# Can a fire apparatus access road pass under a shed roof?



## Yikes (Oct 10, 2014)

I have a client with a long, narrow site for storage of building products in outdoor sheds.  Their fire apparatus access road serves double-duty as the access road to parking stalls and sheds.   There is one shed that stores materials that are sensitive to moisture, so they don't want water to get on the inventory during the forklift unloading process.  (A very short process; not parking; engines are running and trucks can leave immediately, without blocking fire access.)

Question: The owner wants to install a metal roof structure over this short portion of the fire access road.  Is this allowable?  It means they are driving underneath a metal canopy roof.

(I looked at Fire Code 503.2.1, and it does not say the lane must be open to the sky - - it only says it must have 13'-6" of clearance.)


----------



## mark handler (Oct 10, 2014)

A fire access road MUST be clear. NO Storage or parking in the clear width.

NO Storage.

Orange County Fire Authority did a comprehensive document on fire roads/lanes with figures

http://www.ocfa.org/_uploads/pdf/guideb09.pdf


----------



## cda (Oct 10, 2014)

Legally yes

Just have to get the ahj to accept it.

I would make it a little higher, to give the ahj some comfort level.

How deep is the property????  You might have other problems


----------



## Yikes (Oct 11, 2014)

cda - the shed height is 24'.

Mark - they are not proposing storage or "parking" in the fire lane.  That said, if I were the fire dept. plan checker, I would naturally be suspicious as to why someone would want/need a shed over an area where they don't intend to park or store things.  I suppose it depends on your definition of "park".  I see delivery trucks stop and idle their engines all the time, sometimes while right in the middle of the public street!  If the fire department has a problem with that, then yes I suppose they should have a similar problem with trucks that do the same thing in their onsite fire lane.


----------



## mark handler (Oct 11, 2014)

Canopy Sprinklered?


----------



## cda (Oct 11, 2014)

Legally it should fly, not much difference than a porte-cochère over a fire lane

Just if the ahj will accept it

Two  other question, are the self storage areas going to have fire sprinklers??

What are the rough dimensions of the canopy

How deep is the property???? You might have other problems


----------



## Yikes (Oct 14, 2014)

Everything in the storage is sprinklered, because it is high-piled storage of building materials.


----------



## cda (Oct 14, 2014)

What are the rough dimensions of the canopy

How deep is the property???? You might have other problems

Sorry but does not sound like a good design, for high piled stock


----------



## JBI (Oct 15, 2014)

As noted above, minimum vertical clearance of 13'6" must be maintained (always check with the FD for specific apparatus requirements though).

At 24' it sounds like they will have sufficient clearance for responding apparatus.


----------



## Yikes (Oct 15, 2014)

cda, the property is deep and narrow, and it has an arc shape so that it actually curves to touch two (perpendicular) public streets.

Fire trucks can enter on one street, drive all the way through the property (including under the canopy in the middle of the property), and exit on another street.  The canopy is in the middle of the property at its narrowest point. FYI the neighbors on either side at this narrow point are (1) a freeway and (2) a city parking lot for city-owned vehicles.

If somehow the canopy were to burn or collapse, the fire department could still access the lot from either street entrance/exit - - it's just that the collapsed canopy would make these driveways into long dead-ends until the debris was cleared and they could drive all the way through again.

(By analogy, the same scenario would of course also be true for any overpass over a public street, etc.)


----------



## cda (Oct 15, 2014)

sounds good

What are the rough dimensions of the canopy????


----------



## mtlogcabin (Oct 15, 2014)

The building can be accessed by the FD from 2 different public streets then I do not believe you need to have a FIRE APPARATUS ACCESS ROAD

 503.1.1 Buildings and facilities.Approved fire apparatus access roads shall be provided for every facility, building or portion of a building hereafter constructed or moved into or within the jurisdiction. The fire apparatus access road shall comply with the requirements of this section and shall extend to within 150 feet (45 720 mm) of all portions of the facility and all portions of the exterior walls of the first story of the building as measured by an approved route around the exterior of the building or facility.

Exception: The fire code official is authorized to increase the dimension of 150 feet (45 720 mm) where:



1.	The building is equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system installed in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1, 903.3.1.2 or 903.3.1.3.

2.	Fire apparatus access roads cannot be installed because of location on property, topography, waterways, nonnegotiable grades or other similar conditions, and an approved alternative means of fire protection is provided.


----------



## cda (Oct 15, 2014)

mtlogcabin said:
			
		

> The building can be accessed by the FD from 2 different public streets then I do not believe you need to have a FIRE APPARATUS ACCESS ROAD 503.1.1 Buildings and facilities.Approved fire apparatus access roads shall be provided for every facility, building or portion of a building hereafter constructed or moved into or within the jurisdiction. The fire apparatus access road shall comply with the requirements of this section and shall extend to within 150 feet (45 720 mm) of all portions of the facility and all portions of the exterior walls of the first story of the building as measured by an approved route around the exterior of the building or facility.
> 
> Exception: The fire code official is authorized to increase the dimension of 150 feet (45 720 mm) where:
> 
> ...


He is calling it high piled, if true needs to meet some high pile chapter stuff

Plus not sure if the road through it, interior storage area, can be reached from the """"FYI the neighbors on either side at this narrow point are (1) a freeway and (2) a city parking lot for city-owned vehicles.""""


----------

