BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                        ACR 93|
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                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  ACR 93
          Author:   Holden (D), et al.
          Amended:  8/17/15 in Assembly
          Vote:     21

          ASSEMBLY FLOOR:  Read and adopted, 8/17/15

           SUBJECT:   Fire safety:  municipal ordinances


          SOURCE:    Author

          DIGEST:   This resolution encourages all California  
          municipalities to reexamine regulations surrounding mandatory  
          fire suppression ordinances.
          
          ANALYSIS:   This resolution makes the following legislative  
          findings:


          1)Fire suppression technology was first used in residential  
            construction in the state in 1932 when the Union Oil Company  
            constructed homes for employees in Santa Paula, California.


          2)The City of San Clemente, California was the first city in the  
            nation to adopt an ordinance requiring all new residential  
            dwellings to contain fire sprinklers.


          3)In January 1988, the State Fire Marshal published California's  
            minimum design and installation standards for fire suppression  
            systems.










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          4)On May 4, 1988, several floors of the First Interstate Tower,  
            a downtown Los Angeles high-rise office tower built without  
            fire sprinklers, ignited killing one and injuring 40 others.  
            Subsequent reports indicated a working fire suppression system  
            would have lessened the fire's damage.  Following the fire,  
            the City of Los Angeles mandated automatic fire suppression  
            systems in all buildings over seven stories. 


          5)On April 7, 2015, a massive fire burned through a six floor  
            office building in Los Angeles, a building that was exempted  
            from mandatory fire suppression regulations because of its age  
            and size.


          6)Buildings should be provided with built-in fire suppression  
            systems to offset the negative impact of excessive response  
            times; and


          This resolution encourages all California municipalities to  
          reexamine regulations surrounding mandatory fire suppression  
          ordinances.


          FISCAL EFFECT:   Appropriation:    No          Fiscal  
          Com.:NoLocal:    No


          SUPPORT:   (Verified8/26/15)


          California Fire Chiefs Association
          Central Fire Protection District of Santa Cruz County
          Fire Districts Association of California


          OPPOSITION:   (Verified8/26/15)


          None received









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                                                                     Page  3




          ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT:     According to the author, "Assembly  
          Concurrent Resolution 93 encourages California's local  
          governments to reexamine ordinances regarding the use of fire  
          suppression technology in the wake of several fires in buildings  
          adhering to older building codes."





          Prepared by:Melissa Ward / SFA / (916) 651-1520
          8/26/15 16:48:51


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