As documented in the file, a hearing involving the above-captioned property was conducted on Tuesday, November 28, 2023 before the Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review [hereinafter the Board], pursuant to Rhode Island General Laws [RIGL] sections 23-28.3-5, 42-35-9 and 42-46-3.

	In attendance at the hearing were the following:
COMMISSIONERS: Vice-Chairman Blackburn and Commissioners Booth, Thornton, Muto and Spaziani.
AUTHORITY HAVING JURISDICTION [AHJ]: Deputy State Fire Marshal Robbie Lopez of the State Fire Marshals Office.
APPLICANT: Town Council President Denise DiFranco and Attorney Julia Chretien.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: W. Keith Burlingame, Esq.

TRAVEL OF THE CASE

1.	This is an Application for Variance filed under RIGL 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 Gordon Rogers (authorized representative) of 181 Howard Hill Road, Foster, RI dated September 5, 2023.
3.	The Application was received by the Board and File  2023140 was opened on September 11, 2023.
4.	The property was previously before the Board on or about June 20, 2006 at which time Decision  050153 was issued dated November 30, 2006.
5.	A hearing on the Application was conducted on November 28, 2023 at 1:00 PM before the Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review.
6.	After consideration of the application, the testimony of the witnesses and of the entire record presented to the Board, and after carefully reviewing such information, a motion was made by Commissioner Thornton and seconded by Commissioner Muto to grant the Applicant the relief as outlined herein.  The motion passed on a 5 to 0 vote.

RECORD OF THE CASE

The following documents are part of the administrative record for Appeal  2023140 and are pertinent to the decision rendered:

1.	Variance Application  2023140 dated September 5, 2023 and filed on September 11, 2023.
2.	State Fire Marshals Office Inspection Report dated August 30, 2023.
3.	Applicants entry of appearance and request for continuance dated September 26, 2023.
4.	Reschedule Notice dated October 4, 2023.
5.	Plan of Action dated November 21, 2023.

EXHIBITS

The following documents were presented at the November 28, 2023 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 Findings of Fact:

1.	The numbers of the determinations below correspond with those of the August 30, 2023 inspection report compiled by the State Fire Marshals Office.  The above report was utilized by the Board, the Applicant and the State Fire Marshals Office during the November 28, 2023 hearing on this matter.  Accordingly, the Board hereby incorporates the August 30, 2023 inspection report as its initial findings of fact.  Any modification of the Boards findings relating to this report, such as correction of a deficiency by the Applicant, shall be noted herein.
2.	The building is an existing 2-story above grade building with a basement level, classified as a business (municipal offices) occupancy, consisting of approximately eleven thousand seven hundred fourteen (11,714) square feet (gross area) and originally built in 1990.
3.	The building is of Type V (000) construction, has an approved (with deficiencies) fire alarm system with emergency forces notification and is not provided with an approved automatic sprinkler system.
4.	There is no objection by the State Fire Marshals Office to the granting of the relief outlined herein.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND
DETERMINATIONS ON VARIANCE REQUESTS

References to NFPA shall mean the National Fire Protection Association; references to the Rhode Island Fire Code [RIFC] shall mean NFPA 1, (2018 edition) as incorporated by reference and amended by 450-RICR-00-00-7; and, references to the Rhode Island Life Safety Code [RILSC] shall mean NFPA 101, (2018 edition) as incorporated by reference and amended by 450-RICR-00-00-8.

1.	This deficiency/violation has been corrected.
2.	This deficiency/violation has been corrected.
3.	This deficiency/violation has been corrected.
4.	EGRESS: The Board hereby grants the Applicant a time variance of thirty (30) days from the date of the decision to comply with the provisions of RILSC section 39.2.4.1 by developing and submitting a plan of action to provide a second means of egress from the second floor of 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 State Fire Marshals Office.
5.	FIRE ALARM: The Board hereby grants the Applicant a time variance of thirty (30) days from the date of the decision to comply with the provisions of RILSC sections 39.3.4.5.1 and 9.6.2.11 by providing the second floor of this facility with approved fire alarm system detection, at the direction and to the satisfaction of the State Fire Marshals Office.
6.	This deficiency/violation has been corrected.
7.	This deficiency/violation has been corrected.
8.	COMBUSTIBLE WASTE: The Board hereby grants the Applicant a time variance of thirty (30) days from the date of the decision to comply with the provisions of RIFC sections 19.1.2 and 19.1.3 by removing the excessive combustibles stored on the second floor (town clerk side) of this facility, at the direction and to the satisfaction of the State Fire Marshals Office.
9.	This deficiency/violation has been corrected.
10.	This deficiency/violation has been corrected.
11.	EGRESS: The Board hereby grants the Applicant a variance from the provisions of RILSC sections 39.2.1.1 and 7.1.5 by allowing the existing basement headroom of seventy-one (71) inches to remain as is without modification based upon a structural hardship.
12.	This deficiency/violation has been corrected.
13.	EGRESS: The Board hereby grants the Applicant a time variance of sixty (60) days from the date of the decision to comply with the provisions of RILSC section 39.7.7 by providing documentation of the required annual door inspections for the facility.  The Board further grants the Applicant an additional one hundred twenty (120) days in order to implement any identified corrective actions necessary (repairs or replacements), at the direction and to the satisfaction of the State Fire Marshals Office.
14.	This deficiency/violation has been corrected.
15.	INTERIOR FINISH: The Board hereby grants the Applicant a time variance of thirty (30) days from the date of the decision to comply with the provisions of RILSC section 39.3.3.2.2 by providing documentation of approved interior finishes for the second floor office area, at the direction and to the satisfaction of the State Fire Marshals Office.
16.	This deficiency/violation has been corrected.

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 State Fire Marshals Office, upon receiving a written request, to extend the above timeline(s) for good faith compliance efforts being demonstrated by the Applicant by one (1) or more extensions of time of not more than thirty (30) days each, for a period not to exceed ninety (90) days in accordance with the provisions of 450-RICR-00-00-1.7.2(X).

STATUS OF DECISION AND APPEAL RIGHTS

1.	This Decision constitutes a final order of the Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review as set forth in RIGL section 42-35-12 and 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 [FSC] section 450-RICR-00-00-1.7.2(W)].
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: FSC section 450-RICR-00-00-1.7.2(Y)].  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 FSC or a revision of the above-cited classification.  [See: FSC section 450-RICR-00-00-1.7.2(Z)].
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 RIGL section 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:  FSC section 450-RICR-00-00-1.7.2(AA)].
4.	In accordance with RIGL section 23-28.3-5(e), any person who violates a final order of the Board may be subject to prosecution in the District Court with possible imprisonment for a term not exceeding one (1) year, or fined not more than one thousand dollars (1000) for each offense.
5.	In accordance with RIGL section 42-35-12, 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: RIGL section 23-28.3-6 and FSC section 450-RICR-00-00-1.7.2(S)].  Commencement of such an action does not operate as an automatic stay of this Decision [See: RIGL section 42-35-15(c)].