Proposed Mount Pleasant Library Plans
FIRE SAFETY ISSUES
On June 2, 2010, Fire Chief Rubin and Fire Marshall Faust visited the Mount
Pleasant Library. Upon review of DCPL's proposed expansion plans and ANC-1C's
expert report put forward by Nichols Design Associates, Chief Rubin stated,
"I do not see the need nor can I support this suggestion [fire access lane]
as improving the fire operations and life safety requirements for any of the
buildings that are adjacent to the library."
See the entire email from Chief Rubin here.
There are several problems with Chief Rubin's analysis:
- It has been more than two years since the devastating Deauville Apartment
fire. It was an eight-alarm fire that destroyed two large buildings along
the Mount Pleasant residential corridor. There has been no attempt that anyone
is aware of to discuss how to prevent fires along this corridor since, despite
the fact that DCPL's proposed Mount Pleasant Library plans will block yet
another emergency access point off of Lamont Street. There has been no meaningful
discussion among the apartment buildings about sprinkling these buildings.
There has been no discussion about why DCFD could not readily get to the rear
of the Deauville Apartment to douse the fire from the rear of the building.
The stories of how the DCFD pulled hoses through the Park Marconi apartments
has been quietly put under the table. Yet, Chief Rubin unequivocally says
he cannot support the idea of exploring the use of a fire access lane behind
the library so they could help save people and put out fires more easily along
this dense residential corridor which will become denser with the expansion.
- Chief Rubin dismisses the idea of a fire lane per Appendix D of the International
Fire Code because it has not been adopted by the DC Council. But he forgets
to tell you that Appendix D is something that DCFEMS wants the Council to
adopt as part of DC Code and that it carries the moral weight of what is viewed
as safe building code at the international level. Just because these rules
around fire access haven't yet been adopted by a belabored City Council, doesn't
mean the City should not try to reach such internationally recognized safety
benchmarks to provide the residents of Ward One as much emergency access as
possible.
- The Nichols
Design Associates Report and NDA
Supplemental Report, clearly requests that Chief Rubin explain how response
time will be affected if DCPL builds their proposed large expansion. Chief
Rubin has not done this. In particular, the NDA Supplemental Report says,
- The NDA Report further goes on to refute what Chief Rubin states in his
email, where that even buildings which are renovated
should include a fire access lane as part of the construction plans, as shown
below:
- Additionally, Chief Rubin did not contact any of the local ANC's who have
expressed deep concern about the proposed plans so they could look at the
site together. Chief Rubin fails to acknowledge his concerns from a year ago
that the expansion will be quite close to the surrounding apartments. At that
time, the Fire Chief said that the more distance there is between buildings,
the less likely it becomes a fire that can jump the gap and burn other buildings,
including the library. The proposed library expansion plans will bring the
library less than twenty feet from the surrounding apartment buildings. See
the video below.
- Further, Chief Rubin does not address how the proposed plans will totally
eliminate an emergency access point from Lamont Street to the rear of the
library and to the many apartments that exist along this residential corridor.
Why is the Fire Chief ok with this plan especially given that DCFD refers
to this Mount Pleasant and this area as a "trouble
spot."
- Why isn't the Chief lending suggestions at this point.
In his email to CM Graham, Chief Rubin was quick not to support the idea
of a fire lane, but by rejecting an idea he doesn't magically increase fire
emergency access. The bottom-line is, we want our leaders to step up and show
us how we can increase fire access to about one-thousand residents who live
along the Mount Pleasant residential corridor, and we want this reflected
in the proposed Mount Pleasant Library designs.
For example, if we were to keep the accessibility ramp at the front of the
library and place a fire plug at the end of a paved patio/roadway along the
side of the library, then a fire pumper truck could drive in and access the
water plug where hoses could be attached so to run down the back of this residential
corridor to douse fires. This is seen below:
Or better yet, we get the fire access lane that is required by International
Fire Code which would allow fire ladder truck and pump access to help save
residents in buildings taller than 30 feet and to douse fires using an aerial
hose, as shown below:
