Form revised December 4, 2006

FISCAL NOTE FOR NON-CAPITAL PROJECTS

Department:	Contact Person/Phone:	DOF Analyst/Phone:
Fire	Diane Hansen / 386-1451	Aimee Strasko Carlisle / 386-4090

Legislation Title:

AN ORDINANCE relating to the Seattle Fire Code, adopting as the Seattle Fire Code the 2006 edition of the International Fire Code with some exceptions, amending and adding various provisions to that fire code; and amending Section 22.600.020 of the Seattle Municipal Code.

· Summary of the Legislation: The legislation adopts the 2006 International Fire Code, with local amendments, as the 2006 Seattle Fire Code.  The express purpose of this code is to promote the health, safety, and welfare of the general public.

· Background: This ordinance locally adopts and amends the 2006 International Fire Code, which is the technical fire code and the edition specified respectively by the State Legislature and State Building Code Council as the minimum standard for use throughout our state.  By adopting such codes locally and making amendments, we are able to address many unique characteristics of our community.  Companion codes including the building code, residential code, mechanical code, and fuel gas code are being submitted simultaneously by the Department of Planning and Development, each a separate ordinance.  

Notable changes between the current 2003 Seattle Fire Code and the proposed legislation are few, but include incorporating updated requirements for fire sprinkler installations in nightclubs as adopted by the 2007 Washington State legislature; refining on-site fire suppression water supply and smoke control requirements for newly constructed high-rise buildings; and adding and clarifying requirements related to the fueling of emergency generators, including the use of biodiesel.  The provisions pertaining to emergency generators will allow for unlimited amounts of biodiesel (Type B100) in buildings protected by automatic sprinklers and up to 13,200 gallons of B100 in unsprinklered buildings.  Local amendments are also included to provide for safe motor vehicle fueling with biodiesel.  These regulations generally pertain to the types of tanks and nozzles used for dispensing of the fuel.

The amendments proposed in this ordinance have the approval of the Fire Code Advisory Board, whose members represent the public, labor, business, industries, and technical and professional disciplines.  The members of this board have been meeting regularly to review the proposed code for the past twelve months.    

_X___ This legislation does not have any financial implications.