Opinion: Fire codes should be proactively complied with, not merely enforced

To the editor: Oakland officials might not have been proactive in enforcing the fire codes clearly violated by the Ghost Ship warehouse, but liability is widespread. I feel facility owners and managers have no excuse for failing to meet even rudimentary fire safety standards. (“Building inspectors had not been inside Oakland warehouse in 30 years, officials say,” Dec. 7)

It is my experience that managers of big-box stores, among many others, view the fire code as something only to have a fire inspector enforce and not something to actively comply with, including basic requirements like egress. In a fire or earthquake, you have to get out.

I retired from a career in institutional access, egress, door hardware and fire safety. I have confronted big-box managers about blocked or inadequate exits, only to be told that the fire department hasn’t complained. That is not enough.

The fire codes change because people die. It is not enough to assume fire safety compliance or no liability just because an inspector hasn’t caught the violations.

Jack Fenn, Montecito Heights

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To the editor: Next time your Republican friends snark about our California “nanny state,” remind them that the Oakland fire is what happens when not enough money spent on protecting the public. Modern life is complex, and the safe exercise of our freedoms is expensive.

Some of us are ready, willing and able to pay our fair share because we value lives that deserve to be protected. It is time to lean on those who are able but are unwilling to do so.

Phil Connor, Alpine, Calif.

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