§ 23-28.6-24 - Places of worship. - Rhode Island Statutes

SECTION 23-28.6-24

   § 23-28.6-24  Places of worship. – The Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review shall establish and maintain asubcategory of assembly occupancies for places of worship and shall, consistentwith the provisions of this section, specify code requirements applicable tothe subcategory. Every place of worship as defined in § 23-28.1-5 shallcomply with the requirements for places of worship by the Fire Safety CodeBoard of Appeal and Review and administered by the state fire marshal. Inestablishing and maintaining this subcategory, the board shall give dueconsideration to the historic level of use as well as to occupant load andshall provide for separate calculation of occupant loads for sanctuaries andgathering halls and for distinct requirements for the different areas of theplace of worship.

   (a) Newly constructed places of worship shall comply with theapplicable requirements for new occupancies.

   (b) Existing places of worship shall comply with requirementsestablished by the Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review, pursuant tothis subsection.

   (1) The Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review shalladopt reasonable requirements for fire safety in existing places of worship byJuly 1, 2007, which standards shall allow for the continued occupancy and useof the place of worship without undue hardship, with due consideration for thehistoric use and operation of the place of worship, unless such continued useand occupancy would constitute a serious threat to life. Such requirementsshall provide that the place of worship shall have:

   (i) Adequate egress, including exits, exit signs, andemergency lighting;

   (ii) Adequate systems for discovery of fire and smoke and foraltering occupants promptly and effectively; and

   (iii) Adequate fire extinguishers.

   (2) Existing places of worship shall not be subject torequirements for places of assembly to install sprinklers in the sanctuary orin other areas unless the state fire marshal, or official in the office of thestate fire marshal designated by the state fire marshal in the capacity of theauthority having jurisdiction, shall determine: (i) that in the absence ofsprinklers, there would be a serious threat to life as a result of conditionsspecific to those areas in the place of worship; or (ii) that the kitchen ofthe place of worship is used for cooking food for more than two (2) hours perweek as an annual average, in which case a requirement may be imposed forautomatic fire suppression system in the kitchen. The code requirementsapplicable to the place of worship shall be deemed satisfactory purposes of theuse of the place of worship or areas thereof by community members and groupsand nonprofit organizations; provided, however, that the use of the place ofworship or a portion thereof for an occupancy for a commercial purpose or forthe regular conduct of an activity or function that requires licensure by thestate may be subject to code requirements for that occupancy.

   (c) The Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review shallestablish a timetable for existing places of worship to comply with therequirements adopted pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, whichcompliance timetable shall commence not sooner than January 1, 2008 and mayextend beyond July 1, 2008.

   (d) The Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review and thestate fire marshal shall in establishing, interpreting, administering andenforcing code requirements pertaining to this subcategory satisfy reasonablerequirements for life safety in a manner that does not cause disproportionateeffort or expense and that allows for continued occupancy as places of worshipin buildings and structures where worship is a historic use, provided that anycondition that represents a serious threat to life is mitigated by applicationof appropriate safeguards, and in so doing, shall give due consideration inapplying the provisions of this paragraph to occupancies that normally are usedby gatherings of less than fifty (50) persons.