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HomeImportant TopicsBuilding HeightTo the Planning Commissioners: The missing letter from the Arcata Fire District

To the Planning Commissioners: The missing letter from the Arcata Fire District

See also:
Arcata Fire District tells the Council: No building permits, no occupancy of 4-story and taller buildings, please 
A simple request from the Arcata Fire District — David Loya denies it.
Director Loya provides misleading information to the Planning Commission on the Arcata Fire District’s letter
Big Issues of the Gateway Plan: Fire Protection — and a solution


To the Planning Commissioners and the Gateway City Council:

On April 9, 2024, the Arcata Fire District Board sent a letter to 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. 

On April 18, 2024, the Arcata Fire District Board wrote to Community Development Director with a simple request:  To provide that April 9, 2024, letter to the Planning Commissioners.

Director Loya, to my awareness, has not done this. It could have been in the packet for the April 23 Commission meeting or in the packet for the May 14 meeting. But it was not included in those packets.

The letter is on the City’s website: From the SIRP page, to Engagement Information, to Public Comments, to Agency Comments, to April 20-26, 2024. If you didn’t know the letter existed, or didn’t know the date, then you’d be SOL. As it is, the April 9, 2024, letter shows up under the April 20-26, 2024 link. Oh well.

Now, why did Director Loya not include the Arcata Fire District’s letter in the Planning Commissioner’s packet? We can imagine what the explanation might be: That it is current policy to not include letters in the packets, and that letters can be found on the Engagement Page on the City’s website. To this I will say:

  1. That policy of not including letters in the packets was a unilateral decision from the Community Development Department. It was not what the people wanted. To not have pertinent letters in the packet impedes the public’s ability to understand the process. This single action makes the City’s claims about desiring “transparency” worthless. Other cities seem to have no trouble with this. If the proper procedures are in place, it is not difficult to accomplish. We can note that letters received as late as Friday, May 10th, were put on-line on that day. Those letters — and others, including the Arcata Fire District’s letter, could easily have been put in the agenda packet.
  2. This is the Board of Directors of the Arcata Fire District we’re talking about. This is not a letter from a general citizen. Why can’t the AFD be considered to have a special status — and have their letter included for the Planning Commissioners to read as the letter requested.
  3. Without any exaggeration, this is a life and death issue. Also, without exaggerating, when the AFD says “we believe it would be imprudent to approve building permits and begin occupancy in the envisioned residential buildings” that seems like something that needs to be talked about. No building permits and no occupancy in Gateways over three stories? 

This letter is important. If you have not read it or want to read it again, I am including an image of the letter and the text of the letter, below.

A crucial line is: 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.

I want to reinforce a key point. This is not about saving the structure of a building. It is about saving the lives of the people in the building.

“Our recommendation is rooted in the fundamental need to ensure the safety of building occupants and the capacity of our fire suppression staff to effectively respond to emergencies,” the letter states.

There is no argument that buildings are (in general) built better than before, that the design of the buildings are gone through by the Fire Marshall, and that modern building materials and sprinkler systems all help to reduce the danger of fire. But that is not the point.

From what I understand, in the event of an emergency in a taller building, the AFD does not have the number of firefighters that are needed. If they have to wait until reinforcement arrives from other districts, it could be 30 or 40 minutes under ideal circumstances — or more. 

The situation involves smoke inhalation, not the building burning up. This involves people’s lives — not saving a building. 

“The point for us is that, at the current time, for a three-story apartment fire that everybody should be there in eight to ten minutes. We’re actually looking at the final group getting there at 19 or 20 minutes. And if we look at 38 firefighters for initial call out for a quote unquote high-rise we’re looking at 42 minutes. And those minutes would be potentially lethal. People stuck in a building — smoke inhalation — that that’s too long.”
(Arcata Planning Commission meeting, January 10, 2023. 52:31)

How is the Arcata Fire District handing the taller buildings now?

“Basically, we’ve been lucky” is what we were told at the January 10, 2023, Planning Commission meeting.

For more on this, see Arcata Fire District presentation to the Planning Commission – January 10th, 2023  This has the YouTube video of the meeting in that article.

There are many important sections. Be sure to see the section starting at 1:42:50.


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The April 9, 2024 letter to Mayor Matthews and the Arcata City Council

Also enclosed with the April 18 letter to Community Development Director David Loya.

The text of the April 9, 2024, letter. Highlighting added.


April 9, 2024

Mayor Meredith Matthews
City of Arcata
736 F Street
Arcata CA 955271

Dear Mayor Matthews, 

We, the Board of Directors for the Arcata Fire Protection District (AFPD), are writing to emphasize the critical importance of incorporating adequate fire protection measures into the final drafting of Arcata’s 2045 General Plan, particularly concerning Zoning and form code permitting for residential and mixed-use buildings taller than 40ft in designated opportunity zones such as the Gate Way Area Plan.

Our recommendation is rooted in the fundamental need to ensure the safety of building occupants and the capacity of our fire suppression staff to effectively respond to emergencies. Specifically, we propose that the permitting of such buildings be conditioned upon the establishment of sufficient fire protection features, systems, and emergency service capacity as outlined in existing fire codes. These include but are not limited to considerations such as fire department access, roadway width and height, water supply for fire suppression, automatic fire sprinkler systems, and emphasis on occupant egress, especially given our current staffing limitations.

We have previously communicated our concerns to the City in various forums, including letters, presentations, and meetings with key stakeholders. It is our shared responsibility to ensure that AFPD and our mutual aid partners are adequately equipped and trained to respond to fires and emergencies in buildings as anticipated in the General Plan.

To address these concerns, the City, the District, and Cal Poly Humboldt are collaborating on a Standards of Coverage analysis conducted by an independent contractor. This analysis aims to provide guidance on expanded staffing, facilities, equipment, and training requirements, along with associated costs. We anticipate this analysis to be completed by late 2024, at which point we can work towards achieving consensus on the necessary measures to fulfill the City’s obligations to its residents.

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. The AFPD Board anticipates substantial increases in staffing, new or expanded stations, equipment, and training facilities to adequately meet the needs of our growing community.

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.

Sincerely,

Eric Loudenslager
Board President
Arcata Fire District

cc: Arcata City Council