Mayor signs Bill 96 relating to fire safety into law

News Release from City and County of Honolulu, May 2, 2019

HONOLULU – Mayor Kirk Caldwell was joined today by Honolulu Fire Chief Manuel Neves as Bill 96 (2018), CD1, FD1, relating to fire safety, was signed into law during a press conference. The mayor thanked City Council members Carol Fukunaga and Ann Kobayashi for their hard work on the legislation. 

Video of the press conference is available on the following link: https://bit.ly/2vBRhdM

Mayor Caldwell signed Bill 96 (2018), CD1, FD1 into law nearly one year to the day since signing Bill 69 (2017), FD1, CD2 into law (Ordinance 18-14) after the devastating Marco Polo fire that resulted in the deaths of four people on July 14, 2017. Bill 96 is the result of many stakeholders working collaboratively to clarify Ordinance 18-14, while meeting its original intent.

Bill 96 (2018), CD1, FD1 does the following:

• Encourages AOAOs to retrofit with fire sprinkler systems by allowing buildings to forego a Life Safety Evaluation (LSE) if fire sprinklers are installed.
• The Life Safety Evaluation is more manageable as the Honolulu Fire Department is working collaboratively with AOAOs.
• Provides additional credit in some LSE categories, including mobility, standpipes, and elevators.
• Pauses and suspends the time period deadlines under Ordinance 18-14 if the Department of Planning and Permitting has not reviewed and issued a building permit within 90 days for the retrofitting of sprinklers, or an alternative fire prevention and fire safety system that complies with the law.

Mayor Caldwell signed Bill 96 near Rainbow Place Condominiums in Mō‘ili‘ili, site of a fire on April 20 on the 21st floor that resulted in the death of an 83-year-old man. During its investigation the Honolulu Fire Department noted that Rainbow Place Condominiums does not have a sprinkler system, and such a system could have prevented the fire from spreading.    

Mayor Caldwell was joined at the press conference by Jane Sugimura, president of the Hawai‘i Council of Associations of Apartment Owners, who worked closely with the City Council and the Honolulu Fire Department on Bill 96.

—PAU—