[Adopted 6-8-1976 by Ord.
No. 170-A (Ch. 5, Part 3, of the 2010 Code of Ordinances)]
[Amended 2-19-1991 by Ord. No. 265-A; at time of adoption of Code (see
Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
The International Fire Code, 2009 Edition, be and is hereby
adopted as the official Fire Prevention Code of the Borough of Chalfont,
to the extent referenced in the 2009 International Building Code and
amendments made in certain sections by the 2015 Edition.
A.
The International Fire Code shall be enforced by the Fire Marshal
of the Borough of Chalfont and his duly authorized deputies and agents.
B.
The Fire Marshal in charge of the Bureau of Fire Prevention shall
be appointed by the Borough Council on the basis of examination to
determine his qualifications. His appointment shall continue during
good behavior and satisfactory service and he shall not be removed
from office except for cause, after public trial.
(1)
The Borough Fire Marshal shall have the power to restrict and regulate
the parking of motor vehicles on all parking lots adjacent to commercial
buildings or buildings open to the public for the purpose of providing
proper egress by occupants in case of fire and the ingress of firefighting
equipment.
(2)
Areas designated by the Fire Marshal as fire zones shall be posted
with signs which shall read "No Parking, Fire Zones," which signs
shall be erected in conspicuous places at or near the fire zone. If
appropriate and possible, the fire zone shall also be indicated through
the painting of a line on the surface of the parking lot.
C.
A report of the Bureau of Fire Prevention shall be made annually
and transmitted to the Chief Executive Officer of the Borough. It
shall contain all proceedings under this article, with such statistics
as the Chief of the Fire Department may wish to include therein. The
Chief of the Fire Department shall also recommend any amendments to
the code which, in his judgment, shall be desirable.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
The Fire Marshal.
The Attorney for the Borough of Chalfont.
The Borough of Chalfont.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
Establishment of limits of districts in which storage of explosives and blasting agents are prohibited, limits of districts in which storage of flammable liquids in outside, aboveground tanks are prohibited and limits in which bulk storage of liquefied petroleum gases are restricted as referred to in various sections of the Fire Prevention Code are by reference to the applicable provisions governing such activities as contained in Chapter 440, Zoning, and other applicable ordinances.
The Fire Prevention Code is amended and changed in the following
respects:
The Chief of the Bureau of Fire Prevention shall have power
to modify any of the provisions of the Fire Prevention Code upon application,
in writing, by the owner or lessee or his duly authorized agent when
there are practical difficulties in the way of carrying out the strict
letter of the code, provided that the spirit of the code shall be
observed, public safety secured and substantial justice done. The
particulars of such modification when granted or allowed and the decision
of the Chief of the Bureau of Fire Prevention thereon shall be entered
upon the records of the Department, and a signed copy shall be furnished
to the applicant.
Whenever the Chief of the Bureau of Fire Prevention 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
of the Bureau of Fire Prevention to the Borough of Chalfont Council
within 30 days of the date of the decision appealed.
The Borough Zoning Officer, the Chief of the Fire Department
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 now 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.
[Amended 2-19-1991 by Ord. No. 265-A; 12-18-2001 by Ord. No. 326]
A.
Any person who violates or permits a violation of this article or
any provisions of the code hereby adopted or any regulations adopted
hereunder shall, upon conviction in a summary proceeding under the
Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, be guilty of a summary offense
and shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000, plus court
costs and reasonable attorney's fees incurred by the Borough in the
enforcement proceedings. Upon judgment against any person by summary
conviction, or by proceedings by summons on default of the payment
of the fine or penalty imposed and the costs, the defendant may be
sentenced and committed to the Borough correctional facility for a
period not exceeding 10 days or to the county correctional facility
for a period not exceeding 30 days. Each day that such violation exists
shall constitute a separate offense, and each section of this article
that is violated shall also constitute a separate offense. In addition
to or in lieu of enforcement under this section, the Borough may enforce
this article in equity in the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
B.
The application of the above penalty shall not be held to prevent
the enforced removal of prohibited conditions.
