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FROM
SUBJECT
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
December 14, 1981
Mayor and City Council
City Staff
Smoke Detector Installation
INTRODUCTION
This report will provide information concerning the installation of
smoke detectors as provided for by Supplemental Fire Protection Or-
dinance No. 1217.
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DEC 1 5 1981
On August 25, 1981 Council passed Ordinance No. 1277 which required the
installation of smoke detectors in all multi-residential (three or more
units in a building) dwelling units. During the public hearings, Staff
presented statistical information, received from the Planning and Build-
ing Departments, that indicated an estimated 2,000 buildings and 20,000
individual dwelling units would be affected. It was further estimated
that there would be 75 per cent voluntary compliance by the January 1,
1982 installation deadline.
The remaining units found to be in noncompliance with the law would be
brought into compliance with judicious discretionary use of all avail-
able alternatives, including, if necessary, legal action. It was anti-
cipated minimal legal action would be necessary.
To date, there are 733 buildings involving 6,300 dwelling units in com-
pliance as verified by Certificates of Compliance returned to the Fire
Department. This represents 36.65 per cent of the buildings and 31.5
per cent of the dwelling units originally estimated to require such
installations.
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Of the 733 buildings thus far verified in compliance, 708 contain 3-25
units, 25 contain 26-100 units, 1 contains 100+ units.
Currently, returned Certificates of Compliance are lagging two weeks be-
hind the actual installation date, and are being received by the Fire
Department at a rate of 50 per business day. At this rate, the forecast
is for 1,500 buildings ar 75 per cent to be in compliance by the January 1,
1982 deadline.
Smoke detector installations will be further verified by Fire Department
inspections in January, 1982. At this time, Fire Department personnel
will inspect every multi-residential building within the City. When com-
pleted, the factual statistics will be known, and a report will be for-
warded to Council for review.
Recently an apartment house organization requested the Fire Department
and the City Council for a blanket extension of time of up to one year
for the installation of smoke detectors. The aforementioned installa-
tion statistics, factual and forecasted, belies the claim that the
majority of building owners cannot afford such installations.
Individual extensions of time have been anticipated, however, and pro-
cedures have been established to document the need, yet assure the in-
stallation by a date certain. Approved time extensions would be 30
days in most cases, 60 days in some cases and longer periods in rare,
exceptional cases.
To date, the Fire Department has received approximately one dozen ver-
bal requests for extensions of time. The reasons for these requests
included smoke detectors or contractors not being available. These re-
quests were resolved to the callers' satisfaction, without the necessity
of extending the time, by Staff providing information affecting needed
resources and always at a cost savings to the owner. Two written appeals
have also been received for 30-day extensions, and these were approved
as requested.
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The law has been adequately promoted and publicized evidenced by the
compliance with the requirements by a majority of those affected.
Responsible persons have complied or will comply with reasonable ap-
proved extensions of time. Council action, at this time, to officially
extend the deadline, would greatly diminish the credibility of the life/
fire safety objectives of the smoke detector programs as well as other
future requirements provided for by Ordinance No. 1217.
RECOMP1ENDATION
The City Manager, City Attorney and Fire Department Staff recommend no
change in the January 1, 1982 compliance deadline. However,. it is under-
stood Staff will continue to provide the motivation, information and,
if validly necessary, reasonable extensions of time to insure compliance.
Prepared By: John H. Alschuler
City Manager
Chief Thomas Tolman
Chief, Fire Department
Chief Kenneth. While
Fire Marshal
Robert M. Myers
City Attorney
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