Roseville leads California with fire protection ordinance

Roseville City Council approves mid-rise building ordinance, ordinance, setting standard statewide for fire protection measures  
 
Roseville became the first city in California to require specific fire protection measures for mid-rise buildings, with the City Council’s unanimous approval of an ordinance at Wednesday night’s meeting. A second reading and final vote is scheduled for the April 18 city council meeting, at which point the ordinance will become law.

The mid-rise building ordinance will proactively address public safety needed for buildings in the 55-75 foot range – typically four to six stories high — without adding significant additional construction and equipment costs, which would occur if the City applied its existing high-rise standards to medium-rise structures.  A Wednesday fire in a six-story office building in Houston received extensive national news coverage, and Roseville Fire Chief Ken Wagner added that it underscores the importance of implementing safety features in such buildings here.

The concept was the brainchild of a 13-month study undertaken by the Blue Ribbon Corporate Center Committee, a group consisting of city and community stakeholders, including members of the Roseville Fire Department. Currently, the city’s tallest structures are four stories but two taller buildings are approved for construction, with more expected in the future.

‘This ordinance allows us to maintain a safe and healthy community while applying reasonable, affordable safeguards for developers looking to build beyond four stories,’ said Wagner.  ‘The new requirements will greatly assist our firefighting capacities in buildings of this size in an emergency response scenario.’