This chapter shall provide the city with rules and regulations to improve public safety by promoting the control of fire hazards; regulating the installation, use and maintenance of equipment; regulating the use of structures, premises and open areas; providing for the abatement of fire hazards; establishing the responsibilities and procedures for code enforcement; and setting forth standards for compliance and achievement of these objectives. This chapter shall be known as CITY OF WATERLOO FIRE PREVENTION CODE. (Ord. 4992, 6-21-2010)
The following codes are hereby adopted and incorporated as if fully set out at length herein. At least one copy of such codes is on file and available for inspection in the city clerk’s office and fire headquarters, and the provisions thereof shall be controlling within the limits of the city. (Ord. 4992, 6-21-2010)
A. International Fire Code: That certain document marked and designated as the international fire code, 2021 edition, including appendix chapters B, C, D, and H, as published by the International Code Council, Inc., be and the same is hereby adopted as the fire code of the city, to prescribe regulations consistent with nationally recognized good practice for the safeguarding to a reasonable degree of life and property from the hazards of fire and explosion arising from the storage, handling and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, and from conditions hazardous to life or property in the use or occupancy of buildings or premises. (Ord. 5368, 9-26-2016; amd. Ord. 5628, 12-20-2021)
A. Fire Chief Responsible; Inspectors: The fire chief shall be responsible for the enforcement of the codes adopted in section 9-2-2 of this chapter. The fire chief may detail qualified members of the fire department as inspectors as shall from time to time be necessary.
B. Fire Chief To Prepare Instructions: The fire chief shall prepare instructions for the fire marshal and the fire marshal's assistants, and forms for their use in the reports required by this chapter. (Ord. 4992, 6-21-2010)
A. Investigate Fires: The bureau of fire prevention and/or incident commander shall investigate the cause, origin and circumstances of every fire occurring in the city by which property has been destroyed or damaged and, so far as possible, shall determine whether the fire is the result of carelessness or design. Such investigations shall begin immediately upon the occurrence of such a fire. The fire marshal shall take immediate charge of the physical evidence, shall notify the proper authorities designated by law to pursue the investigation of such matters, and shall further cooperate with the authorities in the collection of evidence and in the prosecution of the case. Every fire shall be reported in writing to the bureau of fire prevention within one day after the occurrence of the same by the fire department officer in whose jurisdiction such a fire has occurred. Such report shall be in such form as shall be prescribed by the fire marshal, and shall contain a statement of all facts relating to the cause, origin and circumstances of such fire, the extent of the damage thereof and the insurance upon such property, and such other information as may be required, including the injury, death or rescue of persons.
B. Daily Records: The fire department shall compile and keep a record of all fires and of all facts concerning the same, including injuries, deaths, rescue of persons, statistics as to the extent of such fires and the damage caused thereby, and whether such losses were covered by insurance and, if so, in what amount. Such record shall be made daily from the reports made by the technical inspectors under the provisions of this chapter. All such records shall be public.
C. Annual Report To Mayor And City Council: The fire marshal shall make an annual report of the activities of the bureau of fire prevention and shall transmit this report to the mayor and city council through the fire chief. The report shall contain all proceedings under the fire prevention code with such statistics as the fire chief may wish to include therein.
D. Recommend Amendments To Code: The fire chief or the fire marshal shall also recommend any amendments to the fire prevention code or ordinance that shall be desirable. (Ord. 4992, 6-21-2010)
A. When the fire department is called to respond to an emergency call to a building or complex consisting of four (4) or more units; businesses, commercial, retail, and industrial properties, not for profit or otherwise, located within the city limits, the following charges will apply:
1. The minimum fee for response is five hundred dollars ($500.00), or based upon length of service.
2. A maximum fee for response will be as provided for in the Waterloo fire department's guidelines for billing commercial, industrial, business retail and commercial rental property, as modified from time to time, upon proper verification of services provided by the Waterloo fire department.
B. The fire department will invoice the property owner.
C. The fire chief has the authority to waive or negotiate a more appropriate service fee based on hardship, established self- insurance plans and larger deductibles.
D. When a final fee is six (6) months delinquent, the unpaid fee for calls for service shall be assessed against the property benefited. Amounts collected for calls for service shall be deposited with the city. (Ord. 4992, 6-21-2010)
Any person who shall, without reasonable cause therefor, or who shall for the purpose of either misleading or deceiving, give an alarm of fire, or permit any false alarm of fire through an alarm telegraph to be given, or who shall, in any way, tamper with the fire alarm boxes or keyholes thereto, shall be deemed guilty of an offense. (Ord. 4992, 6-21-2010)
A. Compliance Required: It shall be unlawful for any person to violate this chapter, to permit or maintain such a violation, to refuse to obey any provision thereof, or to fail or refuse to comply with any such provision or regulation except as variation may be allowed by the action of fire chief in writing. Proof of such unlawful act or failure shall be deemed prima facie evidence that such act is that of the owner or other person in control of the premises. Prosecution or lack thereof of either the owner, occupant or the person in charge shall not be deemed to relieve any of the others.
B. Violations; Penalty: Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of the codes hereby adopted; or shall fail to comply therewith; or shall violate or fail to comply with any order made thereunder; or shall build in violation of any details, statements, specifications or plans submitted or approved thereunder; or who shall operate not in accordance with the provisions of any certificate, permit or approval issued thereunder, and from which no appeal has been taken; or who shall fail to comply with such an order as affirmed or modified by the fire marshal or by a court of competent jurisdiction within the time fixed herein, shall severally for each and every violation and noncompliance, respectively, be guilty of a municipal infraction and be fined as provided in subsection 1-3-2C of this code. The imposition of a penalty for any violation shall not excuse the violation nor shall the violation be permitted to continue. All such persons shall be required to correct or remedy such violations or defects within a reasonable time, and when not otherwise specified, the application of the above penalty shall not be held to prevent the enforced removal of prohibited conditions. (Ord. 4992, 6-21-2010)
The following sections of the 2021 International Fire Code are hereby revised:
Section 101.1. Insert City of Waterloo
Insert a new subsection 104.7.2 Automatic Third Party Review to read as follows: All buildings with fire protection systems (sprinkler and/or fire alarm system) and a total square footage over 15,000 square feet will require a third party review. Third party shall be approved by the fire code official. Any building containing a fire pump, stand pipe system, or special detection/suppression system regardless of square footage will require a 3rd party review. Third party shall be approved by the fire code official.
Insert a new Subsection 106.5 Operational Inspections to read as follows: All occupancies regulated by this code shall have initial pre-inspection conducted by Fire Code Official before business is open to the general public, and records updated to reflect new business owners.
Subsection 903.4.2, Alarms, strike the first sentence to read as follows: an approved audible device, suitable for outdoor use with 110 candela visual signal, located on the exterior of the building in an approved location, shall be connected to each automatic sprinkler system.
Delete Subsection 903.4.3, Floor Control Valves in its entirety and insert in lieu thereof a new Subsection 903.4.3, Floor Control Valves as follows: Approved supervised indicating control valves and water flow alarms shall be provided at the point of connection to the riser on each floor in buildings over 15,000 square feet and 3 or more stories in height. The location of the sprinkler control valves shall be approved by the fire code official.
Insert new subsection 1103.5.1.1 Occupancies that are identified as meeting the criteria set forth in Section 1103.5.1, shall be given 12 months, from the date of adoption, to bring said occupancy into compliance or have an accepted plan in place to meet this requirement. (Ord. 5368, 9-26-2016; amd. Ord. 5628, 12-20-2021)
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