Montgomery Township : Public Safety : Fire

Fire Prevention

Fire Official - Roy Mondi
Fire Inspector - Joseph Novak

Special Reminder: If you have a fire hydrant in front of your house, we appreciate your help in keeping it clear of snow cover in the winter months. This may well help emergency responders help you or a neighbor in the event of a fire.

Please see the links for the web pages for our two volunteer fire companies (above right) and for our volunteer Emergency Services web page (above left). These citizen volunteers work very hard to protect and save lives and prevent injuries. New volunteers are very welcome.

Current Fire Prevention Bureau staff is located in the Code Enforcement division in the Montgomery Township Municipal Building. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Fire Official is available for any major fire emergency call-out twenty-four (24) hours every day of the year.

Our primary responsibility is enforcement of the New Jersey Uniform Fire Code and other local fire safety regulations. Major activities within the scope of this office include: Life hazards, Non-Life Hazard Inspections, Complaints, Permit Control, Smoke Detector Inspection on re-sale, Violations Notices and Penalty Notices for failure to comply with the law. We also conduct Fire Safety Presentations for Schools, businesses, and other community groups; Fire Investigations to determine origin and cause; control of false alarms and Fire Zones and Fire Prevention Week activities.

We inspect all business structures and operations throughout the Township at least once every 12 months, and certain inspections (Life Hazards) are conducted every 3 months. Allegations of fire safety violations are frequently received and usually result in spot inspections within a few hours. A Notice of Violation is issued if warranted, and a date and time for re-inspection for compliance is specified.

Following is a list of state-mandated permits issued by the Montgomery Township Fire Official under the Uniform Fire Code: (If in doubt whether you need a permit, call the Fire Official)

Use of a torch or flame-producing device for removing paint or seal membrane roofs from a building or structure

Tent and temporary tensioned membraned structures (without platforms or special electrical equipment) exceeding 900 square feet or 30 feet in any dimension (excluding canopies) (whether single or grouped smaller units) when used for purposes which may constitute a Life-Hazard.

The use of any open flame or flame-producing device in connection with any public gathering, for purposes of entertainment, amusement, or recreation.

Welding or cutting operations except where the welding or cutting is performed in areas approved for welding by the Fire Official and is registered as a Type B Life Hazard use.

Possession or use of explosives or blasting agents, other than model rocketry engines.

Occasional use in any building of a multipurpose room, with a maximum permitted occupancy of 100 or more for amusement, entertainment, or mercantile type use.

Storage or handling of class I flammable liquids in closed containers of aggregate amounts of more than 660 gallons inside a building, or more than 60 gallons, but not more than 660 gallons outside a building.

Storage or handling of Class II or III A combustible liquids in closed containers of aggregate amounts of more than 25 gallons, but not more than 660 gallons outside a building.

Any permanent cooking operation that requires a suppression system and is not defined as a life hazard use.

Use as a place of public assembly, for a total of not more than 15 days in a calendar year, of a building classified as a commercial farm building.

Type 2 - 3 Permit:

Fumigation or thermal insecticide fogging.

Carnivals and circuses employing mobile enclosed structure used for human occupancy.

Storage or discharge of fireworks.

Applications to the Fire Official for any permit (Type 1 - 5) shall be accompanied by plans or drawings as required by the Fire Official for evaluation of the application. Before a permit is issued, the Fire Official or the Fire Official's designated representative shall make inspections or tests to assure that the use and activity for which application is made complies with all provisions of the code.

Permit Fees:

• Type 1 - $45.00
• Type 2 - $170.00
• Type 3 - $335.00
• Type 4 - $500.00
• Type 5 - Reserved

Registration and Inspection Fees for Non-Life Hazard Uses - (In addition to the inspection fee requirements of the Uniform Fire Code, the following inspections and fees shall be required in the Township of Montgomery:

Industrial and Commercial uses not classified as "Life Hazard Uses" by the Uniform Fire Code, having a gross floor area of: (Payment of these fees shall be the responsibility of the occupant of the premises.)

• Under 499 square feet - $25.00
• 500 - 999 square feet - $35.00
• 1000 - 2999 square feet - $50.00
• 3000 - 5999 square feet - $75.00
• 6000 - 11,999 square feet - $125.00
• 12,000 - 23,999 square feet - $200.00
• 24,000 or above - $250.00

Multiple Family Dwellings (Payment of these fees shall be the responsibility of the owner of the premises):

• Three to five units - $15.00
• Six to twenty-five units - $50.00
• Twenty-five units and above - $200.00

File Information Requests
A fee of ten ($10.00) dollars shall be required for all requests for Fire Investigation Reports. All other file information requests shall be charged at the photocopy rate of seventy-five ($.75) cents per page for the first ten (10) pages, fifty ($.50) cents for the eleventh page to the twentieth page, and twenty-five ($.25) cents for all pages over the twentieth.

Certificate of Smoke Detector Compliance:

Before any use group R-3 (residential) structure is sold, leased, or otherwise made subject to a Change of Occupancy for residential purposes, the owner of the residence shall obtain a Certificate of Smoke Detector Compliance (CSDC), evidencing compliance with N.J.A.C.5:70-4.19.

The owner or authorized agent of the owner shall apply for a CSDC on a form provided by the Fire Prevention Bureau.

A CSDC shall not be transferable. If the change of occupancy does not occur within six (6) months, a new application shall be required.

All applications must be completed and a request for a smoke detector inspection must be made to the office of the Fire Official. You must apply a couple of weeks before your closing date - we prefer one week to process your Certificate. See "Schedule of Fees" below.

Click HERE for Guide to Certification of Smoke Detectors, Carbon Monoxide Detectors & Portable Fire Extinguishers.

Central Monitored Fire Alarms:

Fire Alarm System: Shall mean a system used for the detection of fire, smoke or similar hazards containing an automatic detecting device which activates an alarm signal, requiring response by Fire Suppression forces. It includes protective signaling systems or devices designed to transmit alarms and supervisory and trouble signals necessary for the protection of Life and property.

False Alarm: Shall mean any false alarm causing direct notification to a Fire Department through an alarm panel, switchboard or alarm lines, due to misuse, accident, improper supervision, or equipment malfunction and not due to an unpreventable, unavoidable outside cause.

SCHEDULE OF FEES:

$40.00 application fee per dwelling unit for initial inspection plus one (1) reinspection if needed.

$40.00 for each additional inspection

$100.00 for RUSH inspections if one (1) week notice is not given.

$40.00 to reschedule NO SHOW inspection or reinspection.

NO SHOW shall mean:

Owner/Agent who fails to meet inspector within ten (10) minutes of the appointed time.

Owner/Agent who does not have a key to enter the premises for scheduled inspection or reinspection.

Electrical power to premises is disconnected and smoke detectors to be tested are powered by electrial current from the building wiring system.

The fee for a fire alarm system permit to operate shall be fifteen ($15.00) dollars every 2 years, payable to the Montgomery Township Police.

False Alarm Penalties:

For the second false alarm - a first warning will be issued.

For the third false alarm - revocation of the permit and a permit restoration fee of one hundred fifty ($150.00) dollars.

For the fourth false alarm - revocation of the permit and a permit restoration fee of three hundred ($300.00) dollars.

For subsequent false alarms - revocation of the permit and a permit restoration fee of five hundred ($500.00) dollars.

Please remember that we are Municipal employees charged with a responsibility for Public Safety from fire. We are also here to help protect you and your property investments from potential fatalities, injuries and damages by fire. We are also educators as well as professional Enforcement Officials that want you to utilize our expertise in Fire Safety as a tool in your efforts to prevent fires.