Thursday, February- -ggf - City of Somerville

Report
Draft
of
Ordinance
7153^
Friday, Depember 1J>,
Communication from Ci ty Solicitor..forwarding..letter ,_and_,proppj3_ecL ordinance
lows:
_from Chief Engineer_of the Fire Department, re
Convalescent Homes and Homes for the Aged, re-
t ( ported recommending within ordinance.
Accepted.
The ordinance submitted with the foregoing report is as fol-
An Ordinance in addition and/or amendments to
Sections 20^.0, 310*03 and 315 of.the Building
Code Ordinance ordained December 10, 19^5* regulating
the conversion of~bu3;ldlngs for the use_
and occupancy of convalescent homes and homes for
the aged; providing details of construction and
operatlo'n; limiting the height'and. use of such
buildings; specifying m'inlmum 'exit requirements _
and protection of same: requiring certain fire ex-
'tlngufflHlng equipment.;.-means for heating and lighting;
requiring- the .ITcensiri'g^oT. ovm^rs^qr^ operators
aTter Jip^roval' by ~.the 'building"'inspector;^ cnlef of
tfii"- fire department; chief 1 of the- police 'department
gn'a" the h'e'alth "offIc'er; providing rbr inspections
by the chief of the fire department~r~cfii'eT'
of the police department and the health officer,
and specT'fying penalties for violation or non-_
compliance.
Be It ordained by the Board of Aldermen of the City of Somerville.
Section 1. For the purpose of this ordinance, the terms "convalescent
home" and "home for the aged" shall be defined as follows:
A"convalescent home" shall be deemed to mean a privately operated
establishment devoted to the care of persons during the recuperative stage
of an Illness, or in which persons may be cared for during an Illness. This
definition shall not be construed to imply or permit the practice of general
hospital functions such as major surgical operations, or the rendering of
service beyond nursing care.
A "home for the aged" shall be deemed to mean an establishment devoted
to the general care and maintenance of old people. Such establishments
may also supply Inmates with the type.of service rendered by the convalescent
home.
Section 2. Except as herinafter provided, no dwelling or other
building of other than fireproof construction, with all vertical openings sul.
tably enclosed, shall be occupied and used as a convalescent home or home
for the aged, unless the following provisions are complied with.
Section 3- Whoever under his own name or under any other name or
style, except a charitable corporation duly incorporated under the laws of
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, maintains a home in which three or more
persons over the age of sixty years and not members of his immediate family
are, for hire, gain or reward, by contract as aforesaid or otherwise, provided
with care incident to advanced age shall be deemed to maintain a board-
Ing home for aged persons for the purposes hereof.
Section *4-. No building for any of the purposes, mentioned in Section
2, shall exceed a height of 2£ stories. No such building shall have windowopenings
within 10 feet oftany other non-fireproof building.
Section 5- No building not of fireproof construction shall be used
above the first story for the housing of patients, Inmates, convalescents or
otherwise, nor for occasional sleeping purposes in connection with the occupancy
of such buildings, for convalescent home or home for the aged, unless
such non-fireproof buildings are In each case protected throughout by a standard
wet-pipe system of automatic sprinklers. This section shall not permit the
housing of patients, inmates, convalescents or otherwise, above the second
floor.
Section 6. Non-fireproof buildings shall have all vertical openings,
such as stairways, laundry chutes and dumbwaiter shafts, extending to cellar
or basement and between occupied floors enclosed in partitions consisting of
2" x ^ rt wood studs protected on both sides with not less than 3/^" of cement
or gypsum plaster on metal or "gypsym lath; or in lieu thereof any form of