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The INDEPENDENT, April 21, 2005
Make sure fire trucks can reach your house before a fire strikes
National Weather Service
predicts a warmer than usual
summer with below normal
moisture. That kind of weather
brings with it the threat of fire.
One of the first things that can
hamper a fire department’s re-
sponse to a fire is the condition
of the driveway. If the fire de-
partment can’t get there quickly
and safely, property losses
climb.
Tree limbs that are not
cleared to 13 feet, 6 inches
can damage fire equipment
and, in some cases, make the
equipment useless to fight
fires. Broken windows, or lights
on top of fire vehicles cost all
taxpayers money to replace.
Broken radio antennas cause a
safety problem for responders
if they can’t communicate with
other equipment or with 9-1-1.
Driveways need to be 20
feet wide with an all-weather
surface of 12 feet. Larger fire
equipment weighs over 25 tons
in some cases, and easily gets
stuck or slides off driveways. All
driveways over 100 feet long
need an area where emer-
gency equipment can turn
around. Some fire equipment is
40 feet long and requires a
large turnaround area. Rural
driveways over 450 feet long
need a section where two vehi-
cles can pass side by side.
Bridges must have an engi-
neered weight limit posted on
the ends of the bridge, or
equipment will not cross the
bridge to fight fires or respond
to medical needs.
If indeed there is a forest fire
and emergency equipment
can’t safely protect and fight
the fire because of the drive-
way, then that property may be
passed by for the next property
that does has safe access for
responders.
If property owners have
question or concerns, they
should contact their local fire
department or the Oregon De-
partment of Forestry.
Example of a driveway with low hanging branches that may
keep firefighters from reaching the house on the left.
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Above, employees of BRIX, a company hired by the State of
Oregon to construct crosswalks, place the stamp template in
the crosswalk after using an infrared heater to warm up the
surface so the stamp will imprint. After the surface cools,
four coats of a cementitious color coating is applied.