property, giving such owner a reasonable time in which to remove the hazard. If the fire hazard is not removed within the time allowed, it shall be deemed a nuisance, and the Fire Chief or his or her deputy may have the same removed by the village, and the cost of such removal shall be recovered in an action by the village against the owner of the property and may also be entered in the tax roll as a special charge against the property.
E. 
Entering on premises. No person shall deny the Chief or his or her deputies free access to any property within the village at any reasonable time for the purpose of making fire inspections. No person shall hinder or obstruct the Fire Inspector in the performance of his or her duty or refuse to observe any lawful direction given by him or her.
F. 
Permit fees as established in Chapter 102, Fees and Penalties, for installation or removal of underground/above ground storage tanks shall be in accordance with the following tank sizes: zero gallons to 1,000 gallons; 1,001 gallons to 3,000 gallons; 3,001 gallons to 5,000 gallons; and above 5,000 gallons.
[Added 4-29-1997 by Ord. No. 042997[2]]
[2]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
[Added 4-7-2021 by Ord. No. 04072021A[1]]
A. 
This code shall be known as the "Wrightstown Fire Prevention Code." This code adopts but is not limited to the State of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services Administrative Codes (DSPS), the Wisconsin Enrolled Building Code, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) incorporated standards and codes as published in the National Fire Codes (NFC), and the International Fire Code® 2015 (IFC) shall be adopted in place of DSPS Chapter 314, Subchapter I, § 314.001(2), save and except those portions such as are hereinafter deleted, modified, or amended by any section of this code. The same, including any future modifications or amendments, are hereby adopted and incorporated as fully as if set out at length herein. Not less than one copy of the adopted issue of the International Fire Code and the adopted standards and codes of the National Fire Codes shall be filed in the office of the Fire Department, and the provisions thereof shall be controlling within the limits of the Village of Wrightstown.
B. 
Any facility whose design and construction occurred before the effective date of this code is governed by the codes in effect at the time of design and/or construction. The provisions in DSPS Chapter 314 and the International Fire Code will apply to the use and operation of all public buildings and places of employment that exist on or after the effective date of this code.
C. 
Electric grills may be utilized on balconies or under any overhang given the following:
[Added 3-15-2022 by Ord. No. 03152022]
(1) 
No multiplug adaptors or electrical cords may be used to operate said electric grill, unless approved by manufacturer of said electric grill.
(2) 
The electrical grill must be a minimum of two feet (24 inches) away from any structure.
(3) 
The electric grill must be UL listed and approved to operate outdoors.
(4) 
Upon request of the Fire Inspector, the owner of said electric grill must show that said grill is electric.
D. 
Fire lanes must be provided for any business in the Village of Wrightstown so fire apparatus can drive within 50 feet of an exterior door that allows access to the interior of the building per the following:
[Added 11-7-2023 by Ord. No. 11072023]
(1) 
A minimum unobstructed width of 20 feet.
(2) 
A minimum unobstructed vertical clearance of 15 feet.
(3) 
An appropriate radius for turns in the roads and dead ends for the vehicles apparatus to turn around.
(4) 
The grade of the road must not exceed one foot (0.3 m) of elevation change every 20 feet or whatever the design limits of the local fire apparatus dictate.
(5) 
The fire lane must be paved or concrete or gravel compacted and with at least a six-inch to eight-inch base with another six-inch to eight-inch of compacted gravel on top.
(6) 
The fire lane turning radii shall conform to the most challenged Wrightstown Fire Department apparatus at the time of building construction. Print out available upon request.
(7) 
Dead-end fire apparatus access roads in excess of 150 feet shall be provided with width and turnaround provisions in accordance with Table D103.4 from the IFC.
(8) 
All fire lane access roads shall be marked with permanent signage and/or markings as approved by the Fire Department and per Section D103.6 of the IFC. Signs must be 12 inches long by 18 inches high and must state "NO PARKING FIRE LANE," and where needed an arrow may be required. Markings on the ground may also be required stating "NO PARKING FIRE LANE" spaced every 50 feet.
(9) 
The parking lot and the driveway in front of the business shall meet the Wrightstown Fire Department most challenged apparatus for weight and turning radius to get in and out of the parking lot per IFC 503.2.3 and 503.2.4.
(10) 
Fire lanes must also be maintained year around and must be clear of snow during necessary months.
(11) 
Wrightstown Fire Department reserves the right to add, edit, or require fire lane requirements as needed.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former § 28-10, Violations and penalties. See now § 28-22.
[Added 4-7-2021 by Ord. No. 04072021A]
It shall be unlawful for any person to violate this code, to permit or maintain such a violation, to refuse to obey any provision thereof, or to fail or refuse to comply with any such provision or regulation except as variation may be allowed by the action of the Fire Chief or Fire Marshal, in writing. Proof of such unlawful act or failure shall be deemed prima facie evidence that such act is that of the owner or other person in control of the premises. Prosecution, or lack thereof, of either the owner, occupant, or the person in charge shall not be deemed to relieve any of the others.
[Added 4-7-2021 by Ord. No. 04072021A]
The Fire Chief of the Village of Wrightstown shall be responsible for the enforcement of the Wrightstown Fire Prevention Code. The Fire Chief of the Wrightstown Fire Department may detail such members of the Fire Department as inspectors as shall from time to time be necessary. To assist in the performance of the responsibilities and duties placed upon the Fire Chief of the Wrightstown Fire Department, a Bureau of Fire Prevention in the Fire Department of the Village of Wrightstown is hereby created.
A. 
This Bureau shall operate under the supervision of the Fire Chief of the Wrightstown Fire Department. The Fire Chief of the Fire Department shall designate a fire official of the Wrightstown Fire Department which shall be the Fire Marshal. The Fire Marshal shall be the administrator of the Bureau of Fire Prevention.
B. 
The Fire Marshal shall be responsible for the direct administration and enforcement of the Wrightstown Fire Prevention Code as may be set forth by the Fire Chief of the Wrightstown Fire Department. The Fire Marshal shall be appointed on the basis of examination or other method for determining his/her qualifications.
C. 
It shall be the duty of the officers of the Bureau of Fire Prevention to enforce all laws and ordinances of the Village of Wrightstown, covering the following but not limited to:
(1) 
The prevention of fires.
(2) 
The storage and use of explosives, and flammable and combustible materials.
(3) 
The installation and maintenance of automatic and other fire alarm systems, and fire-extinguishing equipment.
(4) 
The maintenance and regulation of egress pathways.
(5) 
The means and adequacy of exit, in case of fire, from factories, schools, hotels, lodging houses, hospitals, churches, halls, theaters, amphitheaters, and all other places in which numbers of persons work, live, or congregate, from time to time, for any purpose.
(6) 
The maintenance of fire cause and loss records.
D. 
The officers of the Bureau of Fire Prevention shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as are set forth in other sections of this code, and as may be conferred and imposed from time to time by law. The Fire Chief of the Wrightstown Fire Department may delegate any of his powers or duties under this code to the Fire Marshal.
[Added 4-7-2021 by Ord. No. 04072021A]
A. 
The Fire Chief, Fire Marshal, or any Fire Department officer, as well as the Wrightstown police officers, shall have the authority to issue citations or complaints under the provisions of the Wrightstown Fire Prevention Code.
B. 
It shall be the duty of the Fire Chief and/or Fire Marshal of the Wrightstown Fire Department to investigate and to recommend to the Village of Wrightstown Board of Trustees such additional ordinances, or amendments to existing ordinances, as he/she may deem necessary for safeguarding of life and property against fire.
C. 
The Fire Marshal shall inspect or cause to be inspected all premises on a semiannual or periodic basis, and shall make such orders as may be necessary for the enforcement of the laws and ordinances governing the same and for safeguarding of life and property from fire. Effective January 1, 2021, "periodic basis" shall mean all occupancies in the jurisdiction shall be inspected on an annual basis or more frequently as needed as determined by the Fire Marshal as provided for in § SPS 314.01(13)(b)7, Wis. Adm. Code.
[Added 4-7-2021 by Ord. No. 04072021A; amended 10-5-2021 by Ord. No. 10052021]
A. 
Whenever any inspector, as defined above, during the course of any routine or special fire inspection visit finds any violations of any enforceable codes, he/she shall order the same to be remedied in an approved manner, and such order to comply shall be served upon the owner or occupant of such premises or buildings. Any owner or occupant failing to comply with such order within 30 days after the service of the said order shall be liable to penalties as hereinafter provided, Chapter 102, Fees and Penalties, of the Wrightstown Municipal Code.
B. 
Special charge. The annual fire reinspection fees shall constitute a special charge against the property under § 66.0627, Wis. Stats., and shall be invoiced on or before July 31 each year. Any fees remaining unpaid 30 days after invoicing shall receive an interest charge of 1% per month on the unpaid balance and shall be placed on the annual tax roll for collection as a special charge, together with an administrative fee of $20 per parcel. All proceedings related to the collection of real estate taxes shall apply.
C. 
Reinspection. The fees assessed in Subsection B include primary inspection and one reinspection, to follow up on any corrections which need to be completed within the time ordered by the Village Fire Inspector. All reinspection fee levels are subject to change based on the Fire Inspector's discretion and on the severity of the violation found. After the reinspection, and after the time for corrective action has passed, any property still in violation shall be assessed a penalty, per Chapter 102, Fees and Penalties, § 28-14, Fire Inspector reinspection fees, for all additional reinspections, until the corrections have been made.
D. 
The service of any such order may be made upon the occupant of the premises to whom it is directed, either by delivering a copy of same to such occupant personally 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 said premises. Whenever it may be necessary to serve such an order upon the owner of the premises, such an order may be served either by delivering to and leaving with the said person a copy of the said order or, if such owner is absent from the jurisdiction of the officer making the order, by mailing such copy by certified mail to the owner's last known post office address or sending the order by email to the contacts that the owner has supplied the Fire Department in the past or during the current inspection.
[Added 4-7-2021 by Ord. No. 04072021A]
The Fire Marshal shall make an annual report of the activities of the Bureau of Fire Prevention and shall transmit this report to the Fire Chief and/or Officers of the Wrightstown Fire Department. The report shall contain all proceedings under the Wrightstown Fire Prevention Code with such statistics as the Fire Chief may wish to include therein.
[Added 4-7-2021 by Ord. No. 04072021A]
The Fire Chief or Fire Marshal of the Wrightstown Fire Department shall also recommend any amendments to the Wrightstown Fire Prevention Code or ordinances which in his/her judgment shall be desirable.
[Added 4-7-2021 by Ord. No. 04072021A]
The provisions of the Wrightstown Fire Prevention Code shall apply equally to both public and private property, and it shall apply to all structures and their occupancies, except as otherwise specified.
[Added 4-7-2021 by Ord. No. 04072021A]
This act shall be deemed in exercise of the police powers of the Village of Wrightstown for the preservation and protection of the public health, peace, safety, and welfare, and all the provisions of the Wrightstown Fire Prevention Code shall be liberally construed for that purpose.
[Added 4-7-2021 by Ord. No. 04072021A]
The provision of this article addresses the requirements for key boxes in new and existing buildings and access through locked gates around building property.
[Added 4-7-2021 by Ord. No. 04072021A]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
KEY BOX
A Fire Department-approved Knox-Box®.
[Added 4-7-2021 by Ord. No. 04072021A]
In IFC Chapter 5, Section 506, Key Boxes, substitute: The Fire Chief/Fire Marshal shall have the authority to require one or more key boxes and/or gate entry devices to be installed in an accessible location where access to the property or within a structure or area is difficult because of security or where immediate access is necessary for lifesaving or firefighting purposes. The key box and/or gate entry device shall be a type approved by the Fire Marshal and shall contain keys necessary to gain access or allow access through locked gates as required by the Fire Marshal. The operator of the premises shall immediately notify the Fire Department and provide the new key(s) any time a lock is changed or rekeyed and a key(s) to that lock is contained in the key box or face penalty: Chapter 102, Fees and Penalties § 28-22. As of the effective date of this chapter:
A. 
All new multifamily dwellings will be required to have a lock box, approved by the jurisdiction, installed before issuing a certificate of use and occupancy.
B. 
All existing multifamily dwellings will have a period of 90 days to install lock boxes approved by the jurisdiction.
C. 
All new commercial or industrial structures will be required to have a lock box, approved by the jurisdiction, installed before issuing a certificate of use and occupancy.
D. 
(Reserved)
E. 
All existing commercial or industrial structures will have a period of 90 days to install lock boxes approved by the authority having jurisdiction.
F. 
All new and existing properties that have a locked gate on any property larger than a private two-family dwelling must install a gate entry system that is approved by the Fire Marshal. This gate entry system must allow access through locked gates at all times, including but not limited to times of power loss.
[Added 4-7-2021 by Ord. No. 04072021A]
Any person who shall violate any provision of this chapter or any order, rule or regulations made hereunder shall be subject to a penalty as provided in Chapter 102, Fees and Penalties.