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Extracted from Consolidated Report
This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.
Alameda County Grand Jury
• 2021-2022
Lack of Fire Inspections in Oakland Creates Unnecessary Risks
⚠️ 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.
Findings 9 findings
F47
Page 144
The Oakland City Council has no written plan or timetable for holding Oakland Fire Department accountable to annually complete all state-mandated fire inspections.
F48
Page 144
The Oakland Fire Department does not have an up-to-date inventory of buildings that require state-mandated inspections.
F49
Page 144
The slow, uncoordinated, and incomplete implementation of Accela, throughout Oakland’s city departments including, but not limited to the Oakland Fire Department, has greatly reduced the ability of the Fire Prevention Bureau to complete state-mandated fire inspections.
F50
Page 144
Historically, the Oakland Fire Department has not provided sufficient training for fire inspectors.
F51
Page 144
The city of Oakland presents a uniquely challenging environment for inspections which has resulted in high turnover of inspectors.
F52
Page 144
The city of Oakland’s slow and inefficient recruitment process results in hiring delays and fails to hire candidates with relevant experience.
F53
Page 144
The Oakland Fire Department has not used the citation process for fire safety violations in a manner that results in immediate and substantive improvements to fire safety.
F54
Page 144
The Oakland Fire Department does not have sufficient administrative staff support for fire inspectors to aid in the citation process.
F55
Page 144
The city of Oakland does not have fire inspection information readily available on its website for public review. 144 2021-2022 Alameda County Civil Grand Jury Final Report _______________________________________________________________________________________
Recommendations 17
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R62Page 145The Oakland Fire Department shall report the status of state-mandated fire inspections to the Oakland City Council’s Public Safety Committee quarterly for review and evaluation.
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R63Page 145Oakland’s mayor must meet monthly with the Oakland Fire Department chief focusing on progress toward the goal of 100% compliance with state-mandated fire inspections.
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R64Page 145The city of Oakland must develop a dependable, cross-agency, up-to-date inventory of buildings needing state-mandated fire inspections.
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R65Page 145The Oakland Fire Department, in partnership with the Accela Task Force, must evaluate the Oakland Fire Department team and the work plan for the Oakland Fire Department’s Accela implementation, including the possible addition of administrative permission for the Oakland Fire Department to allow the Oakland Fire Department Accela liaison to make direct changes to the Accela interface.
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R66Page 145The Oakland Fire Department executive staff must meet regularly with the Oakland Fire Department Accela liaison to evaluate the status of Accela implementation within the department, including the status of Accela’s performance in aiding inspections.
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R67Page 145The Oakland Fire Chief must evaluate personnel assignments to ensure the appropriate liaison with systems and operational knowledge is in place for the critical implementation of Accela.
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R68Page 145The Oakland Fire Chief must evaluate the implementation of Accela support and training available for state-mandated inspectors.
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R69Page 145The Oakland Fire Department must assess its Accela working group to ensure that the fire department’s automated needs in the Accela program are being met. This should include an automated online system for documenting all state-mandated inspections, the ability to document all follow-up inspections, and the ability to access data for statistical analysis of inspection results. 145 2021-2022 Alameda County Civil Grand Jury Final Report _______________________________________________________________________________________
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R70Page 146The Oakland Fire Department must ensure that all fire inspection training meets or exceeds the standards provided by the California Office of the Fire Marshal, and that a sufficient number of staff are cross-trained to ensure that fire inspections are completed.
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R71Page 146The Oakland Fire Department must create a clear career path for professional advancement of fire inspectors.
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R72Page 146Oakland Fire Department leadership must work to raise the status of the Fire Prevention Bureau, so it is on par with the status and esteem afforded firefighters within the department.
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R73Page 146The Oakland Fire Department must establish clear expectations for the number of completed inspections on a daily/weekly basis to reach the 100% inspection goal.
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R74Page 146The Oakland Fire Chief must authorize a salary and job study to determine the placement of Fire Prevention Bureau personnel in comparison to other large cities. Results should be shared with the mayor, city council, and Oakland’s human resources department.
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R75Page 146The city of Oakland must reform its hiring process to allow for more rapid filling of open positions in order to hire more experienced fire inspectors.
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R76Page 146The Oakland Fire Chief and Fire Prevention Bureau Fire Marshal must provide all inspectors with sufficient training that includes clear guidelines on how and when to cite violators. This must include a written policy that outlines specific actions and inspectors’ authority when citing.
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R77Page 146The Oakland Fire Department must provide the Fire Prevention Bureau with administrative staff to support the fire inspectors to process noncompliance citations and prepare for court appearances if necessary.
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R78Page 146State-mandated fire inspection data should be easily accessible on the city of Oakland’s public information web page. 146 2021-2022 Alameda County Civil Grand Jury Final Report _______________________________________________________________________________________