Fire marshal: parklets to become permanent "shared spaces" with inspections and safety guidelines

The San Francisco Fire Commission on July 14 heard details about the city’s plan to convert temporary parklets into permanent "shared spaces" and the fire department’s role in safety and inspections.

Fire Marshal Ken Coughlin said the department has been working with the Planning Department on a set of guidelines. "Round 1 was released about 2, 3 weeks ago, and I'm waiting for Planning Department to release round 2 of the guidelines," he said, and listed safety items staff are asking to be reflected in the rules, including required space to deploy ladders, limits on structures and management of overhead wires.

Coughlin said the legislation that passed the Board of Supervisors requires additional inspections once spaces are converted to permanent: "They’re requesting a bimonthly inspection of each shared space once they become permanent," he said. He added that applications to convert temporary shared spaces into permanent ones are expected to be filed by Dec. 31, with program implementation to follow in the next year.

Commissioners asked about staffing and cost. Coughlin said the fire department is now identified as a core agency for enforcement but does not collect the permit fees; Planning and Public Works handle permitting and fee collection. He said some programs plan to waive fees through 2023 to help small businesses. The commission’s budget and finance staff said they are analyzing resource needs so the department can be appropriately staffed for inspections.

Command staff also raised safety measures recommended for busy streets (additional physical barriers and setbacks) and noted that the department has proposed limits on the maximum frontage used for a shared space (two parking spaces, effectively about 34–36 feet to preserve ladder access).

Next steps: staff will continue guideline development with Planning, coordinate inspections with DPW, and report back on enforcement capacity and any budget requests.