F-1b places of assembly shall comply with all of the requirements of article two of this subchapter, and with the following:
(a) Certificate of occupancy. The certificate of occupancy for F-1b places of assembly shall specifically note the prohibition against the use or placement of scenery or scenic elements on or above the stage.
(b) Stage requirements.
(1) DEFINITION. For the purposes of this section, the stage in an F-1b place of assembly shall be the area where the principal activity viewed by the audience takes place.
(2) CONSTRUCTION. Raised platforms may be built as stages in F-1b places of assembly when they are supported on floors having the fire-resistance ratings required by table 3-4, in accordance with the following:
a. The area below the platform shall be enclosed on all sides with solid construction.
b. The horizontal area of stage construction shall not exceed the following: Wood frame: maximum area-four hundred square feet. Fire retardant treated wood: maximum area-twelve hundred square feet. Noncombustible frame: maximum area – unlimited.
c. The floor of the stage, when wood is used, shall be at least one inch nominal thickness, and shall be laid on a solid, noncombustible backing, or all spaces between supporting members shall be fire-stopped with noncombustible material.
d. In all F-lb places of assembly providing live entertainment, at anytime, the stage, dressing rooms and property rooms shall be provided with automatic sprinkler and fire alarm protection in conformance with the provisions of subchapter seventeen of this chapter. Existing premises shall be required to conform with this requirement on or before January twelfth, nineteen hundred eighty. However, existing sprinkler systems which have been previously accepted by the department or by the fire department shall be deemed in compliance with this requirement.
(3) EXITS FROM THE STAGE. At least two exits, remote from each other, shall be available from every point on a stage, each within a travel distance limitation of one hundred fifty feet The occupant load of the stage shall be based upon one person per twenty-five square feet of area. When any portion of a stage is used for audience seating at any time, exits of adequate capacity shall be provided for that portion, within the travel distance limitations for assembly space seating. Exit openings serving a stage directly shall have a capacity of one hundred persons per unit of exit width.
(4) EMERGENCY CONTROL PANEL. In F-1b places of assembly having an occupant load over six hundred persons, an emergency control panel shall be provided, as follows:
a. It shall be located so as to have a view of the audience and stage areas, and shall be manned during the presentation of a performance to an audience, by a competent person instructed in its use.
b. It shall be equipped with tell-tale lights to indicate when feeders and sub-feeders of emergency light and power circuits are in operation in assembly spaces and all exits, including safe areas.
c. It shall be equipped with a public address system serving loudspeakers in the assembly space. The public address system shall be connected to both the normal and emergency light and power circuits.