Title
Consider and take action on an ordinance amending Chapter 46 (Fire Protection and Prevention), Article III, Section 46-71 to adopt the 2015 edition of the International Fire Codes, references and appendices (Fire Chief)
Background:
Approval of this ordinance will amend Section 46-71 of the League City Code of Ordinances to adopt the 2015 edition of the International Fire Codes. The City of League is currently under the 2009 edition of the International Fire Codes (IFC.) The League City adopted fire code is six years behind the most recent 2015 model IFC fire code.
Since the City is six years behind in the adoption of the most current fire code, ISO will penalize the City in the grading performance for not having the most current model fire code. Any loss of points is significant for our next ISO study.
The Fire Marshal has reviewed the changes from the 2012 International Fire Code (IFC) to the 2015 IFC code handbooks and has found no significant changes that would mandate a substantial hardship to our residents or business owners. Several changes to the code are typically changed every three years when the International Code Committee assembles to clarify, remove, or add additional code changes. Many of the changes include deletions, word or grammar changes, technology enhancements, or building material specifications. The International Fire Code is a designed document that is developed and founded on principles intended to protect public health, safety and welfare of occupants through minimum building standards. The adoption of the 2015 IFC code will help ensure that minimum fire protection is provided to each existing and new business.
The Fire Marshal will request a few addendums to the IFC code in the future to change specific sections of the code. These changes will help enhance the fire protection and safety aspects for our citizens. We anticipate that the addendums will be brought to the City Council at a later date accompanied with detailed information.
The City has completed the ISO Phase I study and has scheduled the ISO representative for a grading survey on November 16, 2016. If the most recent fire code is not adopted prior to the November 16th ISO survey, the City will lose a credit, which could jeopardize our goal of obtaining an ISO grading of 1.
The International Code Council Code Committees are currently meeting to discuss that next version of the code, which will be adopted in 2018. Every three years, the code committee will develop and adopt new editions for municipalities and jurisdictional authorities. As a City, it is generally a good practice to adopt the most recent code edition, so that the City can keep up with the changing technology and new building standards.
Attachments:
1. Data Sheet
2. Proposed Ordinance
3. Comments from Phase I (2016) ISO Evaluation
FUNDING
{X} NOT APPLICABLE
{ } Funds are available from Account #___________________
{ } Requires Budget Amendment to transfer from Account #_________to Account # __________