REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 27, 2020
FROM
DAN MUNSEY, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District
SUBJECT
Title
2019-20 Compliance Report Regarding the Inspection of Occupancies
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCFPD):
1. Adopt resolution acknowledging receipt of the 2019-20 compliance report (Exhibit A) prepared by SBCFPD regarding the inspection of certain occupancies requiring annual inspections pursuant to sections 13146.2, 13146.3 and 13146.4 of the California Health and Safety Code.
2. Direct the Fire Chief/Fire Warden to present the annual compliance report of inspections for receipt by the Board of Directors (Board) within 120 days from the end of each fiscal year, in lieu of 90 days from the end of the fiscal year as previously directed by the Board on June 11, 2019 (Item No. 114).
(Presenter: Dan Munsey, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, 387-5779)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost) as there are not costs associated with the receipt of this annual report.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
California Health and Safety (H&S) Code sections 13146.2 and 13146.3 require every fire department or fire district to annually inspect every building used as public or private schools, hotels, motels, lodging houses, and apartment complexes. On September 27, 2018, the State of California passed Senate Bill 1205 (SB 1205) that added a new section (13164.4) to the H&S Code. This section requires every fire department or fire district, including SBCFPD, to report annually to its administering authority their compliance with the annual inspection requirements of the H&S Code. This section of the H&S Code also requires the administering authority to formally acknowledge receipt of the compliance report in a resolution or a similar formal document.
Recommendation No. 1 adopts a resolution acknowledging receipt of the 2019-20 compliance report (Exhibit A) regarding the inspection of certain occupancies requiring annual inspections pursuant to sections 13146.2, 13146.3 and 13146.4 of the H&S Code. Exhibit A identifies the following:
The annual inspection of:
• 170 public or private school occupancies, buildings, structures and/or facilities.
• 2,220 apartments, hotels, motels and all other multi-family housing occupancies, buildings, structures and/or facilities.
These inspections represent a compliance rate of 86% for the reporting period. SBCFPD did not achieve 100% compliance because of school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, at the recommendation of the Fire Marshal, inspections at some residential care facilities were not completed as the risk to the health and safety of the community was deemed too high.
Recommendation No. 2 directs the Fire Chief/Fire Warden to annually prepare the compliance report of certain occupancies requiring annual inspections and present it for receipt by the Board within 120 days from the end of each fiscal year. On June 11, 2019 (Item No. 114), the Board directed the Fire Chief/Fire Warden to annually present this report within 90 days from the end of each fiscal year. This 30-day extension allows SBCFPD staff additional time to gather the necessary data for the annual report. The added time is particularly essential for 2019-20 as the compliance report was delayed due to the redirection of staff resources during the current COVID-19 pandemic. This extension is in accordance with section 13146.4 of the H&S Code that allows the administering authority (the Board) to determine the timeframe for receipt of the compliance report.
Board approval of these recommendations will continue to satisfy the reporting requirements of H&S Code section 13146.4.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item been reviewed by County Counsel (Scott Runyan, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 17, 2020; Finance (Tom Forster, Administrative Analyst, 387-4635) on September 21, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Erickson, County Chief Financial Officer, 387-5423) on September 22, 2020.