DBI to Revise Emergency-Escape Guidance, Launch AIA Workshops Ahead of March Proposal

Deputy Director Neville Pereira and DBI policy director Jeff Buckley told the Building Inspection Commission on Jan. 19 that the department will pursue multi-stakeholder outreach and a March proposal to revise information sheet EG-02 governing emergency escape and rescue openings (EEROs) for one- and two-family dwellings.

Pereira said EG-02 was drafted because many San Francisco lots are zero-lot-line and the sheet previously allowed a reduced area-of-refuge from 50 feet to 25 feet. "This information sheet allowed single family dwellings to have emergency rescue openings egress onto a rear yard, which had a, area of refuge that was, 25 feet or more away from the building," he said, but the State Fire Marshal later clarified rescue openings must be accessible to emergency personnel. Because some EEROs were not readily accessible, DBI removed EG-02 from circulation and later reinstated it with a procedural requirement that each permit using the sheet file an AB005 alternate-means request so building and fire staff can jointly review rescuer access and occupant self-rescue.

Buckley said DBI and the Fire Department have committed to partner with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) on outreach. "We intend to have a series of three meetings with the design community," he said, describing a process to identify practical compromises, vet them with advisory subcommittees, and bring a proposed revision before the commission in March.

Public commenters urged DBI to coordinate with Planning and the Planning Commission on excavation and below-grade living spaces. A caller who identified herself as Georgia said she had emailed materials and asked whether R2 occupancies could be affected; DBI staff confirmed planning and historic-preservation staff will be part of the outreach. DBI said individual projects that rely on EG-02 should include the alternate-means form so plan examiners can notify applicants and engage fire and building staff case-by-case while the broader policy work proceeds.

The commission did not take a final vote on EG-02 at the Jan. 19 meeting; staff set a schedule of preliminary stakeholder sessions in February and March and said a revised proposal will be presented to advisory committees and the full commission in March.