Goal CS-3: Prevent fires by conducting routine inspections, incorporating fire safety features in new development, and educating the public to take proactive action to minimize fire risks.
With an aging stock of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, Hayward is a community that will likely experience more structural fires in the future. This goal and its supporting policies are designed to protect life and property by preventing structural fires in the Hayward community. Fire prevention is accomplished by minimizing fire risks through education, routine inspections, and requiring building renovations and new construction to comply with fire access and building codes.
Additional policies related to the prevention of wildland fires are provided in the Hazards Element.
The City shall maintain and implement a fire prevention and safety education program for Hayward residents and businesses. The program shall be directed primarily at high-risk population groups, such as seniors and young children.
The City shall adopt and enforce fire and building codes.
The City shall continue to include the Fire Department in the review of development proposals to ensure projects adequately address fire access and building standards.
The City shall require new development projects to have adequate water supplies to meet the fire-suppression needs of the project without compromising existing fire suppression services to existing uses.
The City shall require development to construct and install fire suppression infrastructure and equipment needed to serve the project.
The City shall maintain its fire inspection program for commercial, industrial, and multi-family residential buildings in compliance with the requirements of State law.
The City shall maintain code enforcement programs that require private and public property owners to minimize fire risks by:
· Maintaining buildings and properties to prevent blighted conditions,
· Removing excessive or overgrown vegetation (e.g., trees, shrubs, weeds), and
· Removing litter, rubbish, and illegally dumped items from properties.