Committee approves first reading of ordinance adopting 2024 International Fire Code with local amendments

Rapid City’s Legal and Finance Committee on Nov. 13 approved the first reading of Ordinance No. 6641, a package of local amendments that would adopt the 2024 International Fire Code into Rapid City Municipal Code Chapter 8.24.

The ordinance, presented by Division Chief Chip Primus, changes multiple code sections — many of which staff said dated to 1997 or 2004 — so the city can update discrete sections incrementally in the future. Primus said the amended code keeps existing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements but removes a prewiring requirement that staff and industry argued would impose large, immediate costs on multifamily projects.

"Without deleting that or keeping the way the code is right now, it cost $71,000 to put the fire alarm system in a 150 unit apartment. If we didn't amend that code out, it would cost $200,000," Primus said, describing a cost comparison between the city's approach and the unamended 2024 code. He said the amendment preserves ADA access but avoids mandatory prewiring that contractors and builders warned could become obsolete and raise construction costs substantially.

Primus also described project‑level flexibility around fire command centers, saying the city will work with designers and fire operations to determine whether a separate command center is necessary for a given project. "Recent project was the veil, the proposed jail coming... we reviewed it. The jail already has a command center. It probably saved around $700,000 on that project alone when we said we were not gonna use it," Primus said.

The ordinance adds several other public‑safety measures: a hoarding prohibition in multifamily dwellings tied to life‑safety concerns, restrictions on storing/charging lithium‑ion batteries and powered micro‑mobility devices inside dwelling units (with an exception for devices required for independent living), and guidance to reduce false alarms by routing some duct‑detector alerts to building owners before dispatching the fire department.

Primus explained the lithium‑ion changes with a technical rationale: "The batteries have a thermal runaway and it produces flammable gas as an ignition and a large explosion," he said, arguing the rules limit where charging/repair can occur and require alternate storage (garages, sheds or designated rooms) when appropriate.

The amendments also address sprinkler and firewall requirements. Primus said the code removes the option to avoid sprinklers by installing a firewall because, in his view, sprinklers provide greater life‑safety and insurance benefits and can be more cost‑effective over a building’s lifetime. He offered sample figures: an 8,000‑square‑foot building sprinkler system estimated at about $21,000 versus a firewall cost estimated roughly $10,000.

Other changes include a required master key system for fourplexes and larger buildings (staff estimated roughly $297 in added per‑building cost), additional attic access provisions for long hallways and adjustments to unit thresholds to match Rapid City’s municipal development code.

Committee members asked technical questions about ADA prewiring and retrofit costs. Bill Evans said he was "totally in agreement" with the policy direction but cautioned about potential political bias in retrofits; Primus and Chief Culberson said the amendments and collaboration with designers are intended to limit unnecessary costs and to preserve safety.

The committee voted to approve the ordinance’s first reading; the measure will return to the council for subsequent readings and final action.

The committee also approved related consent items from the fire department, including authorization to contract with a company identified as First Do to consolidate software platforms and to purchase a replacement ambulance.