Over the past several months, SEAOSC members have been discussing the Los Angeles City Council’s proposed expansion of Fire District 1. On October 18, SEAOSC formally responded to Council President Nury Martinez and the LA City Council stating that SEAOSC will not be taking a position on the expansion of Fire District 1.
The current Fire District 1 is composed of dense, urban areas in the City. Within its boundaries, additional fire life safety regulations are required for new construction and additions. Fire District 1 limits the type of construction as defined in the California Building Code (CBC) to Types I, II and III, prohibits Types IV and V construction, and provides for additional fire life safety requirements. Fire District 1 is a building code provision found in Chapter 9, Article 1, Division 72 of the LAMC (Section 91.7201.1).
Councilmember Bob Blumenfield and Councilmember Monica Rodriguez made a motion on June 5, 2019 to expand Fire District 1 to include all areas within the City covered by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Very High Fire Severity Zone and City’s High Wind Velocity Zone as well as high density population centers with a population density of at least 5,000 residents per square mile. The proposal was brought to SEAOSC’s attention in March 2021. At that time, the SEAOSC Board and SEAOSC Committees began discussing a response.
In August 2021, SEAOSC representatives had the opportunity to meet with John Popoch, Deputy Chief of Staff to Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield. This interaction set the stage for collaboration with the Councilman on this and future topics. Mr. Popoch explained the public safety intent behind Councilmember Blumenfeld’s proposal and invited SEAOSC to provide comments and recommendations.
This is an interesting issue with diverse perspectives from our members. We discussed many different matters like the vulnerability of existing buildings, sustainability implications, the cost of various construction types, other hazards like earthquakes, and the importance of allowing structural engineers to make decisions on appropriate structural systems and materials. Many committees provided volunteers who participated in the discussion and contributed to SEAOSC’s response, including Seismology & Hazards, Codes & Standards, Wood, Concrete, Steel, Existing Buildings, Sustainability, and Communications. Thank you all, your contributions were extremely valuable.
Our members assess public risk and design to ensure safety. Department of Building and Safety issued a report on May 27, 2021 in response to the proposed expansion which states that 4.72% of “Building fire” incidents in 2015-2020 in Los Angeles occurred in Fire District 1, however Fire District 1 encompasses less than 1.5% of parcels citywide. This caused us to examine the question: Is Fire District 1 a tool that is making our city safer? There does not appear to be evidence to demonstrate that Fire District 1 has improved public safety in the past or that its expansion will lead to greater safety. In addition, we recognize that our current building codes are robust and effective. Therefore, while SEAOSC supports efforts to increase public safety, we were not able to take a position on this issue.
SEAOSC’s engagement on issues of local and statewide importance, like this one, continues to be a cornerstone of the efforts to raise the reputation of structural engineers in the wider community. We will continue to monitor this and other issues, work to provide the best technical information to decision-makers, and represent the interests of our members in City Halls, County Halls, and even in Sacramento. If you’re interested in these topics or want to learn more about them, please join SEAOSC’s Legislative Action Committee which meets monthly. Just email legislative@seaosc.org to be added to the committee list.
