Orange County Grand Jury
• 2002-2003
• Agency Response
Response to:
Wood Roofs Are Dangerous 02/10/03, 90K
City of Costa Mesa California 92628-1200*
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Note: Missing finding numbers detected: F3
Findings and Recommendations 3 findings
F1
There is a lack of uniformity in local building codes involving roofs for identical environmental conditions within Orange County. Response: We acknowledge that there are different standards being enforced in Orange County concerning residential roofing materials. However, we believe there are different conditions that exist in the County and one standard is not appropriate for all jurisdictions. Although the environmental conditions are somewhat consistent throughout the County, the geographic and topographic conditions differ considerably. The perceived "lack of uniformity" may have a very logical basis for allowing each locale to determine the level of hazard mitigation necessary to provide the degree of safety that is "actually equal" to other areas of the County, and that the citizens of the locale desire.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Each responding jurisdictional agency should consider amending the building code to require the most fire retardant class of roof covering (Class A) for the new construction of all residential structures (Group R) in all fire zones. (Findings 1 through 4) Response: We have considered the recommendation and still believe that Class "C" roofing, as approved by the State Building Standards Commission, is adequate for all residential structures in our jurisdiction. However, we will reconsider this recommendation during the next cycle of building code adoption in 2005, or earlier, due to the widespread use of Class "A" for new construction.
F2
The testing and qualification standards of wood shakes and shingles are below the environmental conditions of Orange County. The standards for fire retardant pressure treatment of wood, Response: used for up to a Class "A" roof assembly, to the best of our knowledge, has proved to be on track with the State Fire Marshal's recommendations and requirements. We do not have any data that would support this finding in our jurisdiction. Nevertheless, local jurisdictions do not establish testing criteria and qualification standards. National testing agencies, such as the International Code Council (ICC), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) are the appropriate agencies to respond to this finding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Honorable Frederick P. Horn May 7, 2003 3. The cities' and county's roofing codes do not adequately take into account the climate, particularly the Santa Ana winds, and topographical conditions unique to Orange County. Response: This may be the case in some jurisdictions; however, we believe that Costa Mesa has adequately considered these conditions as they relate to our community.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Each responding jurisdictional agency should consider amending the building code to require the most fire retardant class of roof covering (Class A) for re- roofing of all residential structures (Group R) in all fire zones, when more than 50 percent of the roof is replaced within one year. (Findings 1 through 4) Response: Such a change would occur in conjunction with Item #1. The Honorable Frederick P. Horn May 7, 2003 In conclusion, our analysis indicates that mandating a stricter requirement, which would exceed State law, for re-roofing homes in our community, is an excessive financial burden on our homeowners. However, we intend to support and participate in the Orange County Uniform Code Program, for amendment and the adoption process of the California State Building Code, through the involvement of our Building Official with Orange Empire Chapter of ICC. We will continue working within the guidelines of developing uniform codes for safer buildings that our community is willing to accept and able to afford. If you have any questions, please contact our Building Official, Rick Brown, CBO, at (714) 754-5273. Sincerely, Chian otaci CHRIS STEEL Mayor Pro Tem City Council Members cc:
F4
Fire conflagrations stress finite fire fighting resources especially during the period of Santa Ana Winds. This is primarily true of communities with wildland/urban Response: interface designated as Very High Fire Severity Zones. Costa Mesa does not have any such zones and the record of past decades does not support this finding as it relates to our jurisdiction. We recognize that some rural areas of the County, that may include heavy brush and vegetation, have caused this referenced demand on available resources on adjoining jurisdictions with mutual aid agreements.
No recommendations for this finding
* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.