Local News in Brief : Santa Ana : Council OKs High-Rise Sprinkler Ordinance

The City Council on Monday unanimously adopted an ordinance requiring installation of fire sprinkler systems in high-rise buildings constructed before 1974.

Twelve buildings will be affected by new ordinance, including the eight-story City Hall and the 11-story Segerstrom Center on North Main Street.

Four buildings that would otherwise need fire sprinklers are exempt from local building and fire code regulations: the state, federal and county administration buildings in the Civic Center complex and Western Medical Center on North Tustin Avenue.

A state law enacted in 1974 required fire sprinklers for new buildings at least 75 feet tall. But older structures, such as the 62-story First Interstate Bank building in downtown Los Angeles, which was partially gutted in a deadly blaze last May, remained exempt from the sprinkler provision.

Under the new ordinance, the owners of the 12 Santa Ana buildings must install fire sprinklers within five years or vacate their buildings above the second floor.

The state Legislature last month passed a law that would have granted building owners up to nine years to install sprinkler systems, rendering the Santa Ana ordinance moot. But Gov. George Deukmejian vetoed the bill last week, saying he objected to a provision that prevented local jurisdictions from adopting more stringent regulations.

The buildings affected by the ordinance are: The Professional Building, 811 N. Broadway, six stories, built in 1972; the Sakioka Building, 900 N. Broadway, 10 stories, built in 1960; the Broadway Office Center, 1600 N. Broadway, 10 stories, built in 1971; Santa Ana City Hall, 20 Civic Center Plaza, eight stories, built in 1972; Orange County Federal Credit Union, 401 W. Civic Center Drive, 10 stories, built in 1970; Security Pacific Bank Building, 888 N. Main St., 10 stories, built in 1965;

First Interstate Bank Building, 1010 N. Main St., seven stories, built in 1965; Segerstrom Center, 1055 N. Main St., 11 stories, built in 1970; Crocker Bank Building, 1200 N. Main St., nine stories, built in 1971; Fidelity Federal Savings & Loan, 2700 N. Main St., 12 stories, built in 1970; Santa Ana-Tustin Medical Center, 801 N. Tustin Ave., seven stories, built in 1974, and Howard Johnson Hotel, 1600 E. 1st St., 10 stories, built in 1971.