SR-700-002 (8)
-...
...
f
e
e
reo-ooz...
city Councll Mtg.: 4/24/84
CM:LCB:dvm (FLre)
Santa Monica, CalLfornia
11- Co-
A'R 2 4 f984
TO: Mayor and City CounCll
FROM: CLty Staff
SUBJECT: Fire Safety Ordinance No. 1217
INTRODUCTION
In February of this year a draft staff analysis of Santa Mon1ca
Fire Safety Ord~nance No. 1217 was distributed for revlew and
comment. The report contains a thorough reVlew of the provisions
of ordinance No. 1217, a comprehenslve examinatlon of the general
princlples of public flre safety and recommendations for changes
to speclfic requirements of the Ordinance.
In addltion to the
Mayor and CLty Counc~l, the report was forwarded to selected Clty
staff,
interested
public
(lncludlng
of
members
the
representatlves
of
landlord and busLness groops),
tenant,
lndlvidual
safety
public
fire safety
authorities,
flre
organlzatlons and representatives of the lnsurance lndustry.
Relatlvely few responses have been received to date from the
varlOUS indiVlduals who were sent a copy of the report. The
responses WhlCh have arrived present a varying set of reactions
to the staff recornmendatlons. There is a clear consensus from
report reClplents, however, that the thoroughness of the analysis
1n the report will allow policy discuss10ns on f1re safety in
Santa Monlca to occur from a much more 1nformed starting point.
1
I ( - c....-
AU. Z <1 19U
..... .
, ~
e
e
DISCUSSION
The recommendatlons contained in the report are seen by staff as
representing an acceptable balance between the genuine fire
safety needs of the community and the sometlmes onerous costs of
flre protectlon hardware. Included in thlS assessment is the
need to dlstribute fire safety expendltures between the publlC
and prlvate sector.
The partial automatlc flre sprinkler system that is presently one
of the sprinkler optlons of Ordinance No. 1217 for existing
multl-family resldential bUlld1ngs over 55 feet 1n height -- the
other opt1on being full flre sprlnklers -- is not percelved after
close scrutiny 10 our study to be cost-effective. Full fire
sprlnklers are much more effectlve from a flre safety standpoint
than part1al sprlnklers. but thelr extremely hlgh cost 1n most
retroflt appllcations makes them an unreasonable requirement as
well.
It 1S our bellef that the human aspects of fire safety should
recelve more attention durlng deliberations on fire safety 1n
Santa Monlca. This belief 1S buttressed by the Vlews of our own
flre department and many fire safety authorlties who see public
educat10n and traln1ng as a cruclal and often overlooked
component of communlty flre protectlon. The staff
recommendatlons calling for a mandatory evacuation training
program for all multi-family residential bUlldlngs over S5 feet
in height and expanded public education and fire safety awareness
2
,- '
..
e
e
programs by the Flre Department alm at these important human
behavior lssues.
The staff effort on thls complicated and sometlmes emotional
lssue has been both prolonged and exhaustlve. Wh1le it is
obviously possible that all of the questions surround~ng fire
safety in Santa Monlca and Ordlnance No. 1217 have not been
addressed ~n the report, lt lS our consldered Judgement that most
of the more salient issues have been ldentlfied and evaluated.
It is requested that the recommendations of the staff analysis be
discussed and approved.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1) The recommendatlons that stem from the staff analysis
contained 1n the report call for the deletion of requlrements
for automat1c spr1nkler systems 10 eXlsting multl-famlly
residentlal bUlld1ngs over 55 feet 1n helght. These
buildlngs should be required instead to lnstall a
buildlng-wlde automat1c flre detector and alarm system
slmllar to the alarm/detector arrangement that 1S currently
requ1red for bU1ldings between 30 and 55 feet in helght.
2) It 1S further recommended that all multi-family residential
bUlldings over 5S feet in height be required to 1mplement an
occupant evacuat10n train1ng program to be pa1d for by
bUllding owners.
3
e
e
3) Conslderation should also be glven to the expanSlon of Flre
Department
publlC
educatlon and flre safety awareness
tralnlng activities.
4) It is recommended that all other provlsions of Ordinance No.
1217,
includlng
the
sprinkler
requlrernents
for new
mUltl-famlly constrUctlon and public assembly occupancles
should remaln unchanged.
It lS recommended that the Cltv Attorney be instructed to prepare
appropr13te revlsions to OrdInance ~o. 121~(CCS).
Prepared By: Lynne C. Barrette, Deputy Clty Manager
Thomas Tolman, Flre Chlef
Cralg Perklns, Sr. Administrative Analyst