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06/08/2015 <br /> <br />2. In the opinion of the California State Fire Marshal (CSFM) and the City’s Fire <br />Marshal, the best form of protection against multi - unit residential fires is a <br />c ombination of smoke alarms and Automatic Sprinkler S ystems. <br /> <br />a. Smoke alarms alert occupants to the presence of danger bu t do not <br />extinguish a fire. Smoke alarms are required in all residential structures <br />regardless if they are single or multi - family occupancy. Smoke alarms <br />became law in California under the 1985 adoption of the State Building Code. <br /> <br />b. Automatic Sprinkler Sys tems respond quickly to reduce heat, flames, and <br />smoke from a fire giving occupants valuable time to get out safely. Effective <br />July 1, 1989, th e State of California required A utomatic Sprinkler S ystems for <br />new multi - unit residential buildings. Effective Ja nuary 1, 2011, the State <br />required Automatic Sprinkler Systems for new single - family homes. <br /> <br />c. Currently, state law does not require multi - unit residential buildings permitted <br />before July 1, 1989, to be retrofitted with Automatic Sprinkler S ystems, and <br />instea d the determination has been left to local jurisdictions to decide what is <br />appropriate for their communities. <br /> <br />3. The risk of fires similar to those on Woodside Road, as wel l as greater harm due to a <br />fire spreading beyond a single structure , is exacerbated by the City’s local climatic, <br />geological, and topographical conditions as articulated in Resolution Number 15410, <br />adopted on May 18, 2015 . <br /> <br />a. As more specifically detailed in Resolution No. 15410 , local Redwood City <br />climatic conditions inclu de low precipitation and gusty westerly winds especially <br />during the dry period , which creates potentially hazardous fire conditions. <br /> <br />b. As more specifically detailed in Resolution No. 15410 , local Redwood City <br />geological conditions include the City’s locati on in a seismically - active area <br />adjacent to several major earthquake faults, including the San Andreas Fault. <br />The City also includes many hilly neighborhoods and open spaces in which <br />steep, narrow, and older streets are common. Such steep, narrow and olde r <br />streets, which are a function of local geological conditions, make firefighting <br />more difficult because they limit and slow emergency vehicle access. In <br />ad dition, local soil conditions (b ay mud) increase the risk of building damage <br />and fires resulting fro m seismic activity. <br /> <br />c. As more specifically detailed in Resolution No. 15410 , local Redwood City <br />topographical conditions include multiple elevation changes resulting in <br />meandering streets and over - crowded thoroughfares creating barriers to <br />firefighting and potentially increasing response times to fires. <br /> <br />ATTY/ORD.410/FIRE SPRINKLER ORD. # 2413 <br />REV: 0 6 - 0 2 - 15 PT FORMERLY MUFF # 705 <br />Page 2 of 9 <br /> <br />