Agenda - Council - 05/27/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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maintain and improve the emergency services network, the League suggests the following guide- lines: The current statutory requirements for am- bulance vehicles, equipment and atten- dants' training should remain in the sta- tutes as minimum requirements. Appro- priate amendments, however, should allow quick response vehicles to respond to emergency situations. With increasing interest in paramedic services, the League supports the pro- viding of easily accessible training on a statewide basis at minimum cost in order to meet appropriate qualifications. While the League supports the continuing development of a systems approach to emergency medical services, we believe that local governments should be closely in- volved in their planning and implementa- tion. The League recognizes the need for qualified, trained individuals in emergen- cy medical service and in support of this recognized need, recommends that both initial and on-going training be made avail- able through an in-service process which will meet appropriate qualifications. State grants and aids should be available to en- able all cities to have access to adequate emergency medical service. Cities agree that alternative transportation strategies that are less costly than full ambulance services should be developed. Fire codes One of the more rapidly evolving legal arenas recently has been the extent to which the public, via state or local governments, is responsible for the safety of buildings through inspections and code enforcement. There seems to be general agree- ment that state government should be responsP ble for enforcement of the uniform fire code, which applies to existing buildings, in la'rge facili- ties which are open to the public, whether they are located in cities or townships. The League would support legislation which clarifies the responsibility of the state to inspect such public facilities as schools, hotels, Iodginghouses, hospi- tals and nursing homes, provided that the state is clearly responsible for enforcement and inspec- tion, whether or not it contracts with local units of government to perform the actual inspection. However, the legislation should permit cities to enact more stringent fire safety codes for these facilities, as well as for other buildings. When a city chooses to enact more stringent fire safety codes, and to enforce these more strin- gent codes by inspection, the city should realize that it may be liable for any failure to inspect and to enforce the code. When a city does not enact more stringent fire safety codes, the state should be responsible for inspection and enforcement of the fire code, on a case-by-case basis, when requested by any poli- tical subdivision (including a school district) or a hopsital, unless the city clearly agrees to accept the responsibility for the enforcement of the fire code. It is equally important to focus on preventin'g emergencies or potential emergency situations through incorporating improved protection fea- tures into new bulling construction, especially in high-risk areas or in certain high-risk buildings. Evidence indicates that if certain protective fea- tures were incorporated, the lives and property of occupants would be better protected and local public safety services would be better able to cope with emergencies at the present level of service, without adding to the general property tax burden. The League recommends that the uniform state building code be amended to permit any city to enact ordinances to require fire protection and building security features that exceed those set forth in the code. Handicapped provisions of the state building code The League recommends that the handicapped provisions of the state building code be made mandatory statewide for new buildings with en- forcement as follows. Any new building to which these provisions apply should be designed to con- for~ to these provisions by an architect, engineer or contractor. If the city, or county if the new building is outside a city, does not have a building official, the architect, engineer or contractor shall also inspect the building and certify to the city, or county if located outside of a city, that the new building has been constructed in compliance with these provisions. This certification must be completed before any city or county may issue a certificate of occupancy for the building or before the' inspection process is completed if no certificate of occupancy is required. -19-