6301- Vacant and Unsafe Buildings and Processes

Question 1

The ________________________ shall be responsible for maintaining this document.

Answer 1

Deputy Chief of Prevention and Preparedness

Question 2

The ______________________________shall be responsible for providing a second opinion on all evacuation or stop work orders prior to their issuance.

Answer 2

Assistant Chief of Prevention and Preparedness and/or the Deputy Fire Marshal and/or the Fire Protection Engineer

Question 3

All ____________ shall be responsible for:

1. Adhering to the guidelines set forth in this policy upon becoming aware of a building or process identified as potentially unsafe
2. Ensuring evacuated buildings are secure prior to TFD personnel departure
3. Documenting building status in BITS
4. Amending the documentation when/if the building status changes

Answer 3

Prevention Division personnel

Question 4

An enforcement process that puts an end to fire code violations and/or fire hazards.

Answer 4

Abatement

Question 5

BLUS - Stands for what?

Answer 5

Building and Land Use; a division of the Public Works Department.

Question 6

CARES - Stands for what?

Answer 6

CARES. Clean up and Revitalization Efforts; a city-sponsored BLUS program engaged in neighborhood-based clean up and revitalization projects, code enforcement and community education.

Question 7

Refers to any and all codes used and applied by TFD personnel including, but not limited to, the International Fire Code (IFC), the International Building Code (IBC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes and standards referenced in the IFC and locally adopted building and fire codes.

Answer 7

Code

Question 8

The separation of areas of a building into compartments for the purpose of limiting fire spread. Compartments have walls, floors and ceilings that are designed to resist the spread of fire.

Answer 8

Compartmentalization.

Question 9

A measure of the maximum heat that would be released if all the combustibles (e.g. interior finish, floor finish, structural elements, combustible contents) in a given area burned.

Answer 9

Fire load

Question 10

A temporary measure intended to ensure continuous and systematic surveillance of a building or portion thereof by one or more qualified individuals for the purposes of identifying and controlling fire hazards, detecting early signs of unwanted fire, raising an alarm of fire and notifying the fire department.

Answer 10

Fire watch

Question 11

Imminent Danger. A condition where fire hazards exist that cannot immediately be remedied and the combination of those hazards is such that: • Occupants could not reasonably escape the structure if a fire occurred (based on the same reasonable concept for minimum standards on which the fire and building code was constructed). • Fire load and/or compartmentalization is such that a fire would spread unchecked at a speed that would cause the entire, or a majority of, the building to burn when the building was designed to contain the fire through compartmentalization or automatic fire extinguishing systems.

Answer 11

Imminent Danger

Question 12

Building in which fire hazards exist such that there is imminent risk of fire and/or threat to human life; civilians and/or firefighters.

Answer 12

Unsafe buildings

Question 13

A process that requires significant safeguards (e.g., flammable spray painting, woodworking operations, application of flammable finishing) as identified in the code.

Answer 13

Unsafe process

Question 14

A temporarily unoccupied building, structure, premises or any unoccupied portions of such structures that are designed to be occupied.

Answer 14

Vacant building

Question 15

International Fire Code_________?
Chapter 1, Section 109: Violations
Chapter 1, Section 110: Unsafe Buildings
Chapter 1, Section 110: Stop Work Orders
Chapter 3, Section 311: Vacant Premises

Answer 15

2006

Question 16

Buildings identified as unsafe by Prevention Division personnel shall be referred to________ for:

a. Repairs
b. Alteration
c. Remodeling
d. Classification by BLUS staff as a derelict or dangerous building

Answer 16

BLUS

Question 17

A fire watch by TFD uniformed personnel or a competent person(s) employed by the building owner/manager may be used as a stopgap measure to abort______________.

Answer 17

evacuation

Question 18

A fire watch can temporarily substitute for fire code violation correction when:

Answer 18

a. There is not a combination of hazards needing abatement AND b. Correction can take place in a timely fashion.

Question 19

TFD personnel shall report to the Fire Prevention Bureau all vacant buildings open to entry or with unsecured entry by sending an e-mail to “__________________” as soon as possible.

Answer 19

Vacant Building Notification

Question 20

Prevention Division personnel shall send an e-mail to report a vacant building open to entry to the appropriate ____________________________ as soon as possible.

Answer 20

code enforcement officer in BLUS/CARES

Question 21

True or False…..When installation of a fire protection system is not required as noted above, but exists due to a past occupancy requirement, the fire protection system need not be operational while the building is vacant.

Answer 21

True

Question 22

True or False……When the square footage, height and construction type of a structure requires installation of a fire protection system, the system shall remain operational while the building is vacant.

Answer 22

True

Question 23

When practical Prevention Division personnel shall contact __________________ personnel to request their participation in the declaration of unsafe buildings and/or evacuation orders.

a. If___________ personnel are not present during an evacuation, Prevention Bureau personnel shall notify them as soon as possible afterwards

Answer 23

BLUS/CARES

BLUS

Question 24

Prevention Division personnel who identify unsafe buildings or processes shall contact his/her direct supervisor prior to taking any action to stop work and/or evacuate.

a. In the absence of a direct supervisor, another Deputy Fire Marshall shall be contacted
b. If there is no Deputy Fire Marshal available, the _________________________ shall be contacted
c. If none of the above individuals are available, the Fire Protection Engineer or the Fire Chief shall be contacted

Answer 24

Assistant or Deputy Chief of Prevention and Preparedness

Question 25

Notify the __________ in the absence of the Assistant and Deputy Chiefs

Answer 25

Fire Chief

Question 26

The assigned ___________shall:

a. Ensure that appropriate personnel receive e-mail sent to the “Vacant Building Notification” e-mail group
b. Develop a means to ensure that all unsafe buildings are: i. Posted for firefighter recognition ii. Tracked iii. Regularly inspected for security by TFD operations personnel

Answer 26

Deputy Fire Marshal

Question 27

Prevention Division personnel shall use the “_______________” section of BITS to document:

a. All unsecured vacant buildings
b. All unsafe buildings
c. All locations where stop work orders have been issued

2. Prevention Division personnel shall amend the BITS documentation when/if the building status changes.
3. The Prevention Officer shall ensure that copies of all documents related to vacant and/or unsafe buildings and processes are placed and maintained in the address file of the Prevention Division.

Answer 27

Assignment Narrative