See also:
To the Planning Commissioners: The missing letter from the Arcata Fire District
A simple request from the Arcata Fire District — David Loya denies it.
Big Issues of the Gateway Plan: Fire Protection — and a solution
Updated – May 11, 2024, 5:25 p.m.
New sections:
Where are the improvements to the Arcata Building Code, for greater fire safety
What’s involved in the required expansion of the AFD
On April 9, 2024, the Arcata Fire District (AFD) Board sent a letter to the Mayor and the City Council, stating that the AFD cannot ensure the safety of people living in a building that is over 40 feet tall — a three-story building.
The AFD also wrote to the Community Development Director, David Loya, and specifically requested that he provide this letter to the Planning Commissioners. He did not do this. (For more on this, see A simple request from the Arcata Fire District — David Loya denies it.)
Rather than provide this letter to the Planning Commissioners as the AFD requested, Director Loya instead chose to summarize the letter in his staff report for the May 14, 2024, Planning Commission meeting. His summary altered what the letter said. He supplied the Commissioners with a watered-down version and he created a summation that was not in the AFD Board’s letter.
Contents
- What David Loya wrote in the Staff Report
- An analysis of those four sentences
- What Director Loya completely left out from the Arcata Fire District’s letter Contents that are not connected specifically with the Board Letter
- What’s the timeline for getting adequate emergency protection?
- Where are the improvements to the Arcata Building Code, for greater fire safety
- What’s involved in the required expansion of the AFD
- For more information and discussion
What David Loya wrote in the Staff Report
From page 53 of the May 14, 2024, Planning Commission meeting agenda packet.
“The Arcata Fire District submitted a letter identifying their considered opinion that that District has a lack of capacity to serve larger scale buildings. The District noted the Standards of Coverage Study it is currently developing in partnership with the City and Cal Poly Humboldt. The District also noted that they seek collaboration with the City to close the service gap. The City will continue to partner with the District.”
An analysis of those four sentences
Sentence 1: “The Arcata Fire District submitted a letter identifying their considered opinion that that District has a lack of capacity to serve larger scale buildings.”
“Identifying their considered opinion” is a bit misleading. It’s not their opinion they are stating. The AFD is going by the guidelines and and policies of the National Fire Protection Association.
“Lack of capacity” — this is in the letter as staffing, facilities, equipment, and training requirements needs.
“To serve larger scale buildings.” Let’s be specific. The letter says anything taller than 40 feet. That would be 3 stories. The letter is saying: Nothing above 3 stories until we get this figured out.
Sentence 2: “The District noted the Standards of Coverage Study it is currently developing in partnership with the City and Cal Poly Humboldt.”
This is true: There is a study in process, expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
This statement is of minor significance. Let’s be clear: The Standards of Coverage study does not solve anything. It does not provide a solution. It is an initial step toward understanding the costs of a solution.
The AFD letters says “This analysis aims to provide guidance on expanded staffing, facilities, equipment, and training requirements, along with associated costs.“
The study does not provide money, nor guidance how to get the money, or even if it is feasible to think that the money may come.
Sentence 3: “The District also noted that they seek collaboration with the City to close the service gap.”
This is false. The letter says nothing about collaborating with the City to close the service gap. Or, for that matter, collaborating with the City to find funding for the needed expansion of services. Or collaborating with the City to help build a new larger fire station.
What the letter does say is “We urge the City Council to consider our recommendation seriously and work collaboratively towards implementing necessary fire protection measures in the final drafting of the 2045 General Plan.” Some of these fire protection measures are in this letter; others were expressed at the presentation by the AFD at the January 10, 2023, Planning Commission meeting. (Arcata Fire District presentation to the Planning Commission – January 10th, 2023)
From the Arcata Fire District’s perspective, “implementing necessary fire protection measures in the final drafting of the 2045 General Plan” has not happened — that’s why they wrote the letter.
Director Loya made this up. There is no current plan on how to close the service gap. From what I understand, the costs of the expansion that is needed is estimated at around $4 million to $6 million per year. We will know more when the Standards of Coverage study is completed. This amount of money is not going to come from a property tax assessment increase. It’s not going to come from the City’s budget.
For more information and an opinion of a possible solution, see Big Issues of the Gateway Plan: Fire Protection — and a solution.
Sentence 3: “The City will continue to partner with the District.”
This is a true statement. But it is not from this letter.
Also, we can look at this statement this way. The Arcata Fire District has stated clearly that they cannot provide adequate emergency services in buildings taller than 40 feet — until staffing, facilities, equipment, and training are in place.
What Director Loya completely left out from the Arcata Fire District’s letter
From the letter:
“However, until funding is established, and district expansion is underway, we believe it would be imprudent to approve building permits and begin occupancy in the envisioned residential buildings.“
By “the envisioned residential buildings” the letter is referencing the over-three-story buildings that are allowed in the Gateway area.
.
Not part of the letter:
What’s the timeline for getting adequate emergency protection?
Probably about three to five years. In the meantime, developers can get their projects approved, they can get a building permit, and they can even (if they want) construct a building. Under what the AFD is proposing in this letter, the building would not be given a certificate of occupancy until the AFD’s expansion is operational.
Where are the improvements to the Arcata Building Code, for greater fire safety
Arcata’s Building Code is looked at every three years. The AFD has proposed (not in this letter) that the standards for 4-story to 7-story buildings be “upped” to be those of a mid-rise building — say, as for a 12-story building.
We’ve been told that there are developers who are ready to build in the Gateway area. If the new building codes are not yet in place, this new development will occur with what the AFD regards as sub-standard building and fire codes.
Would it make sense to upgrade the Building Codes alongside the passage of the Gateway Area Plan?
As has been said, this process of preparing for fire and emergency safety for construction resulting from the Gateway Area Plan should have started five years ago. Not one year ago.
What’s involved in the required expansion of the AFD
We are glad that this Standards of Coverage study is underway.
But suppose it says that in order to provide this coverage, the AFD needs $20 million for equipment and facilities plus an additional $6 million per year for personnel and expenses. Where is that money going to come from?
Certainly not from the City of Arcata, and certainly not from an AFD district-wide assessment. A special-assessment district for the Gateway area could be added — but we have not heard any talk on that. And the added cost per unit might be in the order of $40,000 or more (we do not know now) — as a further issue in terms of feasibility and affordability, and additional disincentives for new development.
For more information and discussion
Lots of articles on the fire protection situation here on Arcata1.com
And here for other Gateway Zoning Code articles.