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Supervisors fast-track ordinance to create emergency interagency fire-safety task force
Summary
The committee unanimously approved sending to the full Board an ordinance establishing a seven-member emergency interagency task force to review fire safety in older multi-unit and mixed-use buildings, meet biweekly for three months, and recommend code and legislative changes, including possible retrofits for alarms and sprinklers.
The committee approved and sent to the full Board an ordinance to create an emergency interagency fire safety task force charged with reviewing fire-safety requirements for multi-unit residential and mixed-use buildings and recommending code or legislative changes.
Supervisor David Campos, co-sponsor with Supervisor Kim, described recent fires in his district and the need to update long-outdated retroactive fire-detection and suppression requirements. The ordinance establishes a seven-member task force including representatives from the Department of Building Inspection, the Fire Department, the Public Utilities Commission and other relevant agencies; it must meet at least once every two weeks for three months and report recommendations to the Board.
Rosemary Boskey (DBI) and department staff said older buildings built before 1940 and the majority of larger buildings built before 1970 lack modern fire protections; DBI will staff the task force and analyze the technical and legal feasibility of proposals including expanded fire investigations, enabling housing inspectors to cite owners when alarm systems are outdated, and examining requirements for retrofitting alarms and sprinklers in existing buildings.
The committee approved the ordinance with a positive recommendation and sent it to the full Board without objection.
