Ordinance No. 2277 (Word Version)

ORDINANCE NO. 2277

AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE UNIFORM FIRE CODE AND UNIFORM FIRE CODE STANDARDS PRESCRIBING REGULATIONS GOVERNING CONDITIONS HAZARDOUS TO LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM FIRE OR EXPLOSION; PROVIDING FOR THE ISSUANCE OF PERMITS FOR HAZARDOUS USES OR OPERATIONS; ESTABLISHING A BUREAU OF FIRE PREVENTION AND PROVIDING OFFICERS THEREFOR AND DEFINING THEIR POWERS AND DUTIES, AND ESTABLISHING FEES FOR FALSE ALARMS AND REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT HEREWITH.

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO:

1. Adoption of Uniform Fire Code.

There is hereby adopted by the City Council of the City of Grand Junction, Colorado, for the purpose of prescribing regulations governing conditions hazardous to life and property from fire or explosion, that certain code and standards known as the Uniform Fire Code, including appendix Chapter I-C, II-A, II-B, II-D, III-A, III-B, III-C, IV-A, V-A, VI-A, VI-C, VI-D and the Uniform Fire Code Standards published by the Western Fire Chiefs Association and the International Conference of Building Officials, being particularly the 1985 Editions thereof, save and except such portions as are hereinafter deleted, modified or amended by Section 9 of this Ordinance of which code and standards not less than three (3) copies have been and are now filed in the office of the City Clerk of the City of Grand Junction, Colorado, and the same are hereby adopted and incorporated as fully as if set out at length herein, and from the date on which this Ordinance shall take effect, the provision thereof shall be controlling within the limits of the City of Grand Junction, Colorado.

2. Establishment and Duties of Bureau of Fire Prevention.

(a) The Uniform Fire Code shall be enforced by the bureau of fire prevention (or other designated agency) in the fire department of the City of Grand Junction which is hereby established and which shall be operated under the supervision of the chief of the fire department.

(b) The chief (or fire marshal) in charge of the bureau of fire prevention shall be appointed by the fire chief of the Grand Junction Fire Department on the basis of his/her qualifications.

(c) The chief of the fire department may detail such members of the fire department as inspectors as shall from time to time be necessary. The chief of the fire department shall recommend to the city manager the employment of technical inspectors who, when such authorization is made, shall be selected through an examination to determine their fitness for the position. The examination shall be open to members and nonmembers of the fire department, and appointments made after examination shall be for an indefinite term with removal only for cause.

3. Definitions.

(a) Whenever the word "jurisdiction" is used in the Uniform Fire Code, it shall be held to mean the City of Grand Junction.

(b) Wherever the term "Corporation Counsel" is used in the Uniform Fire Code, it shall be held to mean the city attorney of the City of Grand Junction.

4. Establishment of Limits of Districts in which Storage of Flammable or Combustible Liquids in Outside, Aboveground Tanks is Prohibited.

(a) The limits referred to in Section 79.501 of the Uniform Fire Code in which storage of flammable or combustible liquids in outside aboveground tanks is permitted, are hereby established as follows:

Lands within the City of Grand Junction that are zoned in the categories of C-2 (Heavy Commercial), I-1 (Light Industrial) and I-2 (Heavy Industrial); provided, however the fire chief may permit such use in C-1 (Light Commercial) when it can be demonstrated that such use may be safely undertaken in the particular location.

(b) The limits referred to in Section 79.1401 of the Uniform Fire Code in which new bulk plants for flammable or combustible liquids are permitted are hereby established as follows:

Lands within the City of Grand Junction that are zoned in the categories of C-2 (Heavy Commercial), I-1 (Light Industrial) and I-2 (Heavy Industrial); provided, however, the fire chief may permit such use in C-1 (Light Commercial) when it can be demonstrated that such use may be safely undertaken in the particular location.

5. Establishment of Limits in which Storage of Liquified Petroleum Gases are to be Restricted.

The limits referred to in Section 82.10-(a) of the Uniform Fire Code in which bulk storage of liquified petroleum gas is permitted are hereby established as follows:

6. Establishment of Limits of Districts in which Storage of Explosives and Blasting Agents is to be Prohibited.

The limits referred to in Section 77.106(b) of the Uniform Fire Code in which storage of explosives and blasting agents is prohibited are hereby established as follows:

Within the limits of the City of Grand Junction; provided, however, this restriction shall not prohibit such use where the storage is made by an individual or company for use of that individual or company and under proper safeguard as may be prescribed.

7. Appeals.

Whenever the chief shall disapprove an application or refuse to grant a permit applied for, or when it is claimed that the provisions of the code do not apply or that the true intent and meaning of the code have been misconstrued or wrongly interpreted, the applicant may appeal from the decision of the chief to the board of adjustment and appeals within 30 days from the date of the decision appealed.

The board of appeals shall be the board of appeals for the Uniform Building Code, one member on the Uniform Building Code of appeals shall have one member with fire experience.

8. New Materials, Processes or Occupancies which may Require Permits - Refer to Division III, Sec. 2.301.

The chief and the chief of the bureau of fire prevention shall act as a committee to determine and specify, after giving affected persons an opportunity to be heard, any new materials, processes or occupancies which shall require permits, in addition to those not enumerated in said code. The chief of the bureau of fire prevention shall post such list in a conspicuous place in his office and distribute copies thereof to interested persons.

9. Amendments Made in the Uniform Fire Code.

The Uniform Fire Code is amended in the following respects:

Section 10-307 - Except (D) is amended to read:

"(D) Fire extinguishing system shall comply with Uniform Building Code Standards #38-1 and 38-2, system not covered by Uniform Building Code Standards shall be installed in accordance with approved standards (National Fire Code)."

Section 10-307 is amended by the addition of Section (E) to read as follows:

"(E) Sprinkler system installed and connecting to city water main, shall have an approved back flow preventor valve installed."

Section 10.308(a) is amended to read:

"1. Any building four (4) stories or more in height shall have an approved fire protection sprinkler installed.

2. 'Story' for the purpose of installation of fire protection sprinkler and standpipes. "Story' is defined as any habitable level used or occupied by humans. Definition of 'Story' for this section shall not exempt sprinkler requirements required by any other section of this code, nor shall it exempt sprinkler protection as required for basement as specified by Section 10.308(c), paragraph 2 in Group 'A' occupancy."

Section 10.308(g) Group I - Occupancies - Exceptions (1) as amended to read:

"In hospitals of Type I, II fire resistive and Type II one-hour construction, the automatic sprinkler system may be omitted from operating, delivery, cardiac, x-ray and intensive care rooms when each such room is provided with smoke detectors connected to a continuously attended station or location within the building. Increases for area and heights specified in Section 506(c) and 507 shall not apply when this exception is used."

Section 10.311(a) is amended to read:

"General. Standpipes shall comply with requirements of this section and U.B.C. Standards No. 38-2 (OR NATIONAL FIRE CODE N.F.P.A.)."

Section 10.312 is amended by the addition of a subsection (f) reading as follows:

"(f) The chief may require standpipe protection when, in his opinion, access is restricted or an undue hardship would be placed on fire department laying hose line in the building due to arrangement of stairway, area separation wall, occupancy walls, etc."

Section 11.302 is amended by the addition of a subsection (e) reading as follows:

"(e)(1) Whenever the activation of any fire alarm is due to a malfunction of the system and that system has had another malfunction within the prior 90 days, the owner and/or operator of the system shall be charged a false alarm fee to offset some of the costs involved in the dispatching of fire equipment and responding to the location of the alarm.

(2) It is the responsibility of the owner and/or operator of an alarm system to police the improper use of the system, such as the intentional activating of a false alarm or the intentional activation of a smoke or heat detector to produce a false alarm. After three such activations within 90 days from the same alarm device, the fee schedule for false alarms shall become effective.

(3) Whenever it is not possible to determine how a false alarm was activated and three such unexplained alarms occur within a 90-day period, the fee schedule for false alarms shall become effective with the fourth and subsequent alarms occurring within a 90-day period.

(4) The fee schedule is as follows:

For a first false alarm over the allowed number $75.00

For a second false alarm over the allowed number $150.00

For a third false alarm over the allowed number $250.00

For a fourth and subsequent alarms over the allowed number (for each) $300.00

(5) A new alarm system shall be allowed 30 days to become stabilized before this false alarm section will be applied."

Section 78.102(b) is amended by addition of Exception I reading as follows:

"It shall be unlawful to possess, store, offer for sale, expose for sale, sell at retail or use or explode those fire works that are deemed lawful by State of Colorado Revised Statutes 12-28-101 and such fire works have been submitted to and approved by the Grand Junction Fire Department.

Section 79.802(b) is amended by the addition of an Exception reading as follows:

"Gravity dispensing will be permitted for portable tanks up to 660 gallons in industrial and commercial areas, used for industrial uses. Tank must meet all other requirements of this code and Section 79.1007(f)."

Appendix (IA, (I-B) and (II-C) are deleted in their entirety from the Code.

Appendix III-C 9. Required Installation Par (B) is amended to read:

"Group 'E' occupancies having more than 50 occupants shall be provided with an approved manually operated Class I, Type 'A' fire alarm system. In every Group 'E' occupancy provided with an automatic sprinkler or detection system, the operation of such system automatically activates the fire alarm system, which shall include an alarm mounted on the exterior of the building. The alarm system required in Group 'E' occupancies shall be supervised by an approved central proprietary or remote station or a local alarm, which will given an audible signal at a constantly attended location.

All day care centers with more than 12 children (Group 'E' occupancy) shall have an approved alarm system. All day care centers with 100 or more children, fire alarm shall be directly connected to fire department alarm center or to a central proprietary or remote station or a local alarm, which will give an audible signal at a continuously attended location."

Appendix III-C 9. is amended by the addition of a paragraph (D) reading as follows:

"(D) 'Story' for the purpose of requirement of installation of fire alarms. 'Story' is defined as any habitable level used or occupied by humans."

10. Penalties.

Any violation of the fire code of the City of Grand Junction, Colorado, from and after the effective date thereof shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding three hundred dollars ($300.00) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding ninety (90) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

11. Public Hearing.

A public hearing on the adoption by reference thereto of the Uniform Fire Code and Uniform Fire Code Standards, 1985 Editions, including the appendix thereto, with certain amendments thereto, is scheduled in the City-County Auditorium at City Hall in Grand Junction, Colorado, at 7:30 p.m. on the 5th day of March, 1986, and the City Clerk is hereby directed to publish Notice of said public hearing in the manner and style and pursuant to the schedule of such publication prescribed in Colorado Revised Statutes 31-16-201.

12. Public Inspection.

At least three copies of the Uniform Fire Code and Uniform Fire Code Standards, 1985 Editions, together with appendix thereto, with certain amendments thereto, all certified to be true copies, shall be on file as aforesaid in the office of the City Clerk at least fifteen (15) days preceding said hearing and may be inspected by any interested persons between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

13. Validity.

Any and all sections or part of sections of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Grand Junction, Colorado, as amended, in conflict herewith, are hereby repealed.

14. Code Section.

This Ordinance shall become Article 2, Chapter XII in the Code of Ordinances of the City of Grand Junction.

PASSED and ADOPTED this 5th day of March, 1986.

____________________

President of the Council

Attest:

Neva B. Lockhart, CMC

____________________

City Clerk

I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing ordinance, being Ordinance No. 2277, was introduced, read, and ordered published by the City Council of the City of Grand Junction, Colorado, at a regular meeting of said body held on the 5th day of February, 1986, and that the same was published in The Daily Sentinel, a newspaper published and in general circulation in said City, at least ten days before its final passage.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of said City this 6th day of March, 1986.

Neva B. Lockhart

____________________

Neva B. Lockhart, CMC

City Clerk

Published: February 9, 1986

Published: March 7, 1986

Effective: April 6, 1986