J. MILLARD TAWES, Governor                          87

called by its Chairman. In the absence of the Chairman, the vice-
chairman shall exercise the powers and duties of chairman.

(b) No business shall be transacted by the State Fire Prevention
Commission in the absence of a quorum which shall be four members,
one of whom must be the chairman or vice-chairman.

3. Promulgation of Regulations

(a)   The State Fire Prevention Commission shall have the power
to promulgate, amend, and repeal regulations for the safeguarding of
life and property from the hazards of fire and explosion. Such regu-
lations, amendments, or repealers shall be in accordance with stand-
ard safe practice as embodied in widely recognized standards of good
practice for fire prevention and fire protection and shall have the
force and effect of law in the several counties, cities, and political
subdivisions of the State. Such regulations and amendments shall
not apply to existing installations, plants, or equipment unless the
State Fire Prevention Commission has duly found that the continua-
tion thereof constitutes a hazard so inimicable to the public welfare
and safety as to require correction.

(b)   The State Fire Prevention Commission, by September 1,1964,
shall promulgate comprehensive regulations for the safeguarding of
life and property from the hazards of fire and explosion as a State
Fire Prevention Code. Regulations embodied in the State Fire Pre-
vention Code shall be in accordance with standard safe practice as
embodied in widely recognized standards of good practice for fire
prevention and fire protection and shall have the force and effect of
law in the several counties, cities and political subdivisions of the
State. Such regulations and amendments shall not apply to existing
installations, plants, or equipment unless the State Fire Prevention
Commission has duly found that the continuation thereof constitutes
a hazard so inimicable to the public welfare and safety as to require
correction.

(c)   In their interpretation and application the regulations pro-
mulgated under this chapter shall be held to be the minimum require-
ments for the safeguarding of life and property from the hazards
of fire and explosion. Whenever the provisions of any other statute
or local regulation are more stringent or impose higher standards
than are required by any regulations promulgated under this article,
the provisions of such statute or local regulation shall govern, pro-
vided they are not inconsistent with the State Code and are not con-
trary to recognized standards and good engineering practices. In
any question, the decision of the State Fire Prevention Commission
determines the relative priority of any such State and local regula-
tions and determines compliance with State fire regulations by offi-
cials of the State and of the political subdivisions.

(d)  A copy of the State Fire Prevention Code and any amend-
ments thereto, upon promulgation by the State Fire Prevention Com-
mission, shall be made available for public information in each
county court house in the State.

4. Public Hearings and Notices

(a) Prior to the promulgation by September 1, 1964, of a State
Fire Prevention Code, the State Fire Prevention Commission shall
hold at least one public hearing on the proposed regulations contained