Pasadena : Fire Safety Rules Approved

The Board of Directors on Tuesday approved rules for construction crews that are designed to reduce the chance of brush fires in hillside neighborhoods.

Among the rules devised by Fire Chief Kaya Pekerol are bans on smoking, welding and open flames at construction sites. Temporary sprinklers are required. Hoses and a water supply must be available at all times.

To avoid interference with fire trucks, construction workers are prohibited from parking their cars on public streets near construction sites. Contractors must notify the fire marshal’s office of any deliveries of lumber or other supplies that will block roadways.

Nine construction projects are under way in the Linda Vista and San Rafael neighborhoods. But Pekerol wants to stop further construction by asking for a moratorium on building permits in certain parts of the hillsides during the high-risk summer fire season. The board will consider the moratorium at a future meeting.

In a report to city directors, Pekerol said drought conditions have placed the city in a fire-risk condition typically found in August. He cited a fast-moving, 10-acre brush fire June 23 on the Altadena border that scorched the police heliport and a Glendale fire the same day that destroyed 46 homes as reasons for imposing the restrictions.