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Home My WebLink AboutStaffing For Fire Inspections III i s INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM DEPARTMENT OF THE CITY MANAGER CITY OF PALM DESERT iarci 2 ate:>> TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: RAMON A. DIAZ, CITY MANAGER SUBJECT: ADDITIONAL STAFFING FOR FIRE INSPECTIONS RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council approve the request for two additional fire inspectors and supporting clerical personnel. The evidence for this need is set forth in the attached report. DISCUSSION The attached memorandum discusses the problems we are facing in the fire inspection area of our Fire Department. One of the key elements of the Public Safety Fire Program is prevention; a key component of which is fire inspection. The additional staffing has been approved by the Cove Communities Services Commission and recommended that all cities implement the report's suggestions. These suggestions include additional personnel and the implementation of a noncompliance fine. RAY CITY COUNCIL ACTION: djb �J?PROVED ✓ DENIED Attachment(as noted) M CEIVED . OTHER ti � � �� l :IDES .� \o\A-k. ,�� _:3STAIN C%LIJt � Ilia_ . RIFIED BY: ,.. .._.. . ... ,ripin21 Ci Cl k's Office RECEIVED • pErawE R07ECT N'9k RIVERSIDE Cl NTY FIRE DEPAR1MENT MAR 1 6 19g9 N In cooperation with the "'" PALM DESERT CITY HALL , ' Li.,► �.."°`"r• CITY MANAGER l � California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, I .Nik 210 West San Jacinto Avenue• Perris, California 92570• (909) 940-6900 •FAX (909) 940-6910 r9E OE►661tiEMT James M. Wright Fire Chief MEMORANDUM Proudly serving the unincorporated DATE: 02-23-99 areas of Riverside County and the cities of: FROM: Mike Mc Connell, Fire Marshal Banning a SUBJECT: Fire Department Inspections Beaumont Calimesa o ISSUE: Canyon Lake Due to continued growth over the last 14 years the Fire Marshal office can no o Coachella longer inspect every building once a year. o Desert Hot Springs BACKGROUND: O Indian Wells In 1985 the Cove Communities Services Commission hired three fire inspectors o to start an annual fire safety inspection program. At that time all buildings were Indio being inspected once a year. Lake Elsinore Number of Businesses Per City La Quinta 1985 1999 Moreno Valley Palm Desert 1,300 2,639 Pa rn Desert Rancho Mirage 350 600 • Indian Wells 90 150 Perris Total 1,740 3,389 Rancho Mirage > Sari Jacinto DISCUSSION: Temecula We are mandated by California Code of Regulations Title 19 section 1.12,to inspect annually all public and private schools, residential family day cares, residential elder care facilities, hospitals, nursing homes and health care centers. Board of Supervisors The Uniform Fire Code Section 103.3.1 also states that the fire prevention bureau shall inspect as often as necessary to ensure any condition which would Bob Buster reasonablytend to cause fire or contributeits to spread be corrected. The Fire District 1 Marshal's office is also responsible for writing all fire protection requirements for John Tavaglione new construction, plan checkingfire sprinklerplans, fire alarmplans, commercial District 2 P kitchen hood and duct plans and then inspecting the systems as they are installed J' D nable strict 3 in the buildings. The Fire Marshal's office also conducts a final fire inspection prior to the issuance of a final certificate of occupancy. Roy Wilson District 4 Tom Mullen District 5 • y I believe the goal should be to inspect all buildings once a year. Currently the majority of our businesses are on a four year inspection cycle. The current staff can keep up with the state mandated Title 19 inspections and the new construction inspections. It is the numerous other existing buildings that have added up over the last 14 years that we can not inspect annually. In 1985 there were no Marriotts, Ritz or Stouffers, etc., these large hotels take a very long time to inspect. Recently one large hotel required two inspectors for two weeks to inspect over 900 smoke detectors and test every fire alarm device. It takes an average of 3.53 trips to a business before compliance is achieved on an annual fire safety inspection. That equals 11,963 inspection trips to inspect all businesses in the three cities. The Fire Marshal's office also does an average of 965 new construction inspections, 800 new business license inspections and 115 special event inspections a year. A business license inspection is made when a new business moves into an existing address. With a total of 13,843 inspections trips required per year the Fire Marshal's office can not keep up on an annual basis. Palm Desert Rancho Mirage Indian Wells Total Businesses 2639 600 150 3389 Businesses inspected in 1998 400 250 100 750 State Mandated 67 35 total 102 included above Fire Station Personnel 200 100 50 total 350 included above Inspection trips needed for compliance 1349 819 480 2648 Average trips per business: 2648 divided by 750 =3.53 Palm Desert Rancho Mirage Indian Wells Total Business inspection trips needed 9,316 2,118 529 11,963 New Construction 500 300 165 965 Business License 640 160 800 Special Events 49 39 27 115 Total 13,843 Time in the field and customer service is diminished by the lack of an office assistant. I believe there should always be someone in the office to meet the many contractors , developers and members of the business community who stop by. An office assistant would increase customer service by having a real person answer the phone and free up time spent on data entry by the inspectors. This will allow our inspectors to make more inspections. • I also believe the Cove Communities Services Commission should develop a non- compliance inspection fee program. Such a program would reduce the need for additional staffing in order to inspect each business once a year and promote faster inspection compliance. An office assistant could implement such a program. All the departments contacted in the survey below charge a fee for non-compliance after the 2nd or 3rd inspection. • Arcadia: 1,900 businesses, 3 inspectors, all businesses inspected annually. • Fees: One free inspection, second$50.00, third inspection $100.00 • City finance does billing. • Newport Beach: 7,000 businesses,3 inspectors inspect state mandated businesses, all other businesses inspected on 3 year cycle by engine companies. • Fees: One free inspection, second and third$45.00 per violation. • City finance does billing • Huntington Beach: 6,000 businesses, 8 inspectors inspect state mandated businesses annually, all other businesses inspected on 2 year cycle. • Fees: First and second free inspections, third inspection $50.00 • City finance does billing • Palm Springs: 3,200 businesses, 3 inspectors, '/2 of businesses on 3 year cycle. • Fees: Two free inspections, third inspection and subsequent inspections $45.00 • City finance does billing • Riverside: 1,900 businesses, 4 inspectors, '/2 annually, 1/2 on 3 year cycle. • Fees: Two free inspections, third and subsequent inspections $150.00 • City finance does billing • Corona: 4 inspectors each responsible for 300-500 buildings. • Fees: Three free inspections, after third inspection$60.00 • City finance does billing I would recommend the following fee schedule for inspections within the Cove: Initial inspection is free. Second trip is free if violations from first trip are corrected. $50.00 if not in compliance on second trip. Third trip is free if violations from second trip are corrected. $100.00 if not in compliance on third trip. It would then increase $50.00 for each subsequent inspection. Another way to reduce the need for additional staffing necessary to insure annual inspection of all businesses would be to increase the inspections done by the station personnel. Each fire station could be required to increase their annual fire safety inspections to 100 a year for a total of 600 businesses. Currently station personnel are inspecting 350 businesses a year. If the Cove Commission adopted a fee schedule for non-compliance and we increased inspections by the station personnel to 600 businesses a year, we believe that we could inspect all buildings once a year for the following additional cost: Add two fire inspectors and one office assistant. Palm Desert: $60,339.27 Rancho Mirage: $32,668.25 Indian Wells: $22,992.48 RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Cove Commission: 1. Adopt a fee schedule for non-compliance as outlined above. 2. Direct that inspections by station personnel be increased to 600 businesses per year. 3. Authorize the addition of one office assistant and two fire inspectors. PRODUCTION SCHEDULE 1998 PRODUCTION new construction 965 business license 800 special events 115 business inspection trips 2648 total 4528 divided by 3 inspectors= 7 per day 750 businesses inspected PROJECTED PRODUCTION I will mail out information to all businesses explaining new program and include a self inspection form. total businesses 3389 engine companies 600 total left for inspectors 2789 1/4 in compliance on 1ST inspection 2092 '/2 in compliance on 2ND inspection 1046 3/4 in compliance on 3RD inspection 261 all in compliance on 4th inspection total 6188 new construction 965 business license 800 special events 115 business inspections 6188 total 8068 divided by 5 inspectors = 8 per day 3389 businesses inspected