Kingston Fire and Rescue announced yesterday they will be actively monitoring house and keg parties in the Ghetto over Homecoming weekend to discourage overcrowding. The owner of any locale—including houses and tents—found to have more people in it than the occupancy load allows could be ordered to get rid of the overflow or face prosecution and possible fines under the Fire Prevention and Protection Act.
The occupancy load will be determined by a fire inspector upon his or her arrival at the premises.
“If it’s a dwelling unit with six bedrooms that would normally house 12 people at a maximum … we’ll set that as the load occupancy,” said Assistant Fire Chief Robert Kidd.
He added that two people per bedroom is typically the norm when it comes to deciding load occupancy, but other factors like an unusually large living room could notch the number up slightly.
“We’ve got a partnership going with Kingston Police and Campus Security, and as we become aware of locations where a [party] is going to be hosted, we’ll send a fire inspector to the premises,” Kidd said. “We’ll formally put the occupant of the premises on notice [of what] is the maximum number of people this place will hold under its current condition, and that’s done under the Fire Prevention and Protection Act,” Kidd said.
He added that failure to observe the order puts the owner of the house at full risk of being prosecuted under the Act, and fines go up to $25,000 for individuals. Kidd said the definition of “owner” goes beyond whose name is on the deed.
“Under the fire code the definition of ‘owner’ is any person in care or control of the property,” Kidd said. “If we can establish the person is in care or in control of the property, they’re responsible, and that makes them responsible for any infractions under the Act.” But Kidd added Fire and Rescue’s primary concern is safety. “We’re not so much looking for heavy-handed enforcement or fines,” he said.
In previous years, Kingston Fire and Rescue have stayed out of the Ghetto over Homecoming Weekend unless they were called by a complaint or emergency to the scene.
“In previous years our responses have been limited to medical assistance with paramedics,” Kidd said. “This is a new initiative.”
This year, Fire and Rescue will have staff on campus Friday and Saturday night to monitor parties. If the streets are congested, Kidd said a fire truck may also be parked on campus to be able to quickly respond to emergencies.
Kidd said there’s good reason why houses shouldn’t host large parties.
“You can go into a little bar or a big bar but every bar you go into, the exit doors swing out,” he said. “In dwelling units the doors invariably swing in, and where you might be able to get away with being a little crowded in one of the downtown bars, you can’t in a dwelling unit.” Kidd said students are encouraged to frequent sanctioned events instead of throwing large house parties.
He added Kingston Fire and Rescue won’t be asking the University for funds to cover the cost of their presence in the Ghetto.
“We won’t be looking at any cost recovery on this,” Kidd said. “We don’t expect it to be an exorbitant amount anyway.”
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