FIR 3311Fire Prevention Codes: South Metro Fire DistrictColu, Lecture notes of Accounting

Download FIR 3311Fire Prevention Codes: South Metro Fire DistrictColu and more Lecture notes Accounting in PDF only on Docsity! FIR 3311 Fire Prevention Codes: South Metro Fire District Columbia Southern University Legal Aspects of Emergency Services (FIR 3311) Fire Prevention Codes: South Metro Fire District The recognition of the need and implementation of fire codes to increase public safety is not a new idea. The Great Chicago Fire in 1871 killed up to 300 people. (Koorsen Fire & Security, 2020) One year later, the City Council banned wooden building materials, requiring flame-resistant materials for construction. Three decades later, in 1903, Chicago would again experience a devastating fire when the Iroquois Theatre burned with 602 people trapped inside. The construction of the theatre violated numerous fire codes, and when the fire broke out, many of the exits were hidden behind thick black curtains, and most were locked. After the Iroquois Theatre fire, the use of a fire curtain became mandatory in large theatres to prevent fires starting on stage from spreading into the auditorium, which is how the fire started. This fire also prompted the widespread use of “crash bars” on doors, which were invented some 20 years earlier, and the requirement that all doors in public buildings be open in the direction of egress, two requirements that have saved countless lives since. In 1911, the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire claimed the lives of 147 workers trapped on the top three floors of the 10- story building. The exits had been locked to reduce theft and prevent workers from taking unauthorized breaks. Many died jumping from the windows to escape the fire, while most succumbed to flames and smoke inhalation. A year following the fire, New York established the nation's first fire prevention bureau charged with the development and enforcement of fire safety regulations. Fortunately, we now have a significant body of codes and standards that have helped reduce the loss of life and property resulting from fires. (Koorsen Fire & Security, 2020) Prior to the development of the International Fire Code, there were four separate standards for fire protection, the National Fire Prevention Code, the Standard Fire Prevention Code, the Uniform Fire Code, and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1 – Fire Prevention Code. While having codes to guide the design and construction of safer structures, as cities and states began adopting different sets of standards, understanding the regulations became complicated. In 1994, the National Fire Prevention Code, Standard Fire Prevention Code, and the Uniform Fire Code were merged by the International Code Council to create the International Fire Code. The International Fire Code is developed not as law but merely suggested fire code language that governing entities, such as state, county, or city governments, can adopt through the legislative process. Following the adoption of a model fire code language, it then becomes enforceable as law within the adopting entities' jurisdiction. According to Missouri State Statute 321.600, as seen below, fire district board members are allowed to adopt and amend fire protection and prevention ordinances for their respective jurisdictions. (Missouri Legislature, 1999) The state statute even goes as far as stating the legal ramifications of parties found in violation of duly adopted ordinances. Missouri State Statute 321.600 (Section 12) Powers of board in providing fire protection — employee benefits plan (first-class counties). — For the purpose of providing fire protection to the property within the district, the district and, on its behalf, the board shall have the following powers, authority and privileges: (12) To adopt and amend bylaws, fire protection and fire prevention ordinances, and any other rules and regulations not in conflict with the constitution and laws of this