1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: October 1, 2024
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Danny Alvarez, Fire Chief
VIA: James Moye, Fire Marshal/Battalion Chief
BY: Channing Reyes, Administrative Analyst I
SUBJECT: Adoption of a Resolution Acknowledging Receipt of the Fiscal Year 2023- 24 Fire Inspection Performance Report
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BURBANK ACKNOWLEDGING RECEIPT OF THE FISCAL YEAR 20 23-24 FIRE INSPECTION
PERFORMANCE REPORT REGARDING REQUIRED ANNUAL INSPECTIONS IN OCCUPANCIES PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 13146.2, 13146.3, AND 13146.4 OF THE CALIFORNIA HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE (Attachment 1).
BACKG
ROUND
California Health and Safety Code §§ 13146.2 and 13146.3 require local fire departments to complete annual inspections of certain occupancies, including public and private schools, hotels, motels, lodging houses, apartments, and certain residential care facilities for compliance with building standards. In response to the deadly Ghost Ship Fire in Oakland, California in 2016, the State Legislature passed Senate Bill 1205 (SB 1205) which added § 13146.4 to the California Health and Safety Code. Effective January 1, 2019, t he law requires fire d epartments to annually report their performance of state- mandated fire inspections to their administering authority, which then acknowledges receipt of the report in a resolution.
DISCUSSION
The Burbank Fire Department (BFD) is dedicated to protecting lives, property, and the environment through vital community risk reduction initiatives which include life safety inspections for commercial and residential structures, permitting and inspection of
FIRE DEPARTMENT
2 production facilities, hazardous materials management, and brush clearance inspections, all of which are conducted or overseen by Fire Prevention Bureau personnel.
Since August 2019, BFD has annually pr ovided Council with a Fire Inspection Performance Report (Attachment 2) summarizing inspection activities in the preceding fiscal year for the following categories of occupancies:
• Educational Group E Occupancies are generally defined as public and private schools, used by more than six persons at any one time for educational purposes through the 12th grade. During Fiscal Year (FY) 2023- 24, BFD completed the annual inspection of all 52 Group E occupancies in the City, resulting in a 100% compliance rate.
• Residential Group R Occupancies are generally defined as structures containing sleeping units. This includes hotels, motels, apartments (three units or more), and certain residential care facilities. These residential care facilities have different sub- classifications and may house residents with needs relating to custodial care, mobility impairments, and cognitive disabilities. During FY 2023- 24, BFD completed the annual inspection of all 2,113 Group R occupancies (including sub- categories of residential care facilities) in the City, resulting in a 100% compliance rate.
In addition to the inspections of educational and multi-unit residential occupancies, during FY 2023-24, BFD performed various other inspections in compliance with state and local code for properties classified as sites of assembly , hazardous materials storage sites, business/mercantile structures, and properties subject to fire hazard reduction/brush clearance requirements. California Health and Safety Code § 13146.4 does not require compliance reporting for these other inspections, but they are listed in the FY 2023- 24 Fire Inspection Performance Report to provide a more complete picture of the over 5,600 inspections completed by BFD to further its fire prevention mission.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This report has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and as such, is not a “project” subject to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) 14 Cal. Code Regs § 15378.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact for this report.
3 CONCLUSION
BFD will continue to evaluate the performance, staffing, and workflow of the Fire Prevention Bureau to ensure continued compliance with state and local inspection and reporting requirements. Staff recommends that Council adopt a resolution acknowledging receipt of the FY 2023-24 Fire Inspection Performance Report regarding required annual inspections in occupancies pursuant to §§ 13146.2 and 13146.3 of the California Health and Safety Code.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Resolution
Attachment 2 – FY 2023-24 Fire Inspection Performance Report