A hearing involving the above-captioned property was conducted on Tuesday, November 18, 2025 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: Chairperson Blackburn, Vice-Chairperson Thornton and Commissioners  Muto, Spaziani & Mancini.
AUTHORITY HAVING JURISDICTION [AHJ]: Deputy State Fire Marshal Traci Choiniere of the State Fire Marshals Office.
APPELLANT: Audrey Ashong-Katai and Erica Martinelli.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: W. Keith Burlingame, Esq.
TRAVEL OF THE CASE

1.	This is an Application for Appeal submitted 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 submitted by Audrey Ashong-Katai (owner) of 226 Sterry Street, Pawtucket, RI dated September 29, 2025.
3.	The Application was processed by the Board and Appeal  2025136 was filed on September 29, 2025.
4.	The property was previously before the Board on or about December 10, 2024 at which time Decision  2024138 was issued dated January 8, 2025.
5.	A hearing on the Application was conducted on November 18, 2025 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 Vice-Chairperson Thornton and seconded by Commissioner Mancini to grant the Appellant 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  2025136 and are pertinent to the decision rendered:

1.	Appeal Application  FVA-25-136 submitted on September 29, 2025 and filed on September 29, 2025.
2.	State Fire Marshals Office Inspection Report dated August 18, 2025.

EXHIBITS

The following documents were presented at the November 18, 2025 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 18, 2025 inspection report compiled by the State Fire Marshals Office.  The above report was utilized by the Board, the Appellant and the State Fire Marshals Office during the November 18, 2025 hearing on this matter.  Accordingly, the Board hereby incorporates the August 18, 2025 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 Appellant, shall be noted herein.
2.	The building is an existing 3-story above grade building with a basement level, classified as a residential board and care [large] occupancy, consisting of approximately six thousand two hundred ten (6,210) square feet (gross area) and originally built in 1925.
3.	The building is of Type V (000) construction, has an approved (with deficiencies) fire alarm system and is provided with an approved automatic sprinkler system.
4.	The Board finds through the testimony of the parties that the following deficiencies/violations have been corrected:  2-6 and 8-11.
5.	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.	FIRE ALARM SYSTEM: The Board hereby grants the Appellant a time variance of thirty (30) days from the date of the decision to comply with the provisions of RILSC section 33.3.3.4.1 and NFPA 72 (2019) section 10.4.5 by installing a system smoke detector protecting the fire alarm control unit, at the direction and to the satisfaction of the State Fire Marshals Office.
7.	EGRESS: The Board hereby grants the Appellant a variance from the provisions of RILSC sections 33.3.2.1.1 and 7.1.5.3 by allowing the existing basement stair with headroom of sixty-six (66) inches to remain in use without modification based upon a structural hardship.  In granting this relief, the Board acknowledges that the basement is accessed by staff only and is not normally occupied.

Any deficiency understood by the Board to have been corrected, which is not so corrected, shall be immediately corrected by the Appellant.  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).

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 Appellants 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 Appellant 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 Appellant 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)].