[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the Township of Caln 10-8-1974 by Ord. No. 1974-8; amended in its entirety 3-9-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-03. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
This chapter shall be administered by the Fire Code Official and/or such other persons as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Commissioners of Caln Township.
It is the intention of this chapter to apply to all fire protection and life safety equipment now or hereafter installed within Caln Township, including fire hoses, couplings, standpipes, sprinkler system connections, hydrants, emergency exit doors, exit signage, emergency lighting and similar facilities, whether public or private, and the provisions in this chapter, unless otherwise exempted herein, shall apply to all residential, commercial, industrial, private, public, governmental and other facilities within the Township, including all municipal corporations, water companies, whether public or private, and other facilities now or hereafter serving Caln Township.
All equipment for fire and life safety protection purposes shall comply with the standards adopted by the National Board of Fire Underwriters, UL Solutions, the National Fire Protection Association and designated as standard equipment for use within Caln Township. Where applicable, such equipment shall be installed with the standard threads for fire hose couplings and hydrant fittings designated by said agencies.
Notwithstanding the provisions of §§ 85-2 and 85-3 of this chapter, existing equipment for fire protection purposes which is not equipped with the national standard fire hose screw threads may, for a period of two years after the effective date of this chapter, be used by authorities having charge of public property and may be used by fire protection agencies. After the expiration of that period, all equipment used must conform to the requirements of § 85-3 of this chapter. All other existing equipment and similar facilities which are noncomplying shall be brought up to the standards in the Township adopted construction and/or fire codes.
A. 
Definitions. The following definitions shall apply to this section:
COMBUSTIBLE TRUSS CONSTRUCTION
A combination of combustible members, such as wood-framed and engineered lumber products, usually arranged in triangular units or "I" beam units to form a rigid framework for supporting floor and roof loads over a span of structural members that connect together to span the space between the walls of the building to support a vertical load.
TRUSS EMBLEM
A sign consisting of an isosceles triangle not less than 12 inches horizontally by six inches vertically made of reflective material with white as the background and red lettering, containing the following: "F" to signify a building or structure having a floor with truss construction; "R" to signify a building or structure having a roof with truss construction; or "FR" to signify a building or structure having both a floor and roof with truss construction. An example of the truss emblem is attached hereto as a reference.
B. 
Identification of truss construction.
(1) 
Except as provided in Subsection C below, the owner of any structure or building containing combustible truss construction in any form or manner shall install and maintain a visible truss emblem to the left of the main entrance and at a height of not less than five feet above the finish grade or at such other place as the Fire Marshal or his/her designee may determine.
(2) 
The owner, developer and/or homeowners' association of a residential subdivision, residential condominium, or apartment complex where combustible truss construction was used in the dwellings or buildings within said subdivision, condominium or complex shall install and maintain a truss emblem within the public right-of-way or upon the common element/area (in the case of a private street or condominium) at each entrance to such subdivision, condominium or apartment complex, or at such other location as the Fire Marshal or his/her designee may determine.
C. 
Exemption. The owner of any single-family dwelling unit or semidetached dwelling containing not more than two dwelling units shall be exempt from installing and maintaining a truss emblem.
D. 
Fire Marshal approval. The owner and/or developer of any building or structure required to have a truss emblem under this section shall include in their land development plan which is submitted pursuant to Chapter 137 of the Caln Code the design and location for the truss emblem, which must be approved in writing by the Township Fire Marshal or his/her designee.
E. 
Retroactive compliance required. The provisions of this section shall apply to the owners of existing buildings or structures having combustible truss construction, provided that the owners of existing buildings or structures have knowledge that combustible truss construction was used when building such building or structure. Such owners shall have six months from the effective date of this section to comply with the provisions of this section.
F. 
Maintenance of sign. The owner of any structure or building containing combustible truss construction or the owner, developer and/or homeowners' association of a residential subdivision, residential condominium, or apartment complex where combustible truss construction was used in the dwellings or buildings within said subdivision, condominium or complex shall be responsible for maintenance of the emblem which must be installed pursuant to this section. The emblem shall be permanently affixed to the structure or building, and if the reflective material or lettering becomes worn out over time, such emblem shall be replaced.
An application for a fire protection and life safety inspection shall be made in writing, by the owner(s), agent or tenant on forms furnished by the Township with the applicable fee.
Every person applying for a fire protection and life safety inspection under this chapter shall supply such information as the Township requires and shall pay a fee in accordance with the fee schedule approved and adopted by the Board of Commissioners by resolution, which schedule shall be available for public inspection at the Township.
Those persons designated as administrators of this chapter shall make inspections of property and facilities within Caln Township for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the terms of this chapter, in accordance with the commercial fire safety inspection program, and when necessary to investigate complaints of violations. Said administrators shall advise property owners and other persons or agencies concerned of the changes necessary to bring their equipment into conformance with this chapter and shall render such assistance as may be appropriate to ensure prompt and reasonable compliance.
Any construction or installation of equipment within the Township related to fire and life safety protection shall be subject to inspection by those designated to do so. The burden of notifying the Township of construction and installation of such equipment is upon the landowner of the property involved.
The Fire Prevention Code heretofore ordained and adopted by Caln Township remains in full force and effect.
Any person who shall violate a provision of this chapter or fail to comply with any of the requirements thereof shall be guilty of a summary offense, punishable by a fine of not less than $300 nor more than $1,000 per day, plus costs and attorney's fees and, upon default of the payment of the fine and costs, imprisonment not exceeding 30 days. Each day that a violation continues shall be deemed a separate offense.