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7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This bill makes changes to the State Fire Code related to emergency evacuation drill
10 requirements for certain educational facilities during the 2020-2021 school year.
11 Highlighted Provisions:
12 This bill:
13 ▸ requires Group E occupancies to provide monthly age-appropriate fire evacuation
14 instruction in lieu of emergency evacuation drills for a portion of the 2020-2021 school
15 year and a monthly emergency evacuation drill for the remainder of the school year;
16 and
17 ▸ makes technical changes.
18 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
19 None
20 Other Special Clauses:
21 This bill provides a special effective date.
22 Utah Code Sections Affected:
23 AMENDS:
24 15A-5-202.5, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2019, Chapters 103 and 441
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26 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
27 Section 1. Section 15A-5-202.5 is amended to read:
28 15A-5-202.5. Amendments and additions to Chapters 3 and 4 of IFC.
29 (1) For IFC, Chapter 3, General Requirements:
30 (a) IFC, Chapter 3, Section 304.1.2, Vegetation, is amended as follows: Delete line six
31 and replace it with: " Utah Administrative Code, R652-122-1300, Minimum Standards for County
32 Wildland Fire Ordinance".
33 (b) IFC, Chapter 3, Section 310.8, Hazardous environmental conditions, is deleted and
34 rewritten as follows: "1. When the fire code official determines that existing or historical
35 hazardous environmental conditions necessitate controlled use of any ignition source, including
36 fireworks, lighters, matches, sky lanterns, and smoking materials, any of the following may occur:
37 1.1. If the existing or historical hazardous environmental conditions exist in a municipality,
38 the legislative body of the municipality may prohibit the ignition or use of an ignition source in:
39 1.1.1. mountainous, brush-covered, forest-covered, or dry grass-covered areas;
40 1.1.2. within 200 feet of waterways, trails, canyons, washes, ravines, or similar areas;
41 1.1.3. the wildland urban interface area, which means the line, area, or zone where
42 structures or other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland or land
43 being used for an agricultural purpose; or
44 1.1.4. a limited area outside the hazardous areas described in this paragraph 1.1 to
45 facilitate a readily identifiable closed area, in accordance with paragraph 2.
46 1.2. If the existing or historical hazardous environmental conditions exist in an
47 unincorporated area, the state forester may prohibit the ignition or use of an ignition source in all
48 or part of the areas described in paragraph 1.1 that are within the unincorporated area, after
49 consulting with the county fire code official who has jurisdiction over that area.
50 1.3. If the existing or historical hazardous environmental conditions exist in a metro
51 township created under Title 10, Chapter 2a, Part 4, Incorporation of Metro Townships and
52 Unincorporated Islands in a County of the First Class on and after May 12, 2015, the metro
53 township legislative body may prohibit the ignition or use of an ignition source in all or part of the
54 areas described in paragraph 1.1 that are within the township.
55 2. If a municipal legislative body, the state forester, or a metro township legislative body
56 closes an area to the discharge of fireworks under paragraph 1, the legislative body or state
57 forester shall:
58 2.1. designate the closed area along readily identifiable features like major roadways,
59 waterways, or geographic features;
60 2.2. ensure that the boundary of the designated closed area is as close as is practical to
61 the defined hazardous area, provided that the closed area may include areas outside of the
62 hazardous area to facilitate a readily identifiable line; and
63 2.3. identify the closed area through a written description or map that is readily available
64 to the public.
65 3. A municipal legislative body, the state forester, or a metro township legislative body
66 may close a defined area to the discharge of fireworks due to a historical hazardous
67 environmental condition under paragraph 1 if the legislative body or state forester:
68 3.1. makes a finding that the historical hazardous environmental condition has existed in
69 the defined area before July 1 of at least two of the preceding five years;
70 3.2. produces a map indicating the boundaries, in accordance with paragraph 2, of the
71 defined area described; and
72 3.3. before May 1 of each year the defined area is closed, provides the map described in
73 paragraph 3.2 to the county in which the defined area is located.
74 4. A municipal legislative body, the state forester, or a metro township legislative body
75 may not close an area to the discharge of fireworks due to a historical hazardous environmental
76 condition unless the legislative body or state forester provides a map, in accordance with
77 paragraph 3."
78 (c) IFC, Chapter 3, Section 311.1.1, Abandoned premises, is amended as follows: On line
79 10 delete the words "International Property Maintenance Code and the".
80 (d) IFC, Chapter 3, Section 311.5, Placards, is amended as follows: On line three delete
81 the word "shall" and replace it with the word "may".
82 (2) IFC, Chapter 4, Emergency Planning and Preparedness:
83 (a) IFC, Chapter 4, Section 403.10.2.1, College and university buildings, is deleted and
84 replaced with the following:
85 "403.10.2.1 College and university buildings and fraternity and sorority houses.
86 (a) College and university buildings, including fraternity and sorority houses, shall prepare
87 an approved fire safety and evacuation plan, in accordance with Section 404.
88 (b) Group R-2 college and university buildings, including fraternity and sorority houses,
89 shall comply with Sections 403.10.2.1.1 and 403.10.2.1.2."
90 (b) IFC, Chapter 4, Section 405.2, Table 405.2, is amended to add the following footnotes:
91 (i) "e. Secondary schools in Group E occupancies shall have an emergency evacuation
92 drill for fire conducted at least every two months, to a total of four emergency evacuation drills
93 during the nine-month school year. The first emergency evacuation drill for fire shall be conducted
94 within 10 school days after the beginning of classes. The third emergency evacuation drill for fire,
95 weather permitting, shall be conducted 10 school days after the beginning of the next calendar
96 year. The second and fourth emergency evacuation drills may be substituted by a security or
97 safety drill to include shelter in place, earthquake drill, or lock down for violence. If inclement
98 weather causes a secondary school to miss the 10-day deadline for the third emergency
99 evacuation drill for fire, the secondary school shall perform the third emergency evacuation drill
100 for fire as soon as practicable after the missed deadline."
101 (ii) "f. In Group E occupancies, excluding secondary schools, if the AHJ approves, the
102 monthly required emergency evacuation drill can be substituted by a security or safety drill to
103 include shelter in place, earthquake drill, or lock down for violence. The routine emergency
104 evacuation drill must be conducted at least every other drill."
105 (iii) "g. A-3 occupancies in academic buildings of institutions of higher learning are
106 required to have one emergency evacuation drill per year, provided the following conditions are
107 met:
108 (A) The building has a fire alarm system in accordance with Section 907.2.
109 (B) The rooms classified as assembly shall have fire safety floor plans as required in
110 Subsection 404.2.2(4) posted.
111 (C) The building is not classified a high-rise building.
112 (D) The building does not contain hazardous materials over the allowable quantities by
113 code."
114 (iv) "h. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during the 2020-2021 school year,
115 Group E occupancies are not required to conduct an emergency evacuation drill before March 1,
116 2021. For the period beginning the first day of the 2020-2021 school year and ending February 28,
117 2021, each calendar month, Group E occupancies shall provide in-class instruction to students in
118 an age-appropriate manner that describes the procedures for emergency evacuation for fire.
119 Group E occupancies shall complete the first monthly instruction no later than 15 days after the
120 day on which the 2020-2021 school year begins. In addition to the monthly instruction, Group E
121 occupancies may provide in-class security or safety drills to include shelter in place, earthquake
122 drill, or lock down for violence."
123 (v) "i. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for the period beginning March 1, 2021,
124 and ending the last day of the 2020-2021 school year, in Group E occupancies, if the AHJ
125 approves, the monthly required emergency evacuation drill can be substituted by a security or
126 safety drill to include shelter in place, earthquake drill, or lock down for violence. The routine
127 emergency evacuation drill must be conducted at least every other month."
128 Section 2. Effective date.
129 If approved by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, this bill takes effect
130 upon approval by the governor, or the day following the constitutional time limit of Utah
131 Constitution, Article VII, Section 8, without the governor's signature, or in the case of a veto, the
132 date of veto override.