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Signal Mountain considers adopting 2024 International Fire Code; council to tidy draft before final vote
Summary
Fire Chief Larry Sloan recommended updating the town’s fire code from the 2018 to the 2024 International Fire Code; councilmembers asked staff to correct drafting errors and noted limited impacts on most residents but possible effects for certain facilities and carbon monoxide alarm requirements.
Signal Mountain’s town council on April 27 heard from Fire Chief Larry Sloan about a proposed update to the town's fire code that would replace the existing 2018 International Fire Code with the 2024 edition.
"Basically just periodic housekeeping," Sloan said of the change, adding that most provisions will not materially affect single-family residences but could affect some facilities such as Alexian Village, for example regarding storage locations for trash containers and accommodations for powered mobility-device charging.
Sloan told the council an inspection is likely in September and an updated code will be among the items reviewed: "That's really all this is doing is just updating it from 2018 to 2024." Council members asked staff to correct references in the draft ordinance that still named the 2018 appendices and to ensure the final ordinance language replaces specific sections (for example removing outdated references and substituting the 2024 edition).
Questions from council focused on enforcement limits in private residences, whether the town’s smoke-detector installation program could be used to encourage carbon monoxide detectors, and the scope of enforcement in multifamily buildings (chiefly common areas). Sloan said the department offers courtesy home-safety inspections tied to its detector-install program and that carbon monoxide detectors distributed by the state fire marshal will soon be available through the town for homes that request assistance.
Why it matters: Updating to a current model fire code can reduce issues during external inspections and aligns local requirements with contemporary national standards. Council members asked for drafting corrections and clarity about which appendices and sections will be adopted.
Next steps: Staff will clean up the ordinance language and return a corrected draft for final action at a subsequent meeting; the council indicated it was comfortable advancing the item to the next meeting packet for final consideration.
