§ 23-28.1-2 - Purposes.
SECTION 23-28.1-2
§ 23-28.1-2 Purposes. – (a) Effective January 1, 2004, the Uniform Fire Code (NFPA 1) and the LifeSafety Code (NFPA 101) of the National Fire Protection Association, Inc., 2003editions, with annexes, except as updated, amended, altered or deleted and bythe addition of certain provisions, as indicated in the rules and regulationsadopted by the fire safety code board, is hereby adopted as the "Rhode IslandFire Safety Code". This code shall be liberally construed and applied topromote its underlying purposes and policies.
(b) The underlying purposes and policies of these chaptersare:
(1) To simplify, clarify and modernize the law governingfires and fire prevention;
(2) To specify reasonable minimum requirements for firesafety in new and existing buildings and facilities, except in privatedwellings occupied by one, two (2) or three (3) families, in the various citiesor towns in this state; provided, however, this code shall provide reasonablestandards for the installation of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors inprivate dwellings occupied by one, two (2), and three (3) families; provided,further, that after July 1, 2008, three (3) family dwellings shall be equippedwith hard wired or supervised interconnected UL approved wireless smoke andcarbon monoxide detectors, in accordance with standards established by the FireSafety Code Board of Appeal and Review; provided further that
(ii) The local fire authority that performs smoke detectorand carbon monoxide detector plan review and inspection for the installation ofsmoke detector and/or carbon monoxide detection in any new and existing privatedwelling occupied by one, two (2) and three (3) families shall charge no morethan a seventy-five dollar ($75.00) fee for a one family unit, a one hundredtwenty-five dollar ($125) fee for a two (2) family unit and a one hundredseventy-five dollar ($175) fee for a three (3) family unit for the smokedetector and carbon monoxide detector plan review together with any subsequentdetection inspections.
(3) Except as provided in subdivision (b)(5) of this section,to permit the cities and towns to enact ordinances and orders relating to firesafety provided those ordinances and orders impose requirements equal to,additional to, or more stringent than those contained in this code whichordinances and orders shall be effective only upon the approval by rule of theFire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review. Any ordinance or order relating tofire safety enacted by any city or town shall be prospective in its applicationand shall be enacted after public hearing. The city or town shall cause printednotices of the time, place, and subject matter of the hearing to be posted inthree (3) public places in the city or town, for three (3) weeks next precedingthe time of the hearing, and shall advertise in a newspaper circulated in thecity or town, if any there be, at least once a week for the same period of time;
(4) Jurisdiction for the interpretation of any city or townordinance or order relating to fire safety shall be vested in the Fire SafetyCode Board of Appeal and Review; provided, however, that the responsibility forthe enforcement of the ordinance or order shall be with the local authoritiesand petitions for variations from the ordinance or order shall be heard by thestate fire safety board of appeal and review in the manner prescribed inchapter 28.3 of this title; and
(5) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary containedherein, no city or town may enact any ordinance or order relating to therequirement for the handling of explosives pursuant to chapter 28.28 of thistitle or for the installation of, or specifications for, the fire alarmsections of this code, the fire protection systems as prescribed by chapter28.25 of this title, or for the possession and display of commercial fireworksor pyrotechnics pursuant to chapter 28.11 of this title, which chapter shallexclusively govern the requirements for the installation of, and specificationfor, fire protection systems, the handling of explosives and possession anddisplay of commercial fireworks or pyrotechnics. All such ordinances or ordersrelating to the requirements for the installation of and specifications forsuch fire protection systems, the handling of explosives, or possession anddisplay of commercial fireworks or pyrotechnics heretofore enacted by any cityor town are of no force and effect.
(c) In this code, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) Words in the singular number include the plural, and inthe plural include the singular; and
(2) Words of the masculine gender include the feminine andthe neuter and, when the sense so indicates words of the neuter gender mayrefer to any gender.