City Council Agenda Report
TO: Mayor McCord and Members of the City Council
FROM: Ken Irwin, City Manager
BY: Jeff Gregory, Fire Chief
MEETING DATE: November 15, 2022
ITEM NO: 7.3
SUBJECT: Approve First Reading and Introduction of Ordinance No. 863 Reading by Title Only, Waiving Further Readings, an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Patterson, adopting the 2022 edition of the California fire code, providing for the modifications thereof, regulating and governing the safeguarding of life and property from fire and explosion hazards arising from the storage, handling and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, and from conditions hazardous to life or property in the occupancy of buildings and premises in the city of Patterson; providing for the issuance of permits and collection of fees therefore; repealing ordinance no. 863 of the city of Patterson municipal code and all other ordinances and parts of the ordinances in conflict therewith.
RECOMMENDATION
Motion to Approve First Reading and Introduction of Ordinance No. 863 Reading by Title Only, Waiving Further Readings, an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Patterson, adopting the 2022 edition of the California fire code, providing for the modifications thereof, regulating and governing the safeguarding of life and property from fire and explosion hazards arising from the storage, handling and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, and from conditions hazardous to life or property in the occupancy of buildings and premises in the city of Patterson; providing for the issuance of permits and collection of fees therefore; repealing ordinance no. 863 of the city of Patterson municipal code and all other ordinances and parts of the ordinances in conflict therewith.
BACKGROUND
The model codes are updated every three years. This allows for the codes to improve and adjust to the newest materials, methods of construction and technological advances in the industry.
Though other areas of the model codes also address fire life safety standards, Part 9 also known as the California Fire Code is specific to certain fire life safety features.
ANALYSIS
The California Building Standards Commission adoption of the 2022 California Fire Code comes after a comprehensive multi-state agency and stakeholder update of the 2019 California Fire Code. The objective is to produce a practical building code that ensures public safety first and foremost while implementing the most efficient technology available to conserve the state’s natural resources and energy use. California Fire Code is applied to virtually every commercial and residential structure in the state.
Health and Safety Code Section 18941.5 mandates that the Building Standards contained in the 2022 California Building Standards Code shall be effective 180 days after publication by the California Building Standards Commission. If these codes are not adopted by ordinance, they become effective by default without any amendments.
The City of Patterson has local conditions that require adopting, amending, and deleting sections of the California Fire Code. Therefore, the Patterson Municipal Code must be amended to reference these changes. City staff has reviewed the 2022 California Fire Code to make necessary revisions to the Patterson Municipal Code Section 15.20 and adopting them. Said revisions include:
· Keeping current local amendments and updating them to match referenced 2022 California Fire Code sections.
· Updating current local amendment of Sales, Storage, Use and Handling of Fireworks to match and or reference certain sections of Patterson Municipal Code § 6.28 which were developed in 2021 under Ordinance 851. The local fire code amendment includes fire life safety features that apply to fireworks stand operations (fireworks stand requirements, fire extinguishers, distances for open flame and spark producing equipment) and provision for the revocation of sales permit for violations of regulations which are not included in Patterson Municipal Code § 6.28.
The proposed effective date for the City of Patterson will be January 1, 2023. As part of the adoption process, this Department has made every effort to notify all affected parties of the proposed changes. It is the recommendation of staff that the Patterson City Council introduce by title and waive the reading of said ordinance.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the City of Patterson.