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<br /> 06/08/2015 <br />ORIGINAL <br /> <br />ORDINANCE NO. 2413 <br /> <br />AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF REDWOOD CITY AMENDING <br />SECTIONS 12.18 AND 12.15 OF THE CITY FIRE CODE AND SECTION <br />9.3 OF THE CITY BUILDING CODE TO REQUIRE AUTOMATIC <br />SPRINKLER SYSTEMS IN MULTI - UNIT RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS OF <br />FOUR UNITS OR MORE AND TO MAKE VIOLATI ONS OF THIS <br />REQUIREMENT A MISDEMEANOR <br /> <br /> <br />THE COUNCIL OF REDWOOD CITY ORDAINS AS FOLLOWS: <br /> <br />Section 1. <br /> The City Council makes the following findings: <br /> <br />1. In recent years, t he City has suffered a number of devastating fires to multi - <br />residential buildings lacking Automatic Sprinkler S ystems ( as defined in the 2013 <br />California Fire and Building Co des at Section 202, “General Definitions ” ) resulting in <br />death, injury, property loss, and loss of certain housing stock. <br /> <br />a. In general, close proximity living associated with apartment housing creates <br />an increased risk from multiple ignition sources common within an apartment <br />building. Fires in wood frame buildings can ignite interior contents and <br />thereby spread fire from its o rigin into adjacent areas. <br /> <br />b. During calendar years 2013 - 2014, the City’s Fire Department responded to a <br />total of 28 multi - unit residential fires. <br /> <br />c. In 2013, Redwood City experienced two particularly significant multi - uni t <br />residential fires . On July 7, 2013, a fire occurred at a multi - unit residential <br />apartment building located at 531 Woodside Road . A few months later, on <br />October 17, 2013, another fire occurred at a multi - unit residential apartment <br />building located 926 Woodside Road. <br /> <br />d. Both ap artment buildings were built in 1963 , were made of wood , and neither <br />apartment building had an Automatic Sprinkler System . The two fires <br />combined claimed the life of one person, sent 26 persons to local hospitals <br />with various injuries, injured several fire fighters, displaced over two hundred <br />residents, and resulted in an estimated $26,000,000 in property loss. <br /> <br />e. The apartment building at 531 Woodside had an affordable housing covenant <br />that provided 85 affordable units. Due to the fire, the community lost va luable <br />affordable housing stock. In addition, tenants were permanently displaced <br />and these tenants lost the opportunity to continue renting at guaranteed <br />affordable rates in an increasingly challenging market for renters. <br />ATTY/ORD.410/FIRE SPRINKLER ORD. # 2413 <br />REV: 0 6 - 0 2 - 15 PT FORMERLY MUFF # 705 <br />Page 1 of 9 <br /> <br />