Stephen Ellison

SF Supervisor Proposes New Fire Regulations For Residential Buildings

A San Francisco supervisor is calling for more fire safety information for structures around the city and is pushing for legislation after a massive fire last weekend in the Bernal Heights neighborhood.

Supervisor Katy Tang would like to make it a requirement to display fire safety information more prominently inside buildings. The five-alarm fire ripped through a two-story apartment building and displaced 58 residents. There were no major injuries and the cause of the blaze is being investigated.

Menawhile, Tang wants to put the onus on owners of buildings with more than three units to provide tenants with fire safety information.

"Ideally a map with symbols to show everyone in the building where things are such as emergency exits, where some of the fire extinguishers are, any information that would be helpful in the event of a fire," Tang said.

For building owners with 16 units or more, Tang is proposing a more expansive program.

"You would actually have a training that occurs every year with the tenant so that they will know how to be safe to prevent fires from occurring in the first place and then also how to react one," she said.

Residents seem to be on board with the proposal.

"It's good to hear that people are thinking about it and discussing whether or not to make it official because i know we live in a very regulatory city," said Natasha Litt. "But at the same time fire safety is important."

Tang was set to present the proposal to the San Francisco Fire Commission during its Wednesday night meeting. An official vote could come as early as next month.

Contact Us