The North Carolina Fire Prevention Code is a set of minimum mandatory fire safety standards published and regulated by the North Carolina Office of the State Fire Marshal that apply to all occupancies in North Carolina, except one and two-family dwellings. The North Carolina Fire Prevention Code is updated every 6 years. The current edition of the code is the 2018 version. This Code is uniformly enforced in the entire State of North Carolina. The fire code primarily regulates:

• General
• Exits and Egress Requirements
• Emergency Preparedness
• Flammable/Combustible Liquid Safety
• Fire Protection Requirements
• Hazardous Materials Operations and Storage
• Electrical Safety
• Other Specialized Operations and Storage

Where Required

Required for all buildings with a fire alarm system or one of the following occupancies and buildings:

• Assembly – Except religious worship facilities with less than 2,000 occupants.
• Business – Except buildings with occupant load less than 500 total or 100 people above/below the level of exit discharge.
• Educational
• Factory/Industrial - Except buildings with occupant load less than 500 total or 100 people above/below the level of exit discharge.
• Hazardous
• Institutional
• Residential – Except R-3
• High – Rise Buildings
• Mercantile - Except buildings with occupant load less than 500 total or 100 people above/below the level of exit discharge.
• Covered Mall Buildings exceeding 50,000 square feet
• Underground Buildings
• Any buildings with an atrium attached to an Assembly, Educational, or Mercantile occupancy.

Evacuation & Fire Safety Plan Requirements

Fire safety and evacuation plans shall be developed by the building owner, current tenant and/or lessee. Evacuation Plans shall be in accordance with the following requirements:

• The procedure for reporting a fire or other emergency.
• Identification of any personnel designated to rescue or render emergency care.
• The procedures of notifying employees of a fire or other emergency.
• The primary and any secondary means of notifying the Fire Department.
• A description (if applicable) of any emergency voice communication system.
• The life safety strategy and procedures for notifying, relocating or evacuating occupants, including occupants who need assistance.
• A list of major fire hazards associated with the normal use and occupancy of the premises, including maintenance and housekeeping procedures.
• Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for maintenance of systems and equipment installed to prevent or control fires.
• Identification and assignment of personnel responsible for maintenance, housekeeping, and controlling fuel hazard sources.
• Emergency egress/escape routes and whether full or partial evacuation (if approved).
• Procedure for employees that must remain to operate critical equipment, if approved.
• Procedures for assisting those that cannot exit or negotiate stairs without assistance.
• Procedures for accounting for all employees after evacuation.
• A site plan indicating the following:
  • Evacuation assembly points
  • Fire Hydrant Locations
  • Fire Department Vehicle Access
• Floor plans identifying the locations of the following:
  • Exits
  • Primary evacuation routes
  • Secondary evacuation routes
  • Accessible egress routes
  • Areas of Refuge
  • Exterior areas for assisted rescue
  • Manual fire alarm boxes
  • Portable fire extinguishers
  • Fire alarm annunciators and control panel

What is Fire Watch?

Fire watch may be required in public buildings or businesses by the Fire Marshal or Waxhaw Fire Department under certain circumstances. These circumstances may include but are not limited to the building’s fire or life safety system being out of service or not functioning correctly.

Fire watch as defined in the North Carolina Fire Prevention Code is 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 occupants and the fire department.

Requirements for a Fire Watch

• Building personnel must notify the Fire Marshal at (704) 843-2195 and the Union County Communications Center at (704) 289-1591 at the start of the Fire Watch.
• Building personnel will enter the date, time and names of persons spoken with on the Fire Watch Checklist and Patrol Log provided by the Fire Marshal.
• Each effected floor must be patrolled twice hourly during the fire watch period and patrols documented on the fire watch checklist. In the event the entire system is taken offline, all floors and areas of the building must be patrolled twice hourly.
• When the system is restored, complete the Fire Watch Checklist, ensuring all system functions are restored.
• Personnel must notify the Fire Marshal at (704) 843-2195 ext. 298 and the Union County Communications Center at (704) 289-1591 at the completion of Fire Watch.
• The Fire Watch Checklist and Patrol Log must be maintained and available for inspection on the premises for which the fire watch is authorized.

Fire Watch is only designed to be temporary and arrangements must be made to place the life safety system back in service in a reasonable amount of time. When life safety system is placed back in service personnel must notify the Town of Waxhaw Fire Marshal for the approval to discontinue Fire Watch.

Knox Box Entry System

The Knox Box system used by the Town of Waxhaw is a program designed to expedite entry and eliminate property damage caused by the forcible entry required for evaluation of an emergency situation and allows the Fire Department to secure the building when leaving. The entry system is required by Town Ordinance and the North Carolina Fire Code for all buildings equipped with a sprinkler or fire alarm system, all newly-constructed buildings, major up fits, gated areas, and extended response times by key holders or other buildings deemed necessary by the Fire Marshal.

The Knox Box key system is a highly secure, UL-listed, nearly impenetrable steel vault used for the storage of entry keys, and alarm panel or mechanical system keys for use by the Fire Department. The keys to access the Knox Boxes are located in locked boxes inside of the emergency response apparatus and carried by the Fire Marshal and Fire Chief and cannot be duplicated.

For more information on the Knox Company, log on to www.Knoxbox.com for more information.

Knox Box Installation

The location of the Knox Box shall be approved by the Fire Code Official prior to installation.

The Knox Box shall be installed 5 feet high on unless otherwise approved by the Fire Code Official. Door stickers that come with the box should be placed on the main entrance door near the locking device. The Knox Box shall not be blocked from plain view by any obstructions (landscaping, etc.). Once the Knox Box is installed and you are ready to lock the keys in it, call to request a Fire Code Official to lock up the box.

Prior to an event the Town of Waxhaw Parks & Recreation must be notified for approval. The Fire Marshal may review the event and determine if there are any additional requirements.

Public Safety Plan

In other than Group A or E occupancies, where the fire code official determines that an indoor or outdoor gathering of persons has an adverse impact on public safety through diminished access to buildings, structures, fire hydrants and fire apparatus access roads or where such gatherings adversely affect public safety services of any kind, the fire code official shall have the authority to order the development of, or prescribe a plan for, the provision of an approved level of public safety.

The public safety plan shall address such items as emergency vehicle ingress and egress, fire protection, emergency medical services, public assembly areas and the directing of both attendees and vehicles (including the parking of vehicles), vendor and food concession distribution, and the need for the presence of law enforcement, and fire and emergency medical services personnel at the event.

Event Crowd Managers

Trained crowd managers shall be provided for facilities or events where more than 1,000 persons congregate. The minimum number of crowd managers shall be established at a ratio of one crowd manager to every 250 persons. Where approved by the fire code official, the ratio of crowd managers shall be permitted to be reduced where the facility is equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system or based upon the nature of the event.

Occupancy Load

The North Carolina Fire Prevention Code authorizes the Fire Code Official to issue an occupancy load and occupancy load placard for any occupancy. The occupancy load of a building is determined by several factors including size, number of exits, occupancy use, and presence of life safety systems. Occupancy loads are typically calculated for places of assembly but can be calculated in other occupancy uses if the Fire Code Official determines the need.

Occupancy Placards

If an official occupancy load is calculated an official occupancy placard will be issued. This placard must displayed in the building in full view to all building occupants.

Exceeding the calculated and posted occupant load and overcrowding of a building is a violation of the North Carolina Fire Code and will result in action by the Fire Marshal.

• Blasting Permit
• Blasting Procedures
• Certificate of Occupancy Checklist
• Fire Hydrant Test Application
• Fire Permit Application
• Fire Watch Log
• Fireworks Display Permit
• Sprinkler System Plans and Calculations Checklist