4.I.2 FIRE PROTECTION AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES

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1 4.I.2 FIRE PROTECTION AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES 1. INTRODUCTION This section analyzes the Project s potential impacts on fire protection and emergency medical services provided by the Los Angeles Fire Department ( Fire Department ). The analysis addresses potential impacts to service capacity, fire flow requirements, emergency response times, emergency access, and fire safety. This section is based in part on information provided by the Fire Department 1 and on information provided in the Traffic Study 2 and Supplemental Traffic Analysis 3 prepared by Gibson Transportation Consulting, Inc. (included in Appendices M 1, Traffic Study and M 2, Supplemental Traffic Analysis of this Draft EIR). 2. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING a. Existing Conditions (1) Fire Protection Facilities, Services, and Emergency Response Times In accordance with the Los Angeles City Charter Section 520, fire prevention, fire suppression, and life safety services within the City are provided by the Fire Department. The Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to a population of approximately 4 million people. The Fire Department s approximately 3,586 uniformed personnel and 353 civilian support staff provide fire prevention, firefighting, emergency medical care, technical rescue, hazardous materials mitigation, disaster response, public education, and community service. 4 At any given time, there are approximately 1,104 uniformed firefighters, including 242 paramedics, on duty at 106 fire stations across the Fire Department s 471 square mile jurisdiction. 5 As shown in Figure 4.I.2 1, Fire Stations Located in the Vicinity of the Project Site, there are four fire stations that would provide primary fire protection service to the Project Site. The location, distance from the Project Site, response time to the site, staffing, and equipment for each of these fire stations are summarized in Table 4.I.2 1, Fire Stations Located in the Vicinity of the Project Site. As shown in Table 4.I.2 1, Fire Station 61 at 5821 West Third Street in Los Angeles is located closest to the Project Site. The other three stations that would serve the Project Site include Fire Stations 58, 68, and 29. As indicated in Table 4.I.2 1, the average response times for emergency fire and medical services range from four minutes, 44 seconds (4:44 minutes) from Fire Station 29 to 5:32 minutes from Fire Station 58. According to the Fire Department, the response standard is five minutes for 90 percent of emergency medical services responses and 5:20 minutes for 90 percent of fire incidence responses. 6 Fire Station 29 meets this response time criteria for both Captain Luke Milick, Commander Hydrant and Access Unit, Los Angeles Fire Department, correspondence dated August 20, Gibson Transportation Consulting, Inc., Traffic Study for the, July Gibson Transportation Consulting, Inc., Supplemental Traffic Analysis for the, July 2014, Los Angeles Fire Department, Department Overview, Accessed July 9, These figures represent the number of uniformed firefighters that are available to respond to emergency calls and do not include other on duty uniformed firefighters that are involved in training or various administrative and support functions (Source: Los Angeles Fire Department, Department Overview, Captain Luke Milick, Commander Hydrant and Access Unit, Los Angeles Fire Department, correspondence dated August 20, I.2 1

2 4.I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services August 2014 Table 4.I.2 1 Fire Stations Located in the Vicinity of the Project Site Station No. and Location Fire Station W. Third Street Fire Station S. Robertson Boulevard Fire Station W. Washington Boulevard Fire Station S. Wilshire Boulevard Distance From Project Site Approximate Response Time To Project Site a Staffing (24 hr duty) Equipment b 1.5 miles 5:21 minutes 15 firefighters 1 Truck and 2 engines ALS Ambulance BLS Ambulance 2.2 miles 5:32 minutes 8 firefighters Paramedic engine ALS and BLS Ambulances 2.4 miles 5:19 minutes 8 firefighters Engine ALS Ambulance BLS Ambulance 2.6 miles 4:44 minutes 15 firefighters Task Force c ALS Ambulance BLS Ambulance a Most recent data available is b ALS = Advanced Life Support, BLS = Basic Life Support c A Task Force is comprised of a truck company and a two piece engine company (which is two engines or an engine and a pump). Source: Captain Luke Milick, Commander, Hydrant and Access Unit, Los Angeles Fire Department, correspondence dated August emergency medical responses and fire incidence responses, and Fire Station 68 meets the criteria for fire incidence responses. Table 4.I.2 2, Fire and Paramedic Incident Data, provides a listing of the numbers of emergency medical service and fire incidents for each of the four fire stations located near the Project Site that occurred in 2011 (the most recent data available). As shown, the largest number of responses at all four Fire Stations is for emergency medical services. Specifically, these include Advanced Life Support ( ALS ) ambulance responses, followed by Basic Life Support ( BLS ) ambulance responses, and fire responses. As indicated in Table 4.I.2 2, the number of respective yearly incidences among the four Fire Stations in the vicinity of the Project Site in 2011 was 6,592 responses for Fire Station 61; 5,757 for Fire Station 29; 5,732 for Fire Station 58; and 5,298 for Fire Station 68. (2) Emergency Access Emergency access to the Project Site is provided via Wilshire Boulevard to the south and Fairfax Avenue to the west. As described above, distances to the Project Site from the nearest fire stations range from 1.5 miles from Fire Station 61 to 2.6 miles from Fire Station 29. As specified in the Municipal Code, Chapter V, Article 7, Fire Protection and Prevention ( Fire Code ), Division 9, Section , Table 9 C, Fire Station 61 meets the Fire Department distance criteria of 1.5 miles for a truck company. Because there is not an engine company within the distance criteria of 1 mile from the Project Site, the installation of an automatic fire sprinkler system would be required for the Project. 4.I.2 2

3 Project Site (Potential Lease Area) # Fire Station UV UV 2 Fire Station West 3rd Street Project Site # # Fire Station South Robertson Boulevard # Fire Station Wilshire Boulevard Fire Station West Washington Boulevard # 10 o Miles Fire Stations Located in the Vicinity of the Project Site Source: ESRI, 2012; PCR Services Corporation, FIGURE 4.I.2-1

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5 August I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services Table 4.I.2 2 Fire and Paramedic Incident Data a Station No. and Location Fire Station W. Third Street Fire Station S. Robertson Boulevard Fire Station W. Washington Boulevard Fire Station S. Wilshire Boulevard ALS Ambulance BLS Ambulance Responses b Responses b Fires Total 3,174 2,202 1,216 6,592 3,004 1, ,732 2,995 1, ,298 2,394 1, ,757 a b Most recent data available is ALS = Advanced Life Support, BLS = Basic Life Support Source: Captain Luke Milick, Commander, Hydrant and Access Unit, Los Angeles Fire Department, correspondence dated August (3) Water Infrastructure for Firefighting Services In general, fire flow requirements are closely related to land use as the quantity of water necessary for fire protection varies with the type of development, life hazard, type of occupancy, and degree of fire hazard (based on such factors as building age or type of construction). Pursuant to the Fire Code, Division 9, Section , Table 9 A, the City has established fire flow requirements vary from 2,000 gallons per minute ( gpm ) in low density residential areas to 12,000 gpm in high density commercial or industrial areas. In any instance, a minimum residual water pressure of 20 pounds per square inch ( psi ) is to remain in the water system while the required gpm is flowing. As stated in the Fire Code, Division 9, Section , Table 9 C, the fire flow requirement for a commercial land use is 6,000 to 9,000 gpm from four fire hydrants flowing simultaneously with a 20 psi minimum residual pressure. As specified in the Fire Code, Division 9, Section , Table 9 B, the required distance between hydrants on roads and fire lanes for a commercial use is 300 feet. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power ( Department of Water and Power ) provides water service to the Project Site. The Project Site is served by two existing water mains: a 12 inch main beneath Fairfax Avenue and an eight inch main beneath Wilshire Boulevard. 7 The four public fire hydrants closest to the Project Site (i.e., within 300 feet) are located at the southeast corner of the May Company Building on Wilshire Boulevard, at the Project Site boundary; directly across from the May Company Building, on the south side of Wilshire Boulevard in front of the Petersen Museum; immediately west of the May Company Building, on the east side of Fairfax Avenue north of the intersection with Wilshire Boulevard; and on the northwest corner of the intersection of Fairfax Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. Other nearby fire hydrants that could serve the Project Site include one in front of the residential condominium building at 637 Fairfax Avenue, west of the Project Site, and three at the intersection of Fairfax Avenue and Sixth Street. The Department of Water and Power is required to maintain sufficient water pressure to deliver 1,500 gpm flow from each hydrant, with 20 psi residual pressure. Since there are four hydrants in close proximity to the 7 Brian Powers, P.E., KPFF Consulting Engineers, Memorandum dated May 15, 2013, included in Appendix A of this Draft EIR. 4.I.2 5

6 4.I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services August 2014 Project Site and additional hydrants nearby, there is adequate fire flow to serve the Project Site, in compliance with Fire Code requirements for commercial land uses. (4) Recent Changes in the Delivery of Services by the Fire Department Economic conditions over the last several years have resulted in reduced revenues for the City, resulting in cutbacks to City services. For example in Fiscal Year 2009, the City requested that the Fire Department cut its budget by 12 percent. In August 2009, the Fire Department implemented a system of rolling brownouts, referred to as the Modified Coverage Plan. Under the Modified Coverage Plan, the Fire Department temporarily closed 22 fire companies, 6 ambulance teams, 2 battalion command teams, and 1 division command team on a daily basis to save money. The firefighters from the closed companies were pooled and rotated to different companies to fill vacancies due to illness, retirement, or vacation. In July 2011, the Fire Department replaced the Modified Coverage Plan with a new Deployment Plan. Under the new Deployment Plan, none of the City s fire stations are proposed to be closed, and the Fire Department is not eliminating any positions via termination. 8 The new Deployment Plan relies heavily on the Apparatus Deployment Analysis Module, which is a component of the Fire Department s Computer Aided Dispatch Analyst. 9 This software allows the Fire Department to model coverage based on response times, call frequency, and incident types within each fire station district. The software also analyzes area history, response area size/terrain, population density, and target hazards for each fire station district. As a result of the analysis, the Fire Department has refined resource deployment methods and identified the resource type and quantity necessary to handle the fire safety services needs within each district. Under the Deployment Plan, the Fire Department has committed to maintaining a fire engine, associated firefighters, and a minimum of one paramedic in every fire station service area. 10 In addition, as 85 percent of the Fire Department s responses every day are based around emergency medical needs rather than fire incidents, the Deployment Plan realigns the Fire Department s response footprint to better support emergency medical services calls. Under the Deployment Plan, the Fire Department deploys 79 paramedic ambulances, 43 BLS ambulances and 21 ready reserve ambulances across the City. In addition, there are 82 paramedic assigned companies. 11 b. Regulatory Framework Summary The regulatory framework summarized below is described in detail in Appendix B, Regulatory Framework, Section 4.I.2, of this Draft EIR. There are numerous State and local plans and regulations governing fire protection that are relevant to and would be implemented by the Project. At the State level, relevant regulations include the California Building Code, which includes fire safety standards. In addition, the California Fire Code is part of the California Los Angeles Fire Department, Deployment Plan Questions and Answers, What is the New Deployment Plan? deployment plan question and answers/427 what is the qnew deployment planq, Accessed July 9, Los Angeles Fire Department. The New LAFD Deployment Plan. spotlight/136 spotlight articles/416 the newlafd deployment plan. Accessed July 9, Los Angeles Fire Department. The New LAFD Deployment Plan. spotlight articles/416 the newlafd deployment plan. Accessed July 9, Ibid. 4.I.2 6

7 August I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services Building Code. At the local level, Section 520 of the Los Angeles City Charter requires the Fire Department to enforce all ordinances and laws relating to the prevention or spread of fires, fire control, and fire hazards within the City, as well as conduct fire investigations and protect lives and property in case of disaster or public calamity. Additionally, the City s General Plan Framework Element, Safety Element, and Wilshire Community Plan include goals, objectives, and policies for fire protection and emergency medical services in the City. The Municipal Code, Chapter V, Article 7, Fire Prevention and Protection ( Fire Code ) sets forth regulatory requirements pertaining to the prevention of fires, the investigation of fires and life safety hazards, the elimination of fire and life safety hazards in any building or structure (including buildings under construction), the maintenance of fire protection equipment and systems, and preparation of an Emergency Plan. The Fire Code also addresses access, fire flow requirements, hydrants, and land use based requirements for fire hydrant spacing and type. The Fire Department evaluates the adequacy of fire protection and prevention on a project by project basis, including reviews and approvals documenting compliance with these regulations prior to the issuance of a building permit. 3. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS a. Methodology The Fire Department evaluates the demand for fire prevention and protection services for the Project, including review of a project s emergency features, to determine if the Project would require additional equipment, personnel, new facilities, or alterations to existing facilities. Beyond the standards included in the Los Angeles Fire Code, consideration is given to the size of the Project, uses proposed, fire flow necessary to accommodate the Project, response time (an acceptable response time is five minutes for 90% of emergency medical services responses and five minutes, 20 seconds for 90% of fire incidence responses), 12 distance for engine and truck companies (the distance criteria is 1 mile for an engine company and 1.5 miles for a truck company), 13 fire hydrant sizing and placement standards, access, and the Project s potential to use or store hazardous materials. Based on these factors, a determination is made as to whether the Fire Department would require a new or physically altered facility to maintain acceptable service levels, the construction of which could result in a potentially significant environmental impact. As part of the analysis the Fire Department was consulted and responses were incorporated regarding the Project, the Fire Department website was reviewed, and applicable provisions of the Fire Code were reviewed. The potential use and storage of hazardous materials was evaluated in the Initial Study prepared for the Project (provided in Appendix A 2 of this Draft EIR). Based on this evaluation, impacts associated with use and storage of hazardous materials were determined to be less than significant and therefore this issue is not evaluated further in this Draft EIR. b. Threshold of Significance Appendix G of the State CEQA Guidelines provides the following screening question that address impacts with regard to fire protection and emergency medical services: Captain Luke Milick, Commander Hydrant and Access Unit, Los Angeles Fire Department, correspondence dated August 20, Municipal Code, Chapter V, Article 7, Fire Protection and Prevention, Division 9, Table 9 C. 4.I.2 7

8 4.I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services August 2014 Would the project result in substantial adverse physical impacts associated with the provision of new or physically altered governmental facilities, need for new or physically altered governmental facilities, the construction of which could cause significant environmental impacts, in order to maintain acceptable service ratios, response times or other performance objectives for any of the public services: Fire protection? The L.A. CEQA Thresholds Guide incorporates the screening questions contained in Appendix G. In accordance with the City s thresholds, the Project would normally have a significant impact on fire protection if it: Requires the addition of a new fire station, or the expansion, consolidation or relocation of an existing facility to maintain service. Based on this factor, a project would have a significant impact on fire protection if it: FIRE 1 Requires the addition of a new fire station, or the expansion, consolidation, or relocation of an existing facility to maintain service, construction of which would result in a substantial adverse physical impact on the environment. c. Project Characteristics (1) Project Characteristics The Project would include the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the Original Building, the demolition of the 1946 Addition, and the construction of a New Wing, comprised of a Sphere, Museum entrance, View Deck,, pedestrian bridges, and Piazza. The Sphere and pedestrian bridges would occupy the same general location as the 1946 Addition with a reduced building area (82,400 square feet for the 1946 Addition compared to the 42,300 square feet for the Sphere). The rehabilitation of the Original Building would include a code compliant replacement of all fire/life safety systems. The Sphere would be elevated 12 feet above grade and at its maximum height would be approximately 130 feet above adjacent grade. Development of the Project would result in an increase in the number of visitors to the Project Site with an estimated annual attendance of approximately 860,000 visitors, and an estimated daily attendance of up to approximately 5,000 visitors as an average of the top 10 percent of annual attendance days. The Project would also include approximately 135 employees. (2) Project Design Features The following Project Design Features presented in Section 4.J, Transportation and Parking are applicable to maintaining adequate response times associated with fire protection and emergency medical services: PDF TRAF 1, Construction Traffic Management Plan. A detailed Construction Traffic Management Plan including street closure information, detour plans, haul routes, and staging plans would be prepared and submitted to the City for review and approval. The Construction Traffic Management Plan would formalize how construction would be carried out and identify specific actions that would be required to reduce effects on the surrounding community. The Construction Traffic Management Plan shall be based on 4.I.2 8

9 August I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services the nature and timing of the specific construction activities and other projects in the vicinity of the Project Site, and may include the following elements as appropriate: Providing for temporary traffic control during all construction activities adjacent to public right of way to improve traffic flow on public roadways (e.g., flag men); Scheduling of construction activities to reduce the effect on traffic flow on surrounding arterial streets; Rerouting construction trucks to reduce travel on congested streets to the extent feasible; Prohibiting construction related vehicles to park on surrounding public streets; Providing safety precautions for pedestrians and bicyclists through such measures as alternate routing and protection barriers; Accommodating all equipment on site; Scheduling of construction related deliveries to reduce travel during commuter peak hours as identified in the Traffic Study contained in Appendix M 1 of this Draft EIR; and Obtaining the required permits for truck haul routes from the City prior to issuance of any permit for the Project. PDF TRAF 2, Parking and Traffic Management Plan. A Parking and Traffic Management Plan would be developed to minimize potential operational parking and traffic impacts on the surrounding street system to the maximum extent feasible. Components of the plan would include measures to effectively manage and direct parking demand and traffic during Museum Typical Days, Design Days, and Peak Days and Theater Special Events on weekdays and weekends. The Parking and Traffic Management Plan would be subject to review and approval by the City. Parking and Traffic Management Plan strategies, which are anticipated, in part, to facilitate more direct routing to off street parking lots (as shown in Figure 22 of the Traffic Study contained in Appendix M 1 of this Draft EIR), may include the following: Museum Operations Provide directions and location maps with visitor parking options in website postings, marketing, notification and media materials, etc.; Provide information and encourage alternate travel options (i.e., transit carpooling, ridesharing,) for visitors in postings and media materials; Use coordinated directional signage to the Museum and LACMA, including shared parking facilities; Coordinate scheduling with LACMA and other nearby cultural entities, to the extent feasible; Provide designated on or off site areas for employee and staff parking, so as to maximize the convenient parking for visitors; Require advance reservation tickets for certain anticipated high attendance days; 4.I.2 9

10 4.I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services August 2014 Establish a timed ticketing program, as appropriate, to manage hourly and daily volumes on design and peak attendance days, as needed; Identify locations for bus drop off/pick up and staging; Deploy parking attendants or hire a parking service to expedite on site parking circulation and to facilitate stacked parking for visitors in Pritzker Garage during peak Museum hours of operation; Develop smart applications and real time information to inform visitors of the location of available parking; Include auto parking, bike parking, and transit information with tickets and other materials mailed to visitors; and Provide personnel to help entering guests find remaining open parking spaces within Pritzker Garage and Spaulding Lot. Theater Special Events Implement traffic and parking management measures outlined for the Museum, as appropriate; Encourage alternate travel options (ridesharing, transit) in event related marketing/media information; Deploy lane use signs, changeable message signs, etc., to direct traffic to use certain travel routes; Reschedule Museum operating hours, activities, programs, etc., that are not related to a planned special event or program to a different day or non peak periods when possible; Contract with parking operators to provide attendants, flagmen, valets, etc., to expedite vehicle movement in or out of the Pritzker Garage; Assign personnel (e.g., parking monitors) to redirect traffic as needed between the parking areas depending on congestion; Provide and promote certain designated passenger loading areas as approved by the City; Provide parking operators/personnel to direct any overflow vehicles to available offsite locations; Secure additional off site parking spaces and locations, which may include round trip shuttle service to the site for selected events; Conduct a debriefing meeting including as appropriate, event coordinators, parking operators, and security, to review parking and traffic management strategies for future similar events; and Establish an Event Coordination Plan with LACMA that may include additional measures related to events, visitor enhancements, parking, loading, etc. Loading 4.I.2 10

11 August I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services d. Project Impacts Post directions and a map showing the truck route for deliveries, construction vehicles, and other trucks coming to the site; Designate truck routes in relevant contracts, including construction, operation, maintenance contracts, etc.; Prohibit construction and/or similar activities on anticipated days at LACMA with peak or Design Day Attendance levels if such construction or activity is expected to cause overflow parking onto the surrounding residential streets; and Prohibit non essential truck deliveries during event hours when possible. Transportation Demand Management The Parking and Traffic Management Plan would also encompass Transportation Demand Management ( TDM ) strategies to encourage visitors and employees to reduce parking demand and vehicular traffic on the adjacent streets during the peak hours by promoting carpooling and non auto travel through pedestrian friendly designs and orientation that facilitates transit use. The TDM strategies may include the following: Promotion and support of carpools and rideshares; Bicycle amenities (bicycle racks, lockers, etc.); Guaranteed ride home program; Flexible or alternative work schedules; Subsidize transit passes provided to eligible Project employees; Parking incentives and administrative support for formation of carpools and vanpools; Transportation Information Center, educational programs, kiosks, and/or other materials; On site TDM coordinator; Coordinate with LADOT to evaluate the possibility of providing space for a future Integrated Mobility Hub at or near the Project Site; Incentivize the use of transit for Project visitors through discounted entry fees, gift store coupons, etc. for transit users; and Contribute funding to be deposited into the City s Bicycle Plan Trust Fund to implement bikeway improvements in the Study Area. Threshold FIRE 1: The Project would have a significant impact on fire protection if it requires the addition of a new fire station, or the expansion, consolidation, or relocation of an existing facility to maintain service, construction of which would result in a substantial adverse physical impact on the environment. Impact Statement FIRE 1: The Project would not require the addition of a new fire station or the expansion, consolidation, or relocation of an existing fire station to maintain service due to compliance with State and City regulatory requirements and guidelines that address fire flow, fire safety, emergency response 4.I.2 11

12 4.I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services August 2014 times, and emergency access as well as the implementation of Project Design Features related to traffic management. Impacts would be less than significant. (1) Construction Impacts Construction activities associated with demolition of the 1946 Addition and the construction of the New Wing may temporarily increase demand for fire protection and emergency medical services, and may cause the occasional exposure of combustible materials, such as wood, plastics, sawdust, coverings and coatings, to heat sources including machinery and equipment sparking, exposed electrical lines, welding activities, and chemical reactions in combustible materials and coatings. However, in compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Fire and Building Code requirements, construction managers and personnel would be trained in fire prevention and emergency response. Fire suppression equipment specific to construction would be maintained on site. Additionally, Project construction would comply with applicable existing codes and ordinances related to the maintenance of mechanical equipment, handling and storage of flammable materials, and cleanup of spills of flammable materials. Therefore, in light of State and City regulations and code requirements that would in part require personnel trained in fire prevention and emergency response, maintenance of fire suppression equipment, and implementation of proper procedures for storage and handling of flammable materials, on the Project Site construction impacts on fire protection and emergency medical services would be less than significant. Please see Section 4.E, Hazards and Hazardous Materials regarding potential impacts and related regulations associated with methane gas, contaminated soils, vapor encroachment, asbestos, and lead based paint. Regarding emergency response times, construction staging associated with the Project would be accommodated on the Project Site, limiting potential conflicts with traffic on local streets. Notwithstanding, construction related traffic on adjacent streets and temporary lane closures for the curb lanes along Fairfax Avenue (north of the existing building to Sixth Street), Wilshire Boulevard, and Sixth Street (between Fairfax Avenue and the entrance to the Pritzker Garage) could increase response times for emergency vehicles in the area. However, as discussed in Section 4.J, Transportation and Parking of this Draft EIR, Project Design Feature PDF TRAF 1, Construction Traffic Management Plan, would be prepared in order to minimize disruptions to through traffic flow, maintain emergency vehicle access to the Project Site and neighboring land uses, and schedule worker and the majority of construction related deliveries to avoid peak traffic hours. As a component of the Construction Traffic Management Plan, the times of day and locations of all temporary lane closures would be coordinated so that they do not occur during peak periods of traffic congestion, to the extent feasible. The Construction Traffic Management Plan would be prepared for review and approval by LADOT prior to commencement of any construction activity. These practices, as well as techniques typically employed by emergency vehicles to clear or circumvent traffic, are expected to limit the potential for significant delays in emergency response times during construction of the Project. Moreover, as demonstrated in Table 4.I.2 1, one fire station meets the response time criteria for emergency medical responses and fire incidence responses and one meets the criteria for fire incidence responses, and a third station meets the Fire Department distance criteria of 1.5 miles for a truck company. Therefore, impacts regarding emergency access and emergency response times during construction would be less than significant with the incorporation of Project Design Feature PDF TRAF 1. 4.I.2 12

13 August I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services (2) Operational Impacts (a) Fire Flow Requirements In general, fire flow requirements are closely related to land use, since the quantity of water necessary for fire protection varies with the type of development, life hazard, type of occupancy, and degree of fire hazard. As previously stated, the fire flow requirement for the existing Project Site, as a commercial use, is 6,000 to 9,000 gpm from four fire hydrants flowing simultaneously with a 20 psi minimum residual pressure. Also as previously stated, there are four hydrants within 300 feet of the Project Site that provide a minimum of 6,000 gpm with the required minimum residual pressure, as well as four additional hydrants in the Project vicinity. 14 Project implementation would intensify use of the Project Site, but the new uses would still be classified as commercial for purposes of determining the minimum fire flow requirement, and therefore the Fire Code requirement for fire flow would remain unchanged from existing conditions. New construction on the Project Site would still be within 300 feet of at least four hydrants that have the capability of delivering a minimum flow of 6,000 gpm with a residual pressure of 20 psi. The proposed fire service connection to the Project Site would be a 6 inch water line that would connect to the 12 inch water main located in Fairfax Avenue. Fire flow for the Project Site would therefore be in compliance with the requirements of Division 9, Section of the Fire Code and subject to the review and approval of the Fire Department. No new hydrants are expected to be required as part of Project implementation. In light of Project improvements and Fire Code compliance requirements, subject to review and approval by the Fire Department, Project impacts with respect to fire flow requirements would be less than significant. (b) Fire Safety Although the Project does not qualify as a high rise structure, some of the standards applicable to high rises would nonetheless be incorporated into proposed new construction, including a fire control station containing a public address system and telephones for Fire Department use, the provision of at least one emergency and fire control elevator in each bank of elevators, a fire alarm throughout the building, an emergency smoke control system, a standby and emergency power system, stairshaft doors for Fire Department use, pressurized stairshafts, and automatic sprinkler systems. New construction would also be subject to other requirements of the Fire Code, Building Code, and Fire Department that address structural design, building materials, site access, fire flow requirements, alarms, and smoke detectors. Rehabilitation of the Original Building would include upgrades of the existing fire protection and suppression systems to meet current Fire Code and Building Code requirements. Furthermore, in accordance with Division 33 of the Fire Code, the Project would implement an Emergency Plan. The Emergency Plan would establish dedicated personnel and emergency procedures to assist the Fire Department during an emergency incident, and would also establish a drill procedure to prepare for emergency incidents. The Emergency Plan would also establish an on site Emergency Assistance Center and outline the procedures that all occupants should follow during an emergency incident. To ensure that building occupants are aware of all exits and identified procedures, a drill would be conducted by the assigned building personnel at least once annually. This drill would be monitored and documented by a Fire 14 Captain Luke Milick, Commander Hydrant and Access Unit, Los Angeles Fire Department, correspondence dated August 20, I.2 13

14 4.I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services August 2014 Department Fire Safety Officer. The Emergency Plan would be resubmitted to the Fire Department annually, and revised when necessary. Compliance with the applicable regulatory and Fire Department requirements would reduce Project impacts on fire safety to a less than significant level. (c) Emergency Response Times As presented earlier, the Project Site is served by four fire stations located between 1.5 to 2.6 miles from the Project Site. Although the nearest engine company is located more than 1 mile from the Project Site, the Project includes an automatic sprinkler system which would support compliance with the relevant requirements in Division 9, Table 9 C of the Fire Code. Daily Museum operations would add to the visitor population of the area, which includes other museums within the LACMA Campus and along Museum Row. As described in Section 4.J, Transportation and Parking, Project related traffic would significantly impact three intersections with implementation of all feasible mitigation measures. In addition, the development of future bicycle lane improvements on Sixth Street, north of the Project Site, would result in significant unavoidable impacts at three additional intersections along Sixth Street. Accordingly, traffic associated with the Project could potentially affect emergency vehicle response times in the area. Impacts on traffic that could cause delays in emergency response times are addressed through mitigation measures provided in Section 4.J, Transportation and Parking, as well as through Project Design Feature PDF TRAF 2, Parking and Traffic Management Plan, which includes traffic management strategies focused on event related parking and traffic during peak Museum operations, as well as events associated with Theater Programming on weekdays and weekends. PDF TRAF 2 would also provide Transportation Demand Management strategies that would encourage visitors and employees to reduce vehicular traffic on the adjacent streets during the peak hours by promoting carpooling and non auto travel through pedestrianfriendly designs, bicycle amenities, and orientation that facilitates transit use. Even in light of the Project Design Features identified above, it is accepted that the Project would incrementally increase traffic, which could potentially delay emergency response times. It should be noted that there are a number of factors that influence emergency response times in addition to traffic, including alarm transfer time, alarm answering and processing time, mobilization time, risk appraisal, geography, distance, traffic signals, and roadway characteristics. In response to issues that have been raised regarding emergency response times and associated reporting, the Fire Department has recently been taking a number of steps to improve their related systems, processes and practices. Upgrades underway or pending include: installation of automated vehicle locating systems on all Fire Department apparatus by September 2014; replacement of fire station alerting systems that control fire station dispatch audio, signal lights, and other fire station alerting hardware and software; development of a new computer aided dispatch system to manage fire and emergency medical service incidents from initial report to conclusion of an incident; and, use of traffic pre emption systems. A traffic pre emption system, allows the normal operation of traffic lights to be preempted by an emergency vehicle to improve response times by stopping conflicting traffic in 4.I.2 14

15 August I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services advance, providing the emergency vehicle the right of way. 15 In addition to these improvements being implemented by the Fire Department, emergency response is also routinely facilitated, particularly for high priority calls, through use of sirens to clear a path of travel, driving in the lanes of opposing traffic, use of alternate routes, and multiple station response. In light of current conditions where emergency medical responses and fire incidence response times are being met by a local Fire Station serving the Project Site, the traffic related Project Design Features and mitigation measures being proposed for implementation, and the multiple steps being taken by the Fire Department to improve response times, Project impacts on response times are considered less than significant. (d) Emergency Access Emergency access to the Project Site would be provided off Fairfax Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. A dedicated fire lane and other Fire Department access requirements, such as minimum roadway width, overhead clearance, and turning radius, would be provided that would meet the requirements of Division 9, Section of the Fire Code. The Project would be subject to the review and approval of the Fire Department for compliance with these requirements prior to the issuance of building permits. Therefore, compliance with applicable provisions of the Fire Code would reduce Project impacts on emergency access to a less than significant level. e. Cumulative Impacts As presented in Chapter 3.0, General Description of Environmental Setting, 129 related projects have been identified in the vicinity of the Project Site. Of these projects, approximately 37 projects are located within the service areas of Fire Stations 61, 58, 69, and 29 as shown on Table 4.I.2 3, Related Projects within the Service Areas of Fire Stations 61, 58, 69, and 29. These related projects would cumulatively generate, in conjunction with the Project, the need for additional fire protection and emergency medical services. Although a cumulative demand on Fire Department services would occur, cumulative project impacts on fire protection and emergency medical services would be reduced through regulatory compliance, similar to the Project. All related projects would be subject to review by the Fire Department for compliance with Fire Code and Building Code regulations related to fire flow, fire safety, and access requirements. Regarding emergency response times, significant unavoidable traffic impacts would occur at 4 intersections under the Future with Project with Mitigation scenario, as analyzed in Section 4.J, Transportation and Parking, of this Draft EIR. However, project by project traffic mitigation, multiple fire station response, and systemwide upgrades to improve response times, and other requirements imposed by the Fire Department are expected to continue to support adequate response times. Therefore, cumulative impacts on fire protection and emergency medical services would be less than significant. 15 Patrick I. Butler, Assistant Chief, Special Operations Division, Los Angeles Fire Department, Preliminary Report Task Force on Information and Data Analysis, November 2, I.2 15

16 4.I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services August MITIGATION MEASURES With implementation of Project Design Features PDF TRAF 1, Construction Traffic Management Plan and PDF TRAF 2, Parking and Traffic Management Plan in Section 4.J. Transportation and Parking, the Project would have less than significant impacts with respect to fire protection and emergency medical services. No mitigation measures are required. 5. LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE AFTER MITIGATION Project impacts related to fire protection and emergency services were determined to be less than significant and no mitigation measures are required. 4.I.2 16

17 August I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services Table 4.I.2 3 Related Projects within the Service Areas of Fire Stations 61, 58, 69, and 29 Map No. Project Address Fire Station 61 1 Wilshire Skyline 6411 W Wilshire Blvd 2 Desmond's Tower 5500 W Wilshire Blvd 3 LA Holocaust Museum 7600 W Beverly Blvd 4 La Brea Mixed Use 101 S La Brea Ave 5 Third Street Mixed Use 5863 W 3rd St 6 Office and Restaurant 725 S Curson Ave 7 Existing Office 5900 Wilshire Blvd Add Restaurants and Expand Office Lobby 8 Condominiums 300 S Wetherly Dr 9 Mixed Use 915 La Brea Ave 11 Cedars Sinai Medical Center West Tower 8723 W Alden Dr 12 Wilshire and Crescent Heights Mixed Use 6245 W Wilshire Blvd 15 Mixed Use 6535 Wilshire Blvd 16 Wilshire La Brea 5200 W Wilshire Blvd High Rise Mixed Use 17 Restaurant and Retail 5410 W Wilshire Blvd 18 CVS Drugstore 303 S La Brea Ave 19 Residential 6298 W 3rd St 22 Gilmore Project 7929 W 3rd St 3rd and Fairfax 23 Mixed Use 7901 W Beverly Blvd Luxe 375 S La Cienega Blvd 26 Mixed Use 316 S La Cienega Blvd 27 Museum Square 5757 Wilshire Blvd 28 LACMA Redevelopment Plans 5905 Wilshire Blvd 29 Petersen Automotive Museum 6060 Wilshire Blvd 30 Shalhevet School and Alliance Residential Project Fairfax Ave, Orange Ave, 6059 San Vicente Blvd Fire Station Pico Community Center 9001 W Pico Blvd 14 South La Cienega Blvd Eldercare Facility 1022 S La Cienega Blvd 20 Apartments 1417 S Hi Point St 21 Mid City Vons 1430 S Fairfax Ave Fire Station Burger King 4177 Washington Blvd Fire Station Office and Apartments 3323 W Olympic Blvd 35 Gaju Market/ 450 S Western Ave New California Market 47 Western Galleria Market 100 N Western Ave 4.I.2 17

18 4.I.2 Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services August 2014 Table 4.I.2 3 (Continued) Related Projects within the Service Areas of Fire Stations 61, 58, 69, and 29 Map No. Project Address 51 Mixed Use 940 S Western Ave 54 Apartments 3869 W Wilshire Blvd 64 Mixed Use 694 S Hobart Blvd 86 Condo Hotel 635 Catalina St Mixed Use 88 Wilshire Temple Master Plan 3663 W Wilshire Blvd Note: Please refer to Figure 3 1, Related Projects Map, in Chapter 3.0, General Description of Environmental Setting, of this Draft EIR for the location of the related projects. Source: Gibson Transportation Consulting, Inc., Traffic Study, July 2014; Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire Station Areas, 2011; PCR Services Corporation, I.2 18