A Problem of Accessibility by Nelson Barter
It always goes something like this: We receive a call for assistance from a residence on a dirt road, it might be a fire call or for a medical emergency. The road may have originally been used for a farmhouse or a camp road to the shore. There are now one or more year round residences located there. The occupants give little thought to the road itself and may in fact enjoy the scenic canopy of low, overhanging limbs that create a green ceiling to their road. Unfortunately, what they view as a visual enhancement is to their local fire and rescue department an impediment to timely response.
The results of this are apparent enough to those of us who have to respond to these calls. Although it seldom means that we will not be able to arrive at the scene, our trucks and ambulances frequently bear the scars of encounters with tree limbs. The end result will be something between more body damage to be repaired at a cost of a few hundred dollars to the ruination or complete removal of a piece of a system on the exterior of the apparatus. And it might just be a system such as scene lighting that we will need upon arrival. With just the replacement of a lightbar on a piece of emergency apparatus costing over eighteen hundred dollars, it doesn’t take long for insurers, donors and taxpayers to feel the impact of a poorly maintained road.
Collette Sparks of Orrs-Bailey Island Fire Department agrees that this is a significant problem. “With most of these roads being designed for use of a single passenger car, trees become a real problem for our trucks. Utility one is our biggest piece of equipment and we have to be selective as to where we take it.” If it is your house and the equipment that is needed is on that truck, what will the outcome be if there is a delay in its arrival?
I remember a conversation with a home owner once where I mentioned that it would be helpful if he were to trim some limbs back on his road. He became indignant and replied: “Oil trucks can drive in here, what’s the matter with you guys?” It’s an apples and oranges comparison. Oil truck drivers are not under the time constraints that we are. By nature, our operations involve being in a hurry. Also oil deliveries generally occur during the daylight hours and if the driver finds that he cannot access the driveway, he simply notifies his dispatcher of the problem and continues on his route. We do not have that luxury.
Fire Chief Ben Wallace of Cundys Harbor Fire Department concurs that there is a problem.” Although most of the problems happen in the winter with ice and snow blocking access, our ambulance is always getting scratched up from branches. It receives most of the damage because it is out so much more than the fire apparatus. There have been a couple of times during storms when people haven’t kept their roads clear that we’ve had to use our rescue sled to drag patients out to our ambulance because we couldn’t reach the house because of downed trees.”
Additionally he referred to the problem of maneuvering space for trucks. “One problem that we have is having adequate turnaround areas at the end of driveways. There is a requirement from the State of Maine that this be provided.”
Chief Wallace is correct in this assertion and it can be found in National Fire Protection Association 1 (NFPA 1) which the State of Maine has adopted. NFPA 1 is a broad set of consensus standards that define life safety and fire safety issues within the state. I’ll offer only a brief sampling here of section 18.2 which references Fire Department Access:
18.2.3.1.1 Approved fire department access roads shall be provided for every facility, building or portion of a building hereafter constructed or relocated.
18.2.3.1.4 When fire department access roads cannot be installed due to location on property, topography, waterways, nonnegotiable grades, or other similar conditions, the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction i.e.: your local fire department) shall be authorized to require additional fire protection features.
18.2.3.2.1 A fire department access road shall extend to within 50 ft of at least one exterior door that can be opened from the outside and that provides access to the interior of the building.
18.2.3.4.1.1 Fire department access roads shall have an unobstructed width of not less than 20 ft.
18.2.3.4.1.2 Fire department access roads shall have an unobstructed vertical clearance of not less than 13 ft. 6 in.
18.2.3.4.4 Dead-end fire department access roads in excess of 150 ft in length shall be provided with approved provisions for the fire apparatus to turn around.
18.2.3.4.6.2 The angle of approach and departure for any means of fire department access road shall not exceed 1 ft drop in 20 ft or the design limitations of the fire apparatus of the fire department, and be subject to approval by the AHJ.
Harpswell’s Code Enforcement Officer, Bill Wells, had this to say: “Although Harpswell has no municipal code covering this, it still exists at State level and is enforced by the State Fire Marshall’s Office. We certainly endorse it as anyone needing fire department or emergency medical services will need road access for those services to arrive.”
There is an additional consideration for homeowners. In the event of a house fire, a homeowner will have to attempt to recoup a part of their losses from their insurer. As some insurers can be, shall I say, “difficult” in fully compensating for claims, how much liability can they place on a homeowner if that homeowner can be found deficient in their road maintenance obligations? I don’t have an answer for that but I wouldn’t want to bet on the insurer’s good will if it were my house.
The emergency services of Harpswell have always tried not to over burden landowners with road requirements. We understand that topography can be difficult in Harpswell to make roads and driveways conform to all requirements. We live here too. Conversely, we ask that homeowners who live in remote locations show us some consideration by opening up road access and keeping it open. We can only help you if we can get to you.