Chapter 8.48 - SUPPLEMENTAL PUBLIC SAFETY REGULATIONS

Sections:

8.48.010 - Purpose.#

It is the purpose of this chapter to meet the public safety needs of the city when, due to the unique circumstances and hazards associated with certain uses, materials, and structures in the city and the urban nature of the city's composition, there is a need for more restrictive ordinances related to fire safety than exist in the state fire code.

(Ord. No. 2020-06, § VI, 6-3-2020)

8.48.020 - Violations; fines.#

A.

Any violation of this chapter is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor. In the discretion of the fire marshal or a designee. Violations may also be punished by an administrative citation.

B.

The fine for a civil violation of this chapter is one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per day that the violation occurred or continues to occur.

(Ord. No. 2020-06, § VI, 6-3-2020)

8.48.030 - Administrative action.#

In addition to criminal penalties, if a property owner or other responsible person maintains the premises contrary to the provisions of this chapter, the fire marshal or a designee may take such measures as is necessary to protect the public or neighboring properties from the risk of fire, including evacuation or immediate closure to occupancy.

(Ord. No. 2020-06, § VI, 6-3-2020)

8.48.040 - Outdoor storage of wood chips and associated materials.#

A.

Any person who operates a business that generates, collects, or sells chipped or ground-wood based materials, including wood chips, hogged material, or compost as a major function of the business, and that stores more than three thousand six hundred (3,600) cubic feet of such product outdoors at any one (1) time, shall comply with the provisions of this section. Nothing in this section shall prevent the fire marshal or other fire authority from enforcing generally applicable fire codes to smaller piles of such materials, in appropriate circumstances.

B.

Maximum amount of product per business location. No business may store greater than an aggregate total of five hundred ten thousand (510,000) cubic feet of wood chips or materials regulated by this section, piles of which are subject to further regulation by this section.

C.

Combustible waste materials such as bark, chips, and other combustible debris shall not be permitted to accumulate in a location that constitutes, in the opinion of the fire marshal, an undue fire hazard. Such locations shall be affirmatively identified by the fire marshal.

D.

Smoking shall be prohibited on the entire premises, except designated, permanent locations which shall be kept free of any combustible materials and shall be clearly marked. The manager or owner must post "No Smoking" signs throughout the property.

E.

Storage areas shall be:

1.

Enclosed with a minimum eight-foot chain link fence with privacy slats, locked gates, and a fire department box for keyed access by fire personnel, located as necessary to allow for entry of fire apparatus; and

2.

Reviewed by the fire marshal for conformity with the International Fire Code, Appendix "D" Section D102 "Required Access, Fire Apparatus Access Roads." Said access shall be paved with graded asphalt, concrete, or other approved driving surface capable of supporting the imposed load of fire apparatus weighing at least seventy-five thousand (75,000) pounds.

F.

The owner or manager of the premises shall enact and follow a fire prevention program which includes the following elements:

1.

Establishing controls over factors that lead to spontaneous heating, including the monitoring of internal conditions of the pile by thermocouple, or other approved means which shall be installed with the piles, regularly monitored, and provide for regular reports upon request of the fire marshal;

2.

Placement of piles that provides access to within one hundred fifty (150) feet of all sides of a pile;

3.

Electrical equipment and installations shall conform to the provisions of the National Electrical Code and National Fire Prevention Association Standard 70;

4.

Freeze protected yard hydrants shall be installed on the site at maximum spacing intervals of not more than two hundred fifty (250) feet. Yard hydrants shall be available for emergency use and for the day-to-day compost, chip, and for other related fire prevention irrigation purposes. Yard hydrants shall be protected by barricades, posts, or necessary devices and spaced so that all portions of the yard hydrant have a minimum three-foot clearance around the hydrant. Hydrants shall be accessible at all times for emergency use; and

5.

Portable fire extinguishers suitable for all weather conditions shall be mounted and within a maximum travel distance not to exceed seventy-five (75) feet from any pile.

G.

Piles shall comply with the following regulations at all times:

1.

Pile heights shall not exceed twenty (20) feet in height, one hundred fifty (150) feet in width, and/or one hundred seventy (170) feet in length, with a pile-to-pile clearance of not less thirty (30) feet.

2.

Piles shall be wetted regularly to keep materials from drying out and to maintain the moisture content of the surface layer of the pile;

3.

No portion of any pile shall be located within seventy-five (75) feet of a property line; and

4.

No temporary conveyors or motors shall be placed or used on the surface or immediately adjacent to the piles.

H.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, piles shall not be maintained in a manner which may cause them to spontaneously combust.

I.

The premises shall not contain more than the amount of product identified in the operating plan, which may be modified annually by the fire marshal prior to the issuance or renewal of the business's license.

J.

Vehicles used on site shall be subject to the following regulations:

1.

Power-operated, shovel-type, or scoop-type vehicles, dozers, or similar equipment shall be available for use in moving stored material for firefighting purposes;

2.

Portable fire extinguishers suitable for Class A fires shall be provided in accordance with NFPA 10, Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers, on all vehicles operating on or near a pile in addition to the normal Class B units for the vehicle; and

3.

Physical protection shall be provided to prevent heat sources, such as steam lines, airlines, electrical motors, and mechanical drive equipment from becoming buried or heavily coated with combustible material.

(Ord. No. 2020-06, § VI, 6-3-2020)