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Fire Marshal outlines ADU safety equivalencies to speed approvals while protecting residents and firefighters
Summary
Fire Marshal Dean Gocio told the San Francisco Fire Commission that the department and Building Inspection have developed a joint flowchart and equivalency options (sprinklers, one-hour passageways, monitored fire alarms) to allow ground-floor accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to meet safety objectives without needlessly blocking housing conversions; 61 applications are currently in the Fire "bin."
Fire Marshal Dean Gocio told the San Francisco Fire Commission on Aug. 8 that the Fire Department is working with the Department of Building Inspection to create a clear, shared review process for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) that balances the citys housing goals with occupant and firefighter safety.
"The intent and one of the main goals of the city is to increase the number of affordable housing units," Gocio said, explaining that many ground-floor garage-to-unit conversions present challenges under current code, particularly the requirement for two exits on a level. The department has proposed equivalencies that it says preserve or improve safety: fully sprinkling ground-floor units, providing a one-hour rated passageway, relocating gas meters where needed, and installing a monitored fire alarm panel for early warning and quicker response.
Gocio said the Fire and Building departments created a flowchart to identify required code items and acceptable enhancement packages that offset specific deficiencies. "Once we agreed on what is required for these units, we said, okay. Now if we can't meet a specific prescribed requirement, what is the enhancement offset for that deficiency?" he told commissioners.
The Fire Marshal reported there are about 61 ADU applications currently in the Fire Departments review queue; he said planning currently shows roughly 500600 applications in the pipeline and cited a broader city target of about 3,500 units a year. He said a dedicated ADU review team (a captain, a fire protection engineer and an inspector) will help expedite consistent reviews and reduce turnaround times.
Commissioners pressed the department to consider stakeholder input and the cost consequences of certain equivalencies. Commissioner Joe Alioto Veronese warned that requirements that compel expensive systems could make projects financially infeasible and urged staff to invite applicants into the process so agencies do not unintentionally block housing creation. Gocio said the team is exploring multiple alternative paths and emphasized that, "by law and morally it's wrong" to waive adopted state fire-marshalled requirements, but that carefully chosen equivalencies can give applicants workable options.
The department expects to finalize a joint advisory document with Building Inspection and then present the guidance to the Commission. Commissioners also asked for the department to report back on review times and how the new ADU section will shorten the typical bin time.
Next steps: the Fire Department will complete the joint advisory/flowchart with Building Inspection and return to the Commission with that guidance; commissioners also requested stakeholder outreach and a follow-up presentation before the planned Commission retreat in September.
