The faster firefighters can respond, enter, locate and safely operate in a building, the sooner they can put out a fire or mitigate any other potentially dangerous incident.

Properly positioned fire-fighting equipment is critical at such scenes. In particular, ladder trucks and pumpers need to get close enough to a building to facilitate access and hose line use.

Many structures are situated on public streets that provide fire-fighting access. Others, which are set back from public streets, have private fire apparatus access lanes or “fire lanes.” These enable fire trucks to approach the building and operate effectively.

There are many considerations for both public roads and fire lanes: clear width, clear height, length, turn radius, arrangement, distance from the building, and paving materials. In all cases, the most stringent practicable dimensions should be considered for design, since future apparatus purchases or mutual aid apparatus from other jurisdictions may exceed the specifications required in a given jurisdiction at any given time.

OSHA says minimum building access for fire apparatus is a function of the access road reaching to within a certain distance of all portions of the building’s first floor exterior walls. This limit in NFPA 1 and the IFC is 150 feet for buildings without a complete sprinkler system. For fully sprinklered buildings, NFPA 1 permits this distance to be increased to 450 feet; the IFC leaves this decision up to the discretion of the code official. Further, NFPA 1 requires that the road extend to within 50 feet of an exterior door providing interior access.

The distance from the building to a road or fire lane is sometimes referred to as “setback distance.” NFPA 1141 has additional guidelines for access locations versus building location, with variations depending upon building size, height, sprinkler protection, and separation from other buildings.

Perimeter Access

The options available for attacking a fire increase as more of a building’s perimeter becomes accessible to fire apparatus. A concept, known as “frontage increase,” appears in the IBC and NFPA 5000. If a structure has more than a certain percentage of its perimeter accessible to fire apparatus, these codes allow the maximum size of the building to be increased. Ideally, the full perimeter would be accessible.

During renovations, designers should use particular caution to ensure that the perimeter access continues to meet the NFPA requirements of fire and building codes. The original building site may have been based on a frontage increase. Changing the amount of perimeter access can result in noncompliant building size.

Turnarounds

Long, dead-end fire lanes or roads should provide a means for fire apparatus to turn around. Both NFPA 1 and the IFC require turnaround space for dead-ends that are more than 150 feet long. There are a number of configurations that facilitate turning maneuvers. These include, “T-turn,” “Y-turn,” and round cul-de-sac style arrangements.

Clear Width

The basic clear width requirement for apparatus access in the IFC and NFPA 1 is 20 feet. NFPA 1141 calls for one-way fire lanes that are 16 feet wide; however, this applies to roads that do not abut buildings. A clear width of 20 feet will allow most aerial apparatus to extend the outriggers necessary to support the aerial ladder or elevating platform while in operation. However, some recently manufactured aerial apparatus require 24 feet of clear width for outrigger extension.

Lanes wide enough for apparatus to pass one another will facilitate developing and expanding operations. NFPA 1141 contains a 24-foot clear width requirement for two-way fire lanes. Appendix D of the IBC calls for a 26-foot clear width at fire hydrant locations, extending for a distance of 20 feet in both directions, as well as a 26-foot width in the vicinity of buildings that are 30 feet or more in height (for aerial operations). NFPA 1141 also contains guidance on access in parking lots.

Height

The basic requirement for clear height of fire lanes in the IFC, NFPA 1 and NFPA 1141 is 13 feet 6 inches. Some modern aerial apparatus may require 14 feet of clearance. Potential for accumulation of snow and ice should be factored into height requirements. The NFPA 1 handbook recommends at least 14 feet in colder climates. Newer aerial apparatus may also require additional height. Finally, avoid overhead wires or other obstructions when determining fire lane locations.

In areas with aerial apparatus that may respond to an emergency, the road or fire lane should be positioned at a distance from the building that will accommodate aerial ladder operation. Access too close or too far from the building will limit aerial ladder use. Where a fire lane is parallel to a building that is more than 30 feet high, Appendix D of the IFC calls for the near edge of the lane to be between 15 and 30 feet away from the building.

Marking

Fire lane signage is important, both for the public and enforcement officials. Examples include signs, curb painting, or curb stenciling. A jurisdiction’s requirements must be followed exactly to ensure that no-parking provisions are legally enforceable.

The fire service must be able to rapidly identify and locate a specific building. Address numbers should be placed on the building facing the street or road on which the building is addressed. If the building entry faces a different street, both the street name and the number should be on the address sign.

Numbers should be large enough to read from the street or road. If this is not possible due to the location of the building or due to obstructions, additional signs should be provided. The IFC specifies that address numbers be a minimum of 4 inches high. Some jurisdictions have a higher minimum height requirement, especially for commercial properties. The number should be in Arabic numerals rather than spelled out (for example, “120” instead of “One Hundred Twenty”).