Fire Safety Code, Rhode Island

Decisions - Details

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
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FIRE SAFETY CODE - BOARD OF APPEAL AND REVIEW
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DECISION
FILE NO.: 160080
LOCATION OF PREMISES: 1110 Central Avenue, Pawtucket, RI
APPLICANT: Maggie Lague 24 North Main Street Attleboro, MA 02703
USE OR OCCUPANCY: Industrial
DATE OF DECISION: 2016-07-27
As indicated in the file, a hearing involving the above-captioned property was conducted on July 19, 2016 before the Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review, pursuant to RI General Laws Section 23-28.3-5.
	In attendance at the hearing were the following:
COMMISSIONERS: Chairman Newbrook, Vice-Chairman Blackburn and Commissioners Richard, Pearson, Booth and Davison.
AUTHORITY HAVING JURISDICTION: Assistant Deputy State Fire Marshal Allen McVay of the Pawtucket Fire Marshals Office.
APPLICANT: Maggie Lague.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: W. Keith Burlingame, Esq.

TRAVEL OF THE CASE

1.	This is an Application for Variance filed under R.I.G.L. Chapter 23-28.3, entitled Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review, and the Administrative Regulations promulgated thereunder.
2.	The Application was filed by Maggie Lague (authorized representative) of 24 North Main Street, Attleboro, MA  02703 dated April 21, 2016.
3.	The Application was received by the Board and File  160080 opened on May 18, 2016.
4.	A hearing on the Application was conducted on July 19, 2016 at 1:00 PM before the Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review.
5.	After all evidence was presented at the hearing, a motion was made by Vice-Chairman Blackburn and seconded by Commissioners Davison and Richard to grant the Applicant the relief as outlined herein.  The motion passed on a 6 to 0 vote.

RECORD OF THE CASE

The following documents are part of the administrative record for Appeal  160080 and are pertinent to the decision rendered:

1.	Variance Application  160080 dated April 21, 2016 and filed on May 18, 2016.
2.	Pawtucket Fire Marshals Office Inspection Report dated April 12, 2016.
3.	Letter of authorization for Margaret Lague from David Ottmar dated May 9, 2016.

EXHIBITS

The following documents were presented at the July 19, 2016 hearing as exhibits:

1.	None.

FINDINGS OF FACT

	Based on the testimony and evidence introduced at the hearing and a review of the administrative file, the Board makes the following Finding of Fact:

1.	The numbers of the Decision below correspond with those of the April 12, 2016 inspection report compiled by the Pawtucket Fire Marshals Office.  The above report was utilized by the Board, the Applicant and the Pawtucket Fire Marshals Office during the July 19, 2016 hearing on this matter.  Accordingly, the Board hereby incorporates the April 12, 2016 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.
2.	The building is an existing 3-story industrial occupancy consisting of approximately seventy thousand six hundred seventy-eight (70,678) square feet and originally built in 1940.
3.	The building is of Type III (200) construction and does not have a compliant fire alarm system and is provided with partial automatic sprinkler system that is reported to be supervised by a third-party monitoring company.
4.	The Board finds that the owner of this property has recently passed away in May of 2016 and that the property is currently listed for sale by the estate.  The Board further finds that there are two (2) current tenants in the property: a commercial printing & mailing facility and a licensed medical marijuana manufacturing facility.
5.	There is no objection by the Pawtucket Fire Marshals Office to the granting of the relief outlined herein.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND
DETERMINATIONS ON VARIANCE REQUESTS

1.	The Board grants the Applicant a time variance of thirty (30) days from the date of the decision to comply with the provisions of RILSC section 40.3.4.1 by developing and submitting a plan of action for the installation of an approved fire alarm system throughout the facility.  The Board further grants the Applicant an additional one hundred fifty (150) days in order to implement the above plan of action, at the direction and to the satisfaction of the Pawtucket Fire Marshals Office.
2.	The Board hereby grants the Applicant a time variance of ninety (90) days to comply with the provisions of RILSC section 40.2.9 by providing this facility with approved emergency lighting, at the direction and to the satisfaction of the Pawtucket Fire Marshals Office.
3.	The Board hereby grants the Applicant the time variance outlined in item 2 above to comply with the provisions of RILSC section 40.2.10 by providing this facility with approved exit signage, at the direction and to the satisfaction of the Pawtucket Fire Marshals Office.
4.	The Board hereby grants the Applicant the time variance outlined in item 2 above to comply with the provisions of RIFC section 18.2.2.1 by providing this facility with an approved key access box, at the direction and to the satisfaction of the Pawtucket Fire Marshals Office.

In consideration of the relief granted herein, the Board directs the Applicant to provide documentation within thirty (30) days of the date of this decision that the sprinkler system has been inspected, tested and verified as operational and that all alarm & supervisory signal are being properly received by the third-party monitoring company, at the direction and to the satisfaction of the Pawtucket Fire Marshal's Office.

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).

Finally, the Board hereby authorizes the Pawtucket Fire Marshals Office to extend the above timeline(s) for good faith compliance efforts being demonstrated by the Applicant in accordance with the provisions of Fire Safety Code, section 6-2-22.1.

STATUS OF DECISION AND APPEAL RIGHTS

1.	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: Fire Safety Code, section 6-2-22).
2.	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: Fire Safety Code, section 6-2-23.)  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: Fire Safety Code, section 6-2-24).
3.	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:  Fire Safety Code, section 6-2-25).
4.	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.  (See: Fire Safety Code, section 6-2-18).  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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