Fire Safety Code, Rhode Island

Decisions - Details

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DECISION
FILE NO.: 070102
LOCATION OF PREMISES: AMENDED DECISION - 262 South Water Street, Providence
APPLICANT: RISD Holdings, Inc. c/o Dimeo Properties 475 Kilvert Street Warwick, RI 02886
USE OR OCCUPANCY: Assembly
DATE OF DECISION: 2010-04-30
The above-captioned case was scheduled for hearing before a subcommittee of the Board on September 17, 2009 at 9:30 A.M.  At that time, Acting Chairman Dias and Commissioner Filippi were present.  The fire service was represented by Assistant Deputy State Fire Marshal Richard Silva of the Providence Fire Marshals Office.  A motion was made by Commissioner Filippi and seconded by Commissioner Dias to recommend to the full Board that it grant the Applicant the relief outlined herein.  The motion was unanimous.  
The above recommendations were thereupon presented to the full Board on September 22, 2009 at 1:00 P.M.  At that time, Chairman Coutu, Vice Chairman Newbrook and Commissioners Blackburn, Richard, Jasparro, Pearson, Walker, Dias and Filippi were present.  Commissioner Preiss recused himself from consideration of these cases.  A motion to approve the subcommittee recommendations was made by Vice Chairman Newbrook and seconded by Commissioners Richard and Walker.  The motion was unanimous.  Accordingly, the subcommittee determination has the status of a full Board decision.
FINDINGS OF FACT
	The numbers of the decision below correspond with those of a January 2, 2006 inspection report compiled by the Providence Fire Marshals Office.  The above report was utilized by the Board, the Applicant and the Providence Fire Marshals Office during the September 17, 2009 subcommittee hearing on this matter.  Accordingly, the Board hereby incorporates the January 2, 2006 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 
	1-3.  The Board hereby grants the Applicant a time variance of thirty (30) days from the mailing date of this decision in which to develop an present a plan of action to the Providence Fire Marshal's office for the correction of deficiencies 1, 2 and 3.  The Board notes that this plan of action should include the construction of a second means of egress from the second floor of this facility as well as the enclosure of the existing southwest stairway.  The Applicant is hereby granted an additional 120 days from the initial thirty-day period in which to implement the above plan of action.  The Providence Fire Marshal's office is hereby granted the authority to extend the above deadlines for good faith efforts being shown by the Applicant.
	[Note:  At the Fire Board hearing of December 1, 2009, Executive Director Coffey read into the record a letter from Hughes Associates to Chairman Coutu requesting that the original decision in this case be modified to reflect the fact that the existing stairway enclosure is currently in conformance with the Rhode Island Fire Code and that no further enclosure is necessary.  Commissioner Dias made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Walker, to approve the modification of the original decision.  The motion was unanimous.]
	4.  The Board hereby grants a variance from the provisions of section 7.2.1.3.5 in order to allow the Applicant to maintain the cited bottom small granite step at the point where the southwest stairway discharges onto the sidewalk adjacent to South Water Street.  
 
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 submitting a written appeal of the above subcommittee recommendations to the entire Fire Board for review, pursuant to Board Rule 6-2-9.  The Applicant shall thereupon be scheduled for hearing before the full Board of Appeal & Review.  Commencement of such an action does not operate as an automatic stay of this decision (RIGL 42-35-15(c)).
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