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Supervisors and fire marshal clash over fire code language on street access and traffic-calming
Summary
Supervisors debated amendments to the 2016 San Francisco fire code to preserve exemptions for certain pedestrian "bulb outs" and to remove a proposed adoption of International Fire Code Appendix D that could raise required street clearance; the committee adopted Supervisor Wiener’s amendments and forwarded the item as amended.
Supervisors on the Land Use and Transportation Committee debated competing public-safety goals — fire apparatus access and street safety measures intended to slow vehicle speeds — before forwarding an amended 2016 San Francisco fire code to the full Board.
Supervisor Wiener said he would offer amendments to reinstate earlier language exempting pedestrian bulb outs (no higher than 6 inches without obstruction) from minimum clearance calculations and to remove an explicit adoption of Appendix D of the International Fire Code, which would increase certain street clearance requirements from 20 to 26 feet. He argued that a blanket adoption of Appendix D would widen streets and encourage faster driving, which could increase collisions.
Interim Fire Marshal Dan DeCosio told the committee the department treats Appendix D as a guide the fire service has historically used in evaluating proposals and that the department prefers to retain case-by-case authority to address access needs, staging and aerial apparatus positioning. DeCosio reported the department’s review activity and approval rate for traffic-calming proposals, saying it had reviewed dozens of proposals and “we only disapprove 45 out of 1,077,” which he characterized as evidence of a strong willingness to partner with other agencies on pedestrian and cyclist safety.
Supervisors pressed for clarity on how the fire department coordinates with the Municipal Transportation Agency and Planning on measuring street width and on whether the proposed code language would remove the department’s case-by-case authority. DeCosio said the department seeks to maintain the status quo in section 503 access provisions for the 2016 code cycle and that operational decisions require balancing staged apparatus access, hydrants and fire-escape positions with traffic-calming objectives.
Public commenters including Nicole Ferrer of Walk San Francisco and Brian Wedenmeier of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition urged the committee to preserve measures that enable traffic calming, citing studies that show wider streets increase vehicle speeds and that speed reduction saves lives. Tom O’Connor, president of the San Francisco Firefighters, urged the committee to adopt the legislation and to continue working for compromise.
Supervisor Wiener moved to adopt the written amendments (including department-requested cleanup items) and an oral amendment to strike the Appendix D adoption; the committee forwarded the item as amended. The record shows the committee acted to preserve the practical status quo while directing further interdepartmental discussion on street-design trade-offs.
