[Adopted 10-10-1973 as Ch. 6, Art. III, of the 1973 Code]
There is hereby adopted by the Town Council,
pursuant to the provisions of the Code of Virginia, for the purpose
of prescribing regulations governing conditions hazardous to life
and property from fire and explosion, the Statewide Fire Prevention
Code Act as set forth in § 27-94 et seq. of the Code of
Virginia 1950.
The provisions of the Statewide Fire Prevention
Code Act shall be administered and enforced by the Chief of the Fire
Department and/or the Chief of Police.
It shall be unlawful for any owner or any other person or corporation, on or after the effective date of any Code provision, to violate any provisions of this article. Any such violation shall be punishable pursuant to the provisions of §
1-16 of this Code.
[Adopted 10-10-1973 as Ch. 6, Art. I, of the 1973 Code]
It shall be unlawful for any person to intentionally
or negligently set any woods or marshes on fire or set fire to any
stubble, brush, straw or any other substance capable of spreading
fire on lands whereby the property of another is damaged or put in
jeopardy; and in addition to any penalty which may be imposed for
violation of this section, such person shall be liable for the full
amount of all expenses incurred in fighting the fire.
No person shall deposit hot ashes or cinders
or smoldering coals or greasy or oily substances liable to spontaneous
ignition into any combustible receptacle or place the same within
10 feet of any combustible materials, except in metal or other noncombustible
receptacles. Such receptacles, unless resting on a noncombustible
floor or on the ground outside the building, shall be placed on noncombustible
stands, and in every case shall be kept at least two feet away from
any combustible wall or partition or exterior window opening.
No owner or attendant of a filling station or
any other person shall fill any motor vehicle with gasoline or other
fuel while the motor is running, and all operators of motor vehicles
shall stop their motors while tanks are being filled with gasoline.
It shall be the duty of the Chief of the Fire
Department to inspect or cause to be inspected by members of the Fire
Department or other qualified persons designated by him 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 or intent of this article and of
any other ordinance affecting the fire hazard.
Whenever any of the inspectors mentioned in §
100-9 shall find in any building or upon any premises dangerous or hazardous conditions or materials as follows, he or they shall order such dangerous conditions or materials to be removed or remedied in such manner as may be specified by the Chief of the Fire Department:
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 combustible materials.
D. Accumulations of dust or waste material in air-conditioning
or ventilating systems or of grease in kitchen or other exhaust ducts
or inadequate clearances to unprotected combustible materials from
hoods, grease extractors and ducts.
E. Obstructions to or on fire escapes, designated access
openings in exterior walls for Fire Department use, 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 adequate 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.
It shall be unlawful for any person to violate or fail to comply with any provision of this article or to violate or fail to comply with any order issued pursuant to §
100-10.
Any person violating any of the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction, be punishable under the provisions of §
1-16 of this Code.