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Fire Code & Pertinent Ordinance Adoption 53 Staff Report Date: March 03, 2008 To: John Malenick, Fire Chief From: Don Drusch, Fire Marshal I am providing the following information for consideration in the adoption of the Minnesota State Fire Code (2007) and pertinent modifications to the Ordinances of the City of St. Anthony. Background. The current Minnesota State Fire Code was adopted by the State of Minnesota on July 11, 2007. The most previous edition of the MSFC was adopted by the State on March 31, 2003. The City of St. Anthony last adopted the State Fire Code in 1990. While the State Fire Code is in effect throughout the State, it is strongly encouraged by the Minnesota State Fire Marshal's office that each jurisdiction formally adopt the Minnesota State Fire Code (MSFC). The MSFC (2007) incorporates and amends the 2006 International Fire Code (IFC) as promulgated by the International Code Council (ICC) of Falls Church, Virginia. It is widely considered to be a companion to the International Building Code (IBC) which also has been adopted, as amended, by the State. The ICC provides a total package of codes (Building, Fire, Residential, Mechanical, etc.) that are intended to provide a complete, comprehensive and compatible set of codes. Adopting the MSFC (2007) and the proposed modifications to the City's ordinances is consistent with the intent to establish minimum uniform requirements for Minnesota & St. Anthony in order to be consistent with Minnesota laws and rules, as well as to address fire safety concerns that are specific to the City of St. Anthony. The Fire Department has been reviewing and preparing recommendations for the City of St. Anthony to adopt, by ordinance, the 2007 MSFC. This will be the first formal review of the Fire Code since 1990. Staff review of the 2007 MSFC reveals the need for City Council consideration to modify and update various portions of the current City Code. These portions include, but are not limited to, • Section 315.05 — Fire Department, modifying language to reflect current practice and authority Section 615 — Licenses & permit fees, establish fee structure, provide mechanism for recovery • Section 1325 — Uniform Fire Code, review, modify, remove obsolete language, update language to reflect current standards. Overview. The City ordinances pertaining to Fire Prevention & Safety need to be updated because of substantial changes made to the model national codes that are incorporated into Minnesota's code. Additionally, technological advances, construction design & materials, and methods have changed since the City last reviewed the code in 1990. The intent is to provide an up-to-date code that will achieve a reasonable degree of safety to life and property. This will allow the use of modern methods and devices which tends to lower construction and maintenance costs. A number of amendments are being proposed to be adopted. Some are to make the fire code both less complex and easier to enforce. Others are to delete obsolete language or add new language not addressed in the MSFC (2007).