Baltimore needs fire code update

Recent coverage of the Baltimore City Council’s legislation amending the International Fire Code (IFC) implies it’s about the Fire Department versus bicyclists. Not only is this inaccurate – it’s really not about anybody versus anybody – but it’s definitely not only bicyclists with an interest in the resolution (“City Council repeals part of fire code to accommodate bike lanes, development,” Aug. 7). The real estate development industry, which invests hundreds of millions of dollars in Baltimore’s economy every year and provides places for Baltimoreans to live and work, also supports these changes to an outdated and overly suburban fire code.

For many years, Baltimore has followed the IFC, which includes optional minimum requirements for street widths the city has adopted. These requirements have already been removed from the IFC in some of Baltimore’s peer cities containing established streets grids and many narrow streets. It is simply impractical to impose these minimum widths which are designed largely for new, suburban development.

Importantly, the City Council’s action does not remove the Fire Department from project review. It just removes the restrictive and arbitrary provisions from the code so the city’s permitting process can account for all the complexities of building in Baltimore including fire safety.