Fire Safety Code, Rhode Island

Decisions - Details

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DECISION
FILE NO.: 120155
LOCATION OF PREMISES: 26-28 Wightman Street
APPLICANT: Ms. Holly Regoli 10 1/2 Burgess Road Foster, RI 02825
USE OR OCCUPANCY: Apartment
DATE OF DECISION: 2013-02-14
The above-captioned case was scheduled for hearing on January 8, 2013 at 1:00 P.M.  At that time, Chairman Newbrook, Vice Chairperson Filippi and Commissioners Dias, Pearson, Jasparro, Jackson, Sylvester, Burlingame and Blackburn were present.  The fire service was represented by Assistant Deputy State Fire Marshal Matthew Manni of the West Warwick Fire Marshals Office.  A motion was made by Commissioner Dias and seconded by Commissioner Jasparro to grant the Applicant relief as outlined herein.  The motion passed over the opposition votes of Commissioners Blackburn and Burlingame.

FINDINGS OF FACT
	The numbers of the Decision below correspond with those of a November 7, 2012 inspection report compiled by the West Warwick Fire Marshals Office.  The above report was utilized by the Board, the Applicant and the West Warwick Fire Marshals Office during the January 8, 2013 hearing on this matter.  Accordingly, the Board hereby incorporates the November 7, 2012 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 Authority Having Jurisdiction (State Fire Marshal, his or her designated Deputy State Fire Marshals and/or Assistant Deputy State Fire Marshals).

CONCLUSIONS AND VARIANCE REQUESTS
	1.  The Board hereby grants the Applicant a time variance of thirty (30) days from the date of this decision in which to develop and submit a plan of action for the correction of deficiency 1 by means of one of three options available to the Applicant.  Option 1 would be to replace the existing egress windows with approved windows within the above time frame.  Option 2 would be to demonstrate that the windows can be removed in order to provide an approved clear opening, to the satisfaction of the West Warwick Fire Marshals Office.  If this option is taken, the Board directs the Applicant to provide a sign within close proximity of the windows instructing the residents as to how the windows are to be removed for escape purposes.  Option 3 would be to maintain the existing windows with the placement of an approved domestically supplied sprinkler head covering each of the two (2) apartment entrance doors where the egress windows are undersized.  The Board further grants the Applicant an additional 150 days in order to implement one of the above three plans of action, at the Applicants option, at the direction and to the satisfaction of the West Warwick Fire Marshals Office.

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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