HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-07-141 - Fire Protection Requirements For New Development1
K KR
Development&
Technical Services
REPORT
Report To: Christina Weylie, Chairperson and Development and
Technical Services Committee
Date of Meeting: November 19, 2007
Submitted By: Tim Beckett, Fire Chief
Prepared By: Phil Mellor, Chief Fire Prevention Officer 741-2927
Wards} Involved: All
Date of Report: October 23, 2007
Report No.: DTS 07-141
Subject: FIRE PROTECTION REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW
DEVELOPMENT
RECOMMENDATION:
"That Council Policy I-1035 (Emergency Access and Multiple Unit Identification Signs}
be repealed and replaced with the Emergency Service Policy attached to
Development & Technical Services Department Report DTS-07-141."
BACKGROUND:
Adoption of the attached Emergency Service Policy will ensure that developers provide facilities
in all new developments that will allow more efficient provision of emergency services to
residents, institutions, businesses and industries alike.
There currently are no policies in place requiring developers to provide adequate water sources
(fire hydrants) for fire fighting in developments containing only small buildings such as town
homes or detailing necessary fire access route signage. Existing policies regarding emergency
access and multiple unit identification signs contain some provisions that staff feel are
unreasonable and some provisions that developers feel are unclear or inflexible and do not
blend well with the aesthetics of there designs. These issues cause problems for staff, citizens
and developers on an on-going basis, city wide.
The intent of this policy is to combine water supply, fire route, emergency access and multiple
unit identification sign requirements into a single document thereby increasing clarity.
Developers will be required to provide these requirements before occupancy, providing more
efficient delivery of emergency services and improving community safety while providing
increased flexibility to developers.
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2007.10.22
REPORT:
The Emergency Service Policy is divided into four sections:
1. Water Supply:
Most developers agree with the rationale behind providing private fire hydrants with the same
spacing, distribution and supply parameters for complexes containing small buildings as would
be required for large buildings or, alternatively what the city's infrastructure provides in the way
of municipal fire hydrants located street side. This however is not always the case. Some
complexes have been left with very long distances to the nearest fire hydrant even though there
is most often an adequately sized water main located on the street directly adjacent to the
development. This condition may result in more complicated provision of an adequate water
supply under emergency conditions, which may result in additional time required to initiate fire
fighting and rescue operations.
The water supply section of this policy is designed to require the provision of private fire
hydrants in complexes of small buildings with the same spacing and distance to the structures
as would be required for large buildings. This spacing is slightly greater than what the
municipality provides with municipal hydrants on the street.
2. Fire Routes:
The establishment of emergency/fire routes and associated signage are usually a condition of
Site Plan Approval and therefore the issuance of a Building Permit for developments containing
small buildings. These requirements are clearly laid out as part of the Section 41 Development
Agreement between the City and the developer.
The fire route section of this policy is designed to clarify existing requirements by making
changes to language and the inclusion of more diagrams, as well as establishing new
requirements for the design and location of fire route signs in order to enhance consistency of
application and provide higher levels of customer service to developers and owners.
3. Emergency Access
Emergency access routes are currently required under policy I-1035 to be constructed by
developers to provide a secondary means for emergency responders to enter into cul-de-sacs
and complexes served by a system of internal roadways where certain distances are exceeded
from the street, incase the primary entrance becomes inaccessible.
Minor wording and diagram changes have been made to the existing policy in the emergency
access section of this policy to help simplify and clarify requirements for both developers and
staff. Some minor deletions have also been made, such as the allowance of knock-down
bollards in place of access gates, as this option is not preferred by staff.
4. Multiple Unit Identification Signs
Multiple Unit Identification Signs may also be required to be installed by the developer, prior to
occupancy, at each entrance into the site in accordance with existing policy I-1035. The intent of
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DTS - 07.141
2007.10.22
these signs is to assist emergency responders in locating individual units and water supplies in
what sometimes are very complicated complexes served by intricate internal road systems.
As with the Emergency access section, only minor wording and diagram changes have been
made to the existing requirements in order to provide clarity and to allow greater flexibility to
developers in the construction, lighting and mounting of the signs. Developers have requested
the increased flexibility to allow them to provide the necessary information to emergency
responders in a way that compliments the design of the complex, without sacrificing any of the
visibility requirements contained in the policy.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
While this policy is expected to slightly increase work loads of some staff in Fire, Building, and
Planning Departments, the increase is not significant enough to require additional staffing or
other resources. Therefore, there are no expected financial implications with the implementation
of this policy.
COMMUNICATIONS:
Consultation with all affected City Departments for feedback and discussion was undertaken
twice with resulting suggestions for improvement incorporated into the policy document as much
as is possible.
Developers and owners will be made aware of the policy requirements during both pre-
application and site plan application meetings with staff. Comprehensive training will be
conducted with all affected departments who will provide both hard and electronic copies of the
policy to interested parties. Additionally, the policy will be available for viewing on the City of
Kitchener web site.
CONCLUSION:
The adoption of the attached Emergency Service Policy will consolidate requirements for
emergency access and fire fighting into a single document that can then be shared with
Planning, Building and Fire Officials and incorporated into the City of Kitchener Urban Planning
Guidelines. The requirements contained within the policy will help in providing a safer, better
protected community through enhanced delivery of emergency services while, at the same time,
providing staff with clear, concise direction that will help provide consistent non-emergency
service delivery and greater customer satisfaction.
Tim Beckett, Fire Chief Phil Mellor, Chief Fire Prevention Officer