DATE: September 19, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Chen Suen, Fire Chief
By: Mark Krikorian, Fire Marshal
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION NO. 7522 ACKNOWLEDGING RECEIPT OF A REPORT
MADE BY THE FIRE CHIEF OF THE ARCADIA FIRE DEPARTMENT
REGARDING INSPECTIONS OF CERTAIN OCCUPANCIES REQUIRED
BY SECTIONS 13146.2 AND 13146.3 OF THE CALIFORNIA HEALTH
AND SAFETY CODE
CEQA: Not a Project
Recommendation: Adopt
SUMMARY
State regulations require annual building inspections for fire safety purposes of certain sensitive building occupancies. The subject occupancies are public and private schools, hotels, motels, lodging houses, and apartment houses, including residential care facilities.
In addition, the City Council must formally acknowledge receipt of a compliance report from the Fire Chief each year.
To comply with this mandate for the 2022 calendar year, it is recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 7522 acknowledging receipt of a report made by the Fire Chief of the Arcadia Fire Department, regarding the inspection of certain occupancies as required pursuant to Sections 13146.2 and 13146.3 of the California Health and Safety Code. In total, 731 out of 731 required buildings were inspected during the 2022 calendar year in these reporting categories, with a 100% compliance rate.
BACKGROUND
The California State Fire Marshal, through the California’s Health and Safety Code, mandates that certain occupancies be inspected annually. In December 2016, a deadly fire at an Oakland warehouse (known as the “Ghost Ship”) killed 36 people, the highest death toll for a structural fire in the United States in over 10 years. From this tragic event, officials learned that State-required inspections on various occupancies were not enough, and that the addition of regular reporting to local governing bodies may help establish accountability and enforcement of building safety standards. Consequently, on September 27, 2018, SB 1205 was signed into law. This legislation mandates the
Resolution No. 7522 Annual Fire Inspections
State Reporting of Certain Occupancies
September 19, 2023
reporting of annual inspections to its administering authority (such as a City Council) in a resolution or a similar formal document.
DISCUSSION
The adoption of Resolution No. 7522 will fulfill the annual fire inspection reporting requirements of Sections 13146.2 and 13146.3 of the California Health and Safety Code.
According to this law, annual building inspections and reporting must be conducted on two groups of occupancies: Educational Group E and Residential Group R.
Educational Group E occupancies consist of children’s daycare facilities and public and private schools. In this category, the schools must be used by more than six persons at one time for educational purposes, through the 12th grade. Residential Group R occupancies are those containing sleeping units such as hotels, motels, lodging homes, and apartments (three units or more), including residential care facilities.
Over the years, Arcadia has been one of the few cities to have consistently conducted its annual fire inspections to meet and exceed the State’s annual inspections requirement, pursuant to the California Health and Safety Code. For the 2022 calendar year reporting period, 75 Group E (Educational Occupancies) buildings, structures, and/or facilities were inspected, which resulted in a 100% inspection rate. In Group R (Residential Occupancies), 656 occupancies were inspected for a 100% inspection rate. In total, 731 required occupancies or buildings were inspected with a 100% compliance rate for all.
Copies of the individual inspection reports are available to the public upon request.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The proposed action of adopting a status report does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) under Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines, as it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the environment.
Thus, this matter is exempt under CEQA.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the City by adopting Resolution No. 7522.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council determine that this action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”); and adopt Resolution No. 7522 acknowledging receipt of a report made by the Fire Chief of the Arcadia Fire Department regarding inspections of certain occupancies required by Sections 13146.2 and 13146.3 of the California Health and Safety Code.
Resolution No. 7522 Annual Fire Inspections
State Reporting of Certain Occupancies
September 19, 2023
Attachment: Resolution No. 7522