Highlighted below: 7 of 8 extracted standards. Sections and highlights carry their own anchors. The rest quote wording that differs from this rendering of the text.

Chapter 30 - FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION#

Footnotes:#

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Cross reference— Administration, ch. 2; standing committees of council, § 2-32; buildings and building regulations, ch. 18; environment, ch. 26; law enforcement, ch. 34; solid waste, ch. 46; traffic and vehicles, ch. 58; authority of fire department officials to direct traffic, § 58-4; utilities, ch. 62; subdivisions, app. A.

State Law reference— Municipal regulation of the keeping of combustibles, Code of Virginia, § 15.1-14(6); guarding against danger from accidents by fire, Code of Virginia, § 15.1-15(4); smoke detectors, Code of Virginia, § 15.1-29.9; municipal regulation of the making of fires, Code of Virginia, § 15.1-872; local fire departments and fire companies, Code of Virginia, § 27-6.1 et seq.; local fire marshals, Code of Virginia, § 27-30 et seq.; relief for firefighters, Code of Virginia, § 27-39 et seq.; effect of Statewide Fire Prevention Code, Code of Virginia, § 27-97; explosives, Code of Virginia, § 59.1-137 et seq.; fireworks, Code of Virginia, § 59.1-142 et seq.

Sec. 30-1. - Building fires in streets prohibited.#

No person shall build fires in the public streets.

(Code 1971, § 7-4)

Cross reference— Streets, sidewalks and other public places, ch. 50.

ARTICLE II. - FIRE DEPARTMENT#

Footnotes:#

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State Law reference— Town appropriations to voluntary firefighting organizations, Code of Virginia, § 15.1-25; firefighters and equipment going beyond territorial limits in emergencies, Code of Virginia, § 27-1; contracts of towns to furnish fire protection, Code of Virginia, § 27-2; ordinances as to fire departments and companies, Code of Virginia, § 27-14.

Sec. 30-26. - Composition; appointment.#

There shall be appointed by the council every year a fire chief and such assistant fire chiefs and other officers as the council may deem appropriate, who, with the fire company, shall constitute the fire department of the town. Such officers shall hold office until their successors have been elected and qualify.

(Code 1971, § 7-15)

State Law reference— Officers of fire department, Code of Virginia, § 27-6.1.

Sec. 30-27. - Powers and duties generally.#

The officers and fire company shall have all the powers conferred upon them by state law, and shall have power to make such bylaws for the regulation of the fire department of the town as are consistent with the state laws and this Code.

(Code 1971, § 7-16)

State Law reference— Bylaws of fire department, Code of Virginia, § 27-7.

Sec. 30-28. - Suspension and removal of members or officers.#

The fire chief and assistant chiefs and all members of the fire company shall be subject to removal or suspension by a majority vote of the council.

(Code 1971, § 7-17)

Sec. 30-29. - Filling vacancies in office.#

Any vacancy, however caused, in the offices of the fire department shall be filled by the council as soon as practicable after such vacancy has occurred.

(Code 1971, § 7-18)

Sec. 30-30. - Authority of fire chief.#

When present, the fire chief shall have command over the assistant fire chiefs and commanders of the fire companies, and over all other persons who may be present, and may appoint the stations and operations of the companies with their engines, and of all others, for the purposes of extinguishing the fire, removing things from any building on fire or in danger thereof, guarding the building on fire and suppressing all tumult and disorder.

(Code 1971, § 7-19)

Sec. 30-31. - Minors working for volunteer fire company.#

(a) Subject to any additional restrictions that may be placed by the town fire department, any person who is 16 years of age or older, after first obtaining his parent's or guardian's approval, in writing, is authorized to work with or to participate fully in all activities of the town volunteer fire company, provided such person has attained certification under National Fire Protection Association 1001, level one, firefighter standards, as administered by the Virginia Department of Fire Programs.

(b) The certification record and parental or guardian consent shall be kept on file in the office of the volunteer fire department for each participant who is enrolled in the fire department, pursuant to this section.

(Ord. of 11-6-89, § 40.1-79.1)

State Law reference— Authority for above section, Code of Virginia, § 40.1-79.1.

Sec. 30-51. - Adoption.#

There is hereby adopted by the council, for the purpose of prescribing regulations governing conditions hazardous to life and property from fire or explosion, that certain code known as the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code, being particularly the 1993 edition thereof and the whole thereof, save and except such portions as are deleted, modified or amended by this article, and the same are hereby adopted and incorporated as fully as if set out at length in this section, and the provisions thereof shall be controlling within the limits of the town.

(Code 1971, § 7-5)

State Law reference— Effect of Statewide Fire Prevention Code, Code of Virginia, § 27-97.

Sec. 30-52. - Establishment of limits of districts in which storage of flammable liquids in outside aboveground tanks and bulk storage of liquefied petroleum gases is to be restricted.#

The limits in which storage of flammable liquids in outside aboveground tanks is prohibited§, and the limits in which bulk storage of liquefied petroleum gas is restricted§, are hereby established the area contained within the following bounds: Bounded on the north by Division Street; on the east by North High Street and South High Street; on the south by Irvin Street, and on the west by the right-of-way of the Norfolk and Western Railway Company.

(Code 1971, § 7-11)

State Law reference— Liquefied petroleum gases, Code of Virginia, § 27-86 et seq.

Sec. 30-53. - Adoption of section 506 of the 2009 Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code.#

The Town of Blackstone hereby adopts the following provision of the 2009 Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code. This section shall apply to newly constructed commercial buildings or structures, newly constructed industrial buildings or structures and to newly constructed multifamily residential structures that have restricted access through locked doors and have a common corridor for access to the living units. This section shall also apply to an existing building or structure that is repurposed to a commercial building or structure, industrial building or structure or to a multifamily residential structure that has restricted access through locked doors and has a common corridor for access to the living units.

The term "commercial," for purposes of this section, shall include apartment buildings.

This section does not apply to single-family dwellings or to two-family dwellings.

"New construction" is defined as any construction for which a building permit is required to be issued on or after the effective date of this section.

Where required: Where access to or within a structure or an area is restricted because of secured openings or where immediate access is necessary for life-saving or fire-fighting purposes, the fire code official is authorized to require a Knox Box be installed in an approved location not to exceed three to five feet off the ground.§ The Knox Box shall be of an approved type listed in accordance with UL 1037.§ The Knox Box shall be installed prior to the issuance of permit of occupancy.

Exception: Existing key boxes are not required to be listed in accordance with UL 1037 unless replaced.

Other requirements:

(1) Locks. An approved Knox lock shall be installed on gates, sprinkler system post-indicator valves, or similar barriers when required by the fire code official.§

(2) Knox Box contents. All Knox Boxes shall contain labeled keys, easily identified in the field to provide access into the property and/or building, and to any locked areas within the said building as the fire code official may direct.

(3) Key box maintenance. The operator of the building shall immediately notify the fire code official if the location of the key box changes. The operator of the building is responsible for the maintenance of the key box to ensure it functions properly.§

(4) Knox Box Required for multifamily residential structures. All multifamily residential structures that have restricted access through locked doors and have a common corridor for access to the living units shall have installed a Knox Box, of a UL type and size as approved by the fire code official.

(5) Standardized fire service elevator keys. All buildings with elevators equipped with Phase I emergency recall or Phase II emergency in-car operation, or buildings equipped with fire service access or occupant evacuation elevators shall be equipped to operate with a standardized fire service key approved by the fire code official.§

Exception: While providing a standardized key is not possible due to the existing nonstandard elevator equipment, the owner shall be permitted to place the building's non-standardized fire service elevator keys in a key box installed in accordance with Section 506.1.

a. Requirements for standardized fire service keys. Standardized fire service elevator keys shall comply with all of the following:

All fire service elevator keys within the jurisdiction shall be uniform and specific for the jurisdiction. Keys shall be cut to a uniform key code.
Fire service elevator keys shall be a patent-protected design to prevent unauthorized duplication.
Fire service elevator keys subject to these rules shall be engraved with the words "DO NOT DUPLICATE."

b. Access to standardized fire service keys. Access to standardized fire service elevator keys shall be restricted to the following persons or groups:

Elevator owners or their authorized agents.
Elevator contractors.
Elevator inspectors of the jurisdiction.
Fire and building code officials of the jurisdiction.
The fire department and other emergency response agencies designated by the fire code official and the code official responsible for the enforcement of Part III, Maintenance, of the Uniform State Building Code.

c. Duplication or distribution of keys. No person may duplicate a standardized fire service elevator key or issue, give or sell a duplicated key unless in accordance with this code.

d. Responsibility to provide keys. The building or structure owner shall provide up to three standardized fire service elevator keys, if required by the fire code official, upon installation of a standardized fire service key switch or switches in the building.

Penalties. Any person who violates, neglects or refuses to comply with any provision of this chapter shall be found guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor.

This provision shall be enforced as set forth in the existing fire prevention code currently in effect in the Town of Blackstone, Virginia.

(Ord. of 3-21-16)