ORDINANCE  7  - 2004

ORDINANCE SUPPLEMENTING CHAPTER XXVIII, FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION, OF THE MENDHAM TOWNSHIP ORDINANCE CODE WITH A NEW SECTION 28-3 ENTITLED “FIRE LANES”.

BE IT ORDAINED by the Township Committee of the Township of Mendham , in the County of Morris , New Jersey , as follows:

            Section 1.        Chapter XXVIII, entitled “Fire Prevention and Protection”, of The Revised General Ordinances of the Township of Mendham , 1998, is hereby supplemented with a new Section 28-3 which shall read in its entirety as follows: 

            “28-3   FIRE LANES

28.3.1 Designation.  Public or private fire lanes or fire apparatus access roads shall be required in the township where the township Fire Official or township Fire Protection Subcode Official deems them necessary for the efficient and effective operation of fire apparatus and other emergency service vehicles.  As part of the Fire Official’s review of a development application submitted to the planning board or board of adjustment and as part of the Fire Protection Subcode Official’s review of an application for a construction permit, the Fire Official or Fire Protection Subcode Official shall consider whether a fire lane should be required.  Proposed fire lanes shall not conflict with prior approvals of the planning or zoning board or which are the result of the issuance of a certificate of occupancy.

28-3.2  Design Standards.  Fire lanes required by this Section or by the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code, N.J.A.C 5:70-1, et seq., or the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, N.J.A.C. 5:23-1, et seq., shall comply with the following standards:

a.          Fire lanes shall provide unobstructed access to fire hydrants, drafting points, building entrances and exits to permit support of installed fire protection systems, prompt evacuation of building occupants, interior access for fire fighting equipment and personnel and exterior access for aerial, ladder or other elevated platform situations.

b.         Before the issuance of a certificate of occupancy any public or private road may be designated as a fire lane by the Fire Official and may be widened to accommodate passage of fire apparatus if required due to its length or accessibility to water supplies, fire fighting or rescue operations.

c.          Fire lanes and bridges carrying fire lanes shall be designed and maintained to support the imposed loads of fire apparatus and shall be surfaced to provide all weather driving capabilities with an asphalt, concrete or other surface approved by the Fire Official.

d.         Fire lanes shall have a minimum width of eighteen (18) feet and an unobstructed vertical clearance of not less than thirteen (13) feet, six (6) inches, except that fire lanes servicing a building equipped with fully automatic fire sprinklers shall be twelve (12) feet in width and may have a surface other than in (c) above if approved by the Fire Official.

e.          Fire lanes shall not exceed the grade required by township ordinance for private roads.

f.          Fire lane gates may be required by the Fire Official and shall comply with the required lane width in the open position.  The design, operation and locking of gates shall be approved by the Fire Official.

g.          The design of fire lanes shall conform to the provisions set forth in this Section and shall be approved by the Fire Official.

28-3.3    Variances.  The Fire Official may approve requests for variances   

             from the design standards of this Section with the concurrence of

 the Mendham Township Bureau of Fire Prevention.  No variance

 shall be granted unless the Fire Official shall find that strict

 compliance with the standard would result in undue hardship and

 that the variance, if granted, will not unreasonably jeopardize the

 safety of township residents, fire fighters and the public in     

 general.  The standards and procedures for variances set forth in  

 the Uniform Fire Safety Act, specifically N.J.S.A. 52:27D-200, 

 and in the Uniform Fire Code, specifically N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.14,

 shall apply and be followed.

28-3.4    Maintenance of Fire Lanes on Private Property.  The property

owner shall be responsible for marking and maintaining any fire

lane located on the owner’s property as it was originally designed

and approved.  All signage and supplementary markings of fire

lanes shall be maintained in a clean and legible condition at all

times and replaced when necessary to ensure adequate visibility. 

Fire lanes shall be maintained clear of ice, snow, vehicles and

obstructions by the owner of the property.”

            Section 2.        This ordinance shall take effect after final passage and publication as required by law.