The above captioned case was scheduled for hearing on October 9, 2001 at l:30 p.m.  At that time, a subcommittee of the Board reviewed this case.  Subsequently, a quorum of the Board was asked to review the subcommittee’s recommendations.  A quorum of the Board consisted of Acting Chairman Richard and Commissioners Filippi, Newbrook, Evans and O’Connell.  The fire service was represented by Assistant Deputy State Fire Marshal George Potter of the Warwick Fire Marshal’s Office.  A motion was made by Commissioner Evans and seconded by Commissioner Newbrook to accept the subcommittee’s recommendations.  The motion was unanimous.

FINDING OF FACT
	
The numbers of the Decision below correspond with those of a June 20, 2001 inspection report compiled by the Warwick Fire Marshal’s Office.  The above report was utilized by the Board, the Applicant and the Warwick Fire Marshal’s Office, during the October 9, 2001 hearing on this matter.  Accordingly, the Board hereby incorporates the June 20, 2001 inspection report as its initial findings of fact.  Any modification of the Board’s 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 defined in Section 23-28.l-4(3) of the Rhode Island General Laws.

CONCLUSIONS AND VARIANCE REQUESTS

1.	The Board hereby grants a variance from the provisions of Section 23-28.l6-2,3,&5, in order to allow the Applicant to maintain the existing construction, configuration of the egress system as modified herein.  In granting this variance, it is the understanding of the Board that the Warwick Fire Marshal’s Office has no objection in light of the Applicant’s agreement to provide this facility with an approved fire alarm system as outlined in item #8 below.

2.	The Board hereby grants a variance from the provisions of Section 23-28.l6-3 and 23-28.l6-6 in order to allow the Applicant to provide the existing apartment doorjambs of this facility with approved solid core wood doors with an approximate fire rating of twenty (20) minutes.  The above doors shall be further equipped with approved spring-loaded hinges and installed at the direction and to the satisfaction of the Warwick Fire Marshal, within one hundred and twenty (l20) days from the date of this Decision.

3.	The Board hereby grants a variance from the provisions of Section 23-28.l6-6 in order to allow the Applicant to utilize the cited spring-loaded hinges as outlined in item #2 above.

4.	The Board hereby grants a variance from the provisions of Section 23-28.l6-10 in order to allow the Applicant to provide this facility with approved fire-stopping, installed at the direction and to the satisfaction of the Warwick Fire Marshal’s Office.

5.	It is the understanding of the Board that the Applicant has corrected deficiency #5, by providing this facility with approved exit signage.

6.	It is the understanding of the Board that the Applicant has corrected deficiency #6, by providing this facility with approved emergency lighting.

7.	It is the understanding of the Board that the Applicant has corrected deficiency #7, by providing this facility with approved fire extinguishers.  The Board hereby grants a variance from the provisions of Section 23-28.l6-l3 and NFPA Standard l0, l988 edition in order to allow the Applicant to maintain the above fire extinguishers in each of the apartment units in this facility.

8.	As a condition of the variances granted herein, the Board directs the Applicant to provide this facility with an approved fire alarm system and smoke detector system, installed at the direction and to the satisfaction of the Warwick Fire Marshal’s Office, within one hundred and twenty (l20) days from the date of this Decision.

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 Applicant’s 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.

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.  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.  Such changes in use or occupancy of this facility, or failure to continually comply with the Board’s Decision, shall void all variances granted under the above-cited use or occupancy.  If such changes creates a new use or occupancy as outlined in R.I.G.L. 23-28.l-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.

	The Applicant may appeal the Board’s 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.  [RIGL 42-35-l5(c)]