709.02 DEFINITIONS.

   For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions are applicable:

   (a)    "Ambulatory" means a person who, without the aid of another, is physically and mentally capable of walking a normal path to safety including the ascent and descent of stairs.

   (b)    "Approved" means acceptable to the State Fire Marshal.

      (1)    "Approved standards" means any standard or code prepared and adopted by any nationally recognized association.

      (2)    "Approved equipment and material" means any equipment or material tested and listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.

   (c)    "Approved organized fire department" means any municipal corporation, town or village or political subdivision that has adequate fire fighting equipment and manpower subject to their control and approval of the State Fire Marshal.

   (d)    "Area of refuge" means a ground area, reasonably accessible from a building of sufficient size and in safe condition for refuge by all building occupants at a safe distance from such building. When used in relation to areas within buildings, this term means an area beyond a fire wall or smoke barrier of sufficient size to offer refuge to all occupants on the same floor of the building.

   (e)    "Attic" means the space between the ceiling beams of the top habitable story and the roof rafters.

   (f)    "Automatic sprinkler system" means an arrangement of piping and sprinklers designed to operate automatically by the heat of fire and to discharge water upon the fire.

   (g)    "Basement" means that portion of the building partly underground, but having less than half its clear height below the average grade of the adjoining ground.

   (h)    "Bed patient" means a person who is not ambulatory as defined in subsection (a) hereof .

   (i)    "Boarding care home" means a home licensed to provide care for aged or infirm persons requiring or receiving personal care or custodial care as defined by the Ohio Department of Health.

   (j)    "Cellar" means that portion of the building partly underground, having half or more than half of its clear height below the average grade of the adjoining ground.

   (k)    "Combustible" means that which is not within the category of "noncombustible" as defined in subsection (q) hereof.

   (l)    "Exit" means the exit doorway or doorways, or such doorways together with connecting hallways or stairways, either interior or exterior, or fire escapes, designed to provide means by which individuals may proceed safely from a room or space to a street or to an open space which provides safe access to a street.

   (m)    "Fire wall" means a wall of brick or reinforced concrete having adequate fire resistance and structural stability under fire conditions to accomplish the purpose of completely subdividing a building or of completely separating adjoining buildings to resist the spread of fires. A fire wall shall extend continuously through all stories from foundation to or above the roof.

   (n)    "Incombustible" means the same as "noncombustible" as defined in subsection (q) hereof.

   (o)    "Means of egress" means the same as "exit" as defined in subsection (l) hereof.

   (p)    "New homes" includes new construction, additions to existing licensed homes, existing buildings converted to nursing or boarding care homes and transfers of ownership for which a new license is required.

   (q)    "Noncombustible" when used in relation to any material thing, means that which will not readily ignite and burn when subject to fire.

   (r)    "Nursing home" means a home licensed to provide care for aged or infirm persons requiring or receiving nursing care.

   (s)    "Patient" means any individual cared for in a nursing home, even though such person does not require nursing care.

   (t)    "Resident" means any individual cared for in a boarding care home.

   (u)    "Smoke barrier" means a partition with a fire-resistance rating of not less than one-half hour, equipped with a door and jamb of the same rating and hung so as to be reasonably smoke and gas tight when closed. The door shall be not less than forty-four inches wide and shall not be fastened in an open position by a device which will require more than one movement of normal strength to swing such door to a closed position. Such barrier shall be located to provide ample area of refuge on each side of such partition or barrier for all occupants served by the barrier. The barrier may have wired-glass panels, each not to exceed six square feet. The wire-glass shall be standard clear wire-glass.

   (v)    "Sprinklered" means to be completely protected by an approved system of automatic sprinklers installed and maintained in accordance with approved standards.

   (w)    "Story" means that part of a building comprised between a floor and the floor or roof next above and shall apply to the basement and other floor areas below. The first floor shall be that story which is of such height above grade that it does not come within the definition of a basement or shall be the story located immediately above a basement. (Ord. 31-1964. Passed 1-12-65.)