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Commissions press DBI on seismic safety, firefighter‑use elevators and CAPS program review
Summary
DBI and fire staff updated the commissions on tall‑building fire‑safety proposals (including firefighter‑use elevators for buildings over 200 feet), collaboration with SPUR on seismic policy, the ongoing soft‑story inventory and the review of the CAPS seismic program; public commenters urged faster action on seismic mitigation.
The joint meeting on Aug. 30 included a substantive discussion of seismic safety, tall‑building performance criteria and fire‑safety measures. DBI said it has a committee recommendation in hand and is coordinating peer review and emergency‑response planning with multiple agencies and outside stakeholders.
Ray Louie, deputy director for DBI, said staff is working with SPUR on mitigation and recovery white papers and is collecting data for a soft‑story retrofit inventory in older wood‑frame neighborhoods. "We are still collecting data in terms of other neighborhoods, how many buildings there are," Louie said, noting the inventory is guiding technical requirements for retrofits.
Captain Bill Mitchell of the San Francisco Fire Department described a measure recently approved by the Fire Commission by a 3–2 vote to require strengthened, firefighter‑use elevators in buildings over 200 feet tall so firefighters can deploy more effectively in very tall structures. "Buildings over 200 feet tall will be required to put in elevators that are strengthened ... that will make it safer for firefighters to use them," Mitchell said; he added the measure must still pass through the Board of Supervisors and the broader code‑adoption process.
Public commenters urged quicker implementation of seismic programs. Bernie Shoden said delaying CAPS (the city seismic survey/mitigation effort discussed at length) endangered public safety and asked that the RFP and advisory process be made public. Director Hassanen explained that, amid budget pressures, he paused some expenditures and reviewed contracts (including a roughly $1,000,000 allocation referenced to the CAHPS/CAPS program) to ensure the city receives value; he said the intent is to reconvene an advisory committee and resume work in the coming weeks.
Staff said interim work continues: the soft‑story inventory and pilot mitigation recommendations are underway and the department is coordinating post‑disaster recovery planning with the Department of Emergency Management. Commissioners asked for clarity on the scope of elevator requirements (pressurization, shaft waterproofing, backup generation and smoke control); fire staff said the proposal includes a beefed‑up shaft, pressurization and existing backup‑generator requirements for the designated elevator.
No code adoption occurred at the joint meeting; the fire commission measure was reported as having passed the Fire Commission and will follow the usual route to the Board of Supervisors and state code processes.
