Parma Building Inspector and Fire Marshal Bob Prince provides the following information regarding signs on vacant buildings.
The Town of Parma Building Department and the Fire Marshal’s office are currently in the process of placarding vacant structures located in the Town of Parma in conformance with the provisions of the NYS Fire Code Section 311.5. In some instances, on commercial properties, sides of the structure that have fire department access have also been posted.
•Any building or structure determined to be unsafe pursuant to Section 107 of this code shall be marked as required by Sections 311.5.1 through 311.5.5.
•Placards shall be applied on the front of the structure and be visible from the street. Additional placards shall be applied to the side of each entrance to the structure and on penthouses.
•Placard size and color. Placards shall be 24 inches by 24 inches (610 mm by 610 mm) in size with a red background, white reflective stripes and a white reflective border. The stripes and border shall have a 2 inch (51 mm) stroke.
•Placards shall bear the date of their application to the building and the date of the most recent inspection.
•The design of the placards shall use the following symbols (red background).
1. This symbol shall mean that the structure had normal structural conditions at the time of marking.
2. This symbol shall mean that structural or interior hazards exist and interior fire fighting or rescue operations should be conducted with extreme caution.
3. This symbol shall mean that structural or interior hazards exist to a degree that consideration should be given to limit fire fighting to exterior operations only, with entry only occurring for known life hazards.
The use of these symbols shall be informational only and shall not in any way limit the discretion of the on-scene incident commander.
Call Prince at the Parma Building Department, 392-9449 or at bptp@parmany.org, with questions or concerns regarding the new placard system.
