Memo 08-43

To: Walt Wrede, City Manager

From: Robert Painter, Fire Chief

CC:

Date: March 19, 2008

Re: Proposed Changes to Road Design Standards

I would like to comment on the proposed changes to the Road Design Standards recommended by the Transportation Advisory Committee as they would impact steep slope development. While I can appreciate the strong desire to permit the use of less than ideal areas of the community for development due to limited suitable areas to build upon I have serious concerns about modifying existing Road Standards to permit such development. I would like to point out just three major areas of concern as they relate to the fire department and emergency management (disaster response).

Roadway Width:

Decreasing the required width of roadways within the jurisdiction is extremely counterproductive to emergency response and could seriously impede both response to an emergency and evacuation of residents away from danger in the event of a fire (structural or wildland) or other major disaster requiring emergency access to or evacuation away from a hazardous situation. As a minimum the International Fire Code (IFC), 2006 edition requires a 20 ft wide “access” road to even permit the passage of two fire trucks side-by-side on the same roadway. If we can only permit the flow of traffic one direction any Incident Commander would be hesitant to send in equipment and personnel without adequate egress potential. In fact that is one of the “red flag” warnings all fire incident commanders are cautious about. Even responding with adequate personnel and equipment to a fire in a single family residence often requires the use of tanker shuttles moving loads of water to the fire, quickly turning around and leaving to refill and return with another load. Unless the roads are wide enough for two large apparatus to pass safely there will be no other way to provide adequate water to the scene of a fire off the hydrant system. The IFC requires even wider roadways if the street has fire hydrants along its path. Public safety could be even more in jeopardy if there were a large wildfire or other natural or man made disaster that required simultaneous evacuation of residents and emergency vehicle response to the area.

Cul-de-sac Radius:

Again, with new design criteria for steep slope development modifying the existing cul-de-sac radius there could be harmful implications for emergency response. To cite the IFC again under Appendix D Fire Apparatus Access Roads, access roads over 150 feet long require either a 120-foot Hammerhead, 60-foot “Y” or 96-foot diameter cul-de-sac. Roads over 500 feet long require the same turn-around requirements but a 26 foot wide roadway. These requirements are all internationally accepted standards for emergency vehicle access and egress. Just because a property is situated on a “steep slope” does not mitigate the potential need for emergency response or resident egress. Minimizing accepted safety standards to encourage development is counterproductive to both public safety and sustainable development.

Road Grade:

Road grade has been another serious issue that we have had to deal with over the years. In short, there has been some construction allowed over the years that we will not be able to safely respond fire apparatus to. It is time to take a strong stand on permissible grades for roads. The IFC permits up to a 10 % grade, unless specifically approved by the local fire chief. With the long winters with potential for less than ideal road surfaces (ice, packed snow) I would be hesitate to allow road grades greater than 10% except in very specific situations (short runs, level areas above and below the steeper grades). With trucks weighing between 45,000 and 57,000 pounds each it doesn’t take much to initiate a skid on an icy surface, even with studs. With the cost of a new fire truck at nearly $500,000 is it worth the risk to equipment to permit steeper roads than already permitted, not to mention the risk of injury or death to personnel?

I would recommend that in the cause of public safety that the Council not accept the proposed changes to the existing requirements and give consideration to formally adopting the Fire Department Access provisions of the International Fire Code, 2006 Edition to eliminate future questions as to the need of the fire department regarding year-round access to properties we are responsible for.