Reading time 2 minutes. An A.I. summary of the AP Triton "Standards of Cover" report. It has not been edited here. It was produced on September 9, 2025, prior to the Council / Arcata Fire District joint study session on September 10th.

The City Council has these important decisions to make -- "Arcata’s own Gateway Code specifies that a permit will not be granted on a building that is detrimental to the public interest, health, or safety, or is potentially materially injurious to persons or property." "The Council needs to decide if it is willing to have Arcata grant permits for four-story or taller buildings." "It is my view that the way to get this money is, in a sense, to extort or threaten the State and the CSU system. To convince the State to come up with money for us, they need to be told what could happen if they don’t. It has to be "an offer that they can't refuse.""

Arcata's Gateway Area Code specifically states that a new building cannot be detrimental to the health, safety, or public interest, nor can it be potentially injurious to persons or property. Seeing as the Arcata Fire District has clearly and specifically told the City Council that that cannot provide fire protection in buildings taller than 3 stories, wouldn't that make a 4-story building be impossible to be approved? This is a question for the legal experts to determine.

A listing of the recommendations from the Standard of Cover report. As you read through them, please ask yourself this question:  Which of these recommendations will help the Arcata Fire District firefighters deal with a fire in a four-story (or taller) building? Where is the source of funding to actually expand the capabilities of the AFD, so that they can provide minimal fire protection for taller buildings? Actually achieving fire protection for four-story and taller buildings was supposed to be included in the Triton report. But the report is woefully lacking in specifics and in goals. It is 40% wishful thinking and 60% fluff.

The "Standards of Cover" report was commissioned in January 2024, for expected delivery on August 1 of that year. It arrived at the end of July, 2025 -- one year late. The report is pure bureaucratic fluff that has very little of substance to enable the Arcata Fire District accomplish its aims, which are to provide fire protection for the occupants of buildings that are greater than three stories.

The Arcata Fire District Board has been trying to inform and educate the Arcata City Council for years on the inadequacy of fire protection here in Arcata. Includes excerpt of Arcata Fire District Board minutes, a letter from the AFD Board to the Mayor of Arcata, dated April 8, 2024, and a letter from citizen Gregory Daggett: "While I support thoughtful urban development, the current fire protection infrastructure in Arcata is dangerously inadequate for buildings taller than three stories—a fact that has been repeatedly communicated to the Council and Planning Commission by the Arcata Fire Protection District."

Reading time: 8 minutes -- It is my opinion that, given time, the AFD, the City of Arcata, and Cal Poly will find a solution to the Fire Protection issue. In this BRIEF article, a possible solution is offered so that taller buildings can be planned for in the Gateway area. **** WITH VIDEO from the August 22, 2023, City Council / Planning Commission joint study session.

The full 15-page Grand Jury report on the Arcata Fire District issues. Plus links to articles in the local media on this subject matter.