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HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD 81-A-2Q 0. A N O R D I N A N C E oR,L, F/- A AN ORDINANCE to require persons owning, keeping, maintaining, controlling or managing hotels, inns public houses or places where sleeping accoivaodations are furnished to the public to construct, equip and maintain, ill good order and repair•fire escapes on such —hotels, inns and lodging houses; specifying kind of -fire escapes, for frame, brick or other buildings; providing.for placards or signs to be placed in such buildings to indicate location of fire escapes; and providing for the construction, equipment and maintenance of such fire escapes where the.owners of such buildings refuse or fail to construct same, and providing penalties for violation of the provisions hereon" and prescribing date of effectiveness of this ordinance. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BEAUMONT: i ' Sec.l. Every building or structure kept, used or maintained as, or advertised.as, or held out to the public to be an inn, hotel * or public lodging house or place where sleeping accommodations are furnished to the public, whether with or without meals, shall have and be provided with, at each and every floor above the second floor,_ or at every floor twenty feet or more above the . ground, two or more iron or steel fire eseppes to be attached securely on the outside of the walls of such building or structures, and such buildings or structures shall have and be provided with a way of egress to said fire escapes, which way of egress and fire escapes shall, at all tii_nes be kept free and clear of obstructions and in good repair and ready and :suitable for immediate use. Sec. 2. Said fire escapes shall consist of iron or steel ladders reaching from the roof of the building to within twelve feet of the ground, and the rungs of said ladders must be at least six inches.from the gall, so that a secure foothold and handhold on ----sume may be had, and 'the ladders must be secu_roly bolted to ancl_ through the wall, and must be capable of sustaining a weight of fifteen hundred,pounds avoirdupois, and that each floor above the AN O R D I N A N =C E AN ORDINANCE to require persons owning, keeping, maintaining, controlling or iaanaging hotels, inns public houses or places where sleeping accoranodations are furnished to the public to construct, equip and maintain, in good order and repair fire escapes on such hotels, inns and lodging houses; specif¢ing kind of fire escapes, for frame, brick or other buildings; providing for placards or signs to be placed in such buildings to indicate location of fire encapes; and providing for the construction, equipilient and maintenance of such fire escapes where the.owners of such buildings _refuse or fail to construct same, and providing penalties for violation of the provisions hereof and prescribing date of effectiveness of this ordinance. BE I1 ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BEAUMONT: a gee.l. Every building or structure kept, used or maintained as, or advertised.as, or held out to the public to be an inn, hotel or public lodging house or place where sleeping aceonmodations are furnished to the public, whether with or without meals, shall have and be provided with, at each and every floor above the second floor, or at_ every floor twenty feet or more above the _ground, two. or more iron or steel fire escppes to be attached securely on the outside of the walls of such building or structures, and such buildings or -structures shall have and be provided with a way of egress to said fire escapes, ivhich way of egress and fire escapes shall, at all times be kept free and clear of obstructions and in good repair and ready and suitable for immediate use. Sec. 2. Said fire escapes shall consist of iron or steel ladders reaching from the roof of the building to within twelve feet of the ground, and the rungs of said ladders rmzst be at least six inches.from the wall, so that a secure foothold and handhold on - .- —same may be had, and the ladders must be securely bolted to and through the wall, and must be capable of sustaining a weight of fifteen handred,pounds avoirdupois, and that each floor above the ground floor, with proper open connection and exit to these ladders, shall be iron or steel balconies or landings, with strongly braced iron or steel hand railings, capable of sustaining a weight of fifteen hundred pounds avoirdupois. Sand landings or balconies and the hand railings thereof shall be securely bolted to and through the walls, and, in case of wooden buildings said ladders, landings C or balconies and hand railings shall be securely bolted to and through or clamped with iron or steel clamps to and around the upright studding or frame proper of the building. See.3. All fire escapes shall be located as fax as possible, consistent. with accessibility from staixTrays, elevator hatchways and - other openings in the floors and shall be located on t?rro or more apart sides of the building and as far as is consistent with the con— struction and location of the building. Sec.4. Placards or signs indicating plainly the way to fire escapes shall be placed and kept continuously in conspicuous 'places in the offices, hallways and in every bedroom of such build- ing. See.5. Every buili.ing or structure not more than two stories high from the ground, and where the second floor is less than twenty feet about the ground, kept, used or maintained as, or advertised as, or.held out to the public to be, an in, hotel, or public lodging house or place where sleeping accommodations are furnished to the public, whether with or withour meals, shall have and be provided with, in every bedroom on the floor above the ground, a Manilla or hemp rope of at least five eighths of an inch thickness, firmly knotted at least at every fifteen inches of its length, and long enough to reach within four feet of the ground, and to be securely fastened within the room not less than three feet above the base or sill of the i4rindow or opening, and so with strength of rope and fastening be capable of sustaining a Weight of not less than five hundred pounds avoirdupois, - See.6. Any person or persons owning, keeping or maintaining, controlling or managing any building or structure kept as, used as, maintained as, or adv6rtised as, or held out to the public to be through or clamped with iron or steel clamps to and around the upright studding or frame proper of the building. S@c.3. All fire escapes shall be located as far as possible, consistent. with accessibility from stairways, elevator hatchways and - other openings in the floors and shall be located on two or more apart sides of the building and as far as is consistent with the con- struction and location of the building. See.4. Placards or signs indicating plainly the way to fire escapes shall be placed and kept continuously in conspicuous places in the offices, hallways and in every bedroom of such build- ing. Sec. 5. Every buiY.ing or structure not more than two stories high from the ground, and where the second floor is less than ttirenty feet about the ground, kept, used or maintained as, or advertised as, or.held out to the public to be, an in, hotel, or public lodging house or place where sleeping accommodations are furnished to the public, whether with or withour meals, shall have and be provided with, in every bedroom on the floor above the ground, a Manilla or hemp rope of at least five eighths of an inch thickness, firmly knotted at least at every fifteen inches of its length, and long enough to reach within four feet of the ground, and to be securely fastened within the room not less than three feet above the base or sill of the window or opening, and so with strength of rope and fastening be capable of sustaining a weight of not less than five hundred pounds avoirdupois. Sec.6. Any person or persons owning, keeping or maintaining, controlling or managing any building or structure kept as, used as, maintained as, or advertised as, or held out t.o the public to be, an inn, hotels public lodging house, or place where sleeping accommod- ations are furnished to the public, whether with or without m als, in violation of the provisions of this ordinance, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall be fined not less than twenty five nor more than two hundred dollars, and each i and every day any -person owning, keeping, maintaining, controlling, or managing any building or structure kept as, maintained as, or advertised as, or he1(. out to the public to be, an inn, hotel, public lodging house, or place where sleeping accommodations are furnished to tYr, public, whether with or without mealp, in violation of the provisions of this ordinance, shall constitute a separate offense. SOc.7. The tenant or sub -tenant, lessee or sub -lessee of any building coming within the provisions and requirements of this ordinance may, when the owner or his agent foils to comply with the provisions of this ordinance, contract for and have constructed and erected said fire escapes in accordance with the requirements of this ordinance, and may deduct the cost of same from the amount due or the amounts that may become due such landlord or lessor on account of the rent or lease of such building.. Sec.8. All lays and parts of laws in conflict with the pro- visions of this ordinance are hereby repealed, and it is so enacted. Sec.9. The fact that there is no adequate :law upon this subject that there exists an emergency and an imperative public necessity that the rule requiring ordinances to be readA on three several meetings be suspended, and the same is hereby suspended and that this ordinance shall take affect and be in foree from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor. j;. Aper oved this the day • of A. D. 2907. - - - ayo . - r THF STATE OF TEXAS ) } COUNTY OF J'A'R ON ) To the Honorable Mayor andCCity Coinicil of the City of Beaumont. C en t leraen Y -- Your com.aittee to whom was referred the ordinance requi t - '.ung o*n.ers of hot_ls, inns, and public houses to equip and maintain .fire -escapes on such hotels, inns, and public houses, as shown by ordinance hereto attached, and marked Exhibit "A, beg to re�ort that said it has duly considered^ordinance and, recommend that it he adopted and duly passed by this council. Re Ordinance Corunittee. i