Fire Safety Code, Rhode Island

Decisions - Details

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DECISION
FILE NO.: 100285
LOCATION OF PREMISES: 820 Boston Neck Road
APPLICANT: Diversified Realty P.O. Box 501 Saunderstown, RI 02874
USE OR OCCUPANCY: Mixed
DATE OF DECISION: 2011-03-16
The above-captioned case was scheduled for hearing on December 7, 2010 at 1:00 P.M.  At that time, Acting Chairman Newbrook and Commissioners Richard, Preiss, Pearson, Jasparro and Filippi were present.  The fire service was represented by Assistant Deputy State Fire Marshal Gordon Walsh of the North Kingstown Fire Marshals Office.  A motion was made by Commissioner Richard and seconded by Commissioner Pearson to grant the Applicant relief as outlined herein.  The motion was unanimous.

FINDINGS OF FACT
	The numbers of the Decision below correspond with those of a September 13, 2010 inspection report compiled by the North Kingstown Fire Marshals Office.  The above report was utilized by the Board, the Applicant and the North Kingstown Fire Marshals Office during the December 7, 2010 hearing on this matter.  Accordingly, the Board hereby incorporates the September 13, 2010 inspection report as its initial findings of fact.  Any modification of the Boards findings, such as correction of a deficiency by the Applicant, shall be noted herein. 

Any deficiency understood by the Board to have been corrected, which is not so corrected, shall be immediately corrected by the Applicant.  The term approved, as used herein, is understood to mean in accordance with the specific provisions related to the particular subject as are contained in this Code, or as approved in particular by the State Fire Marshal or his or her designee.

CONCLUSIONS AND VARIANCE REQUESTS 
	1-21.  The Board hereby grants the Applicant a time variance of thirty (30) days from the date of this decision in which to develop and present to the North Kingstown Fire Marshals Office a plan of action for the correction of deficiencies 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21.  The Board further grants the Applicant an additional 150 days in which to implement the above plan, at the direction and to the satisfaction of the North Kingstown Fire Marshals Office.  Finally, the Board notes that the North Kingstown Fire Marshals Office is allowed to extend either or both of the above timelines for good faith efforts being shown by the Applicant.
	22.  The Board hereby grants a variance from the provisions of section 7.1.5.3 in order to allow the Applicant to maintain the existing cited 74 headroom within the third floor stairwell of this facility.  In granting this relief, the Board directs the Applicant to attempt to improve this situation by working with the North Kingstown Fire Marshals Office in providing any additional safeguards deemed necessary by that Office, within the timeframes outlined in items 1-21 above.

STATUS OF DECISION AND APPEAL RIGHTS
	This Decision represents a comprehensive, integrated plan of fire safety for the above-captioned facility under the above-cited use or occupancy.  Accordingly, every variance granted is conditioned upon the Applicants timely and continued compliance with all of the directives of the Board. Every variance granted is further conditioned upon the continued use or occupancy of this facility under the above-cited classification reviewed by the Board.  (See: Board Rules and Regulations, section 6-2-17).
	Failure of the Applicant to initially comply with the full Decision of the Board, within the stated time frame, shall void all variances granted herein.  (See: Board Rules and Regulations, section 6-2-18.)  In the event of complete, timely and continued compliance with the full Decision of the Board, the above cited variances shall be deemed to have vested in the above-captioned facility.  As long as this facility is in continued compliance with the full Decision of the Board, the above-cited variances shall remain with this facility in the absence of any change in use or occupancy mandating review under a separate classification of the Fire Code or a revision of the above-cited classification.  (See: Board Rules and Regulations, section 6-2-19).  

Such changes in use or occupancy of this facility, or failure to 
continually comply with the Boards Decision shall void all variances granted under the above-cited use or occupancy.  If such change creates a new use or occupancy as outlined in R.I.G.L. 23-28.1-6, all variances granted under the original use or occupancy are void and this facility shall be reviewed under the newly created use or occupancy.  (See: Board Rules and Regulations, section 6-2-20).
	The Applicant may appeal the Boards Decision, within thirty (30) days of the mailing date of this Decision, by commencing an action against the State Fire Marshal in the Sixth division of the District Court.  Commencement of such an action does not operate as an automatic stay of this Decision [R.I.G.L. 42-35-15(c)].
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