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6C.03a Access Road. Adequate emergency access is a minimum 20 foot wide unobstructed fire apparatus access road with an unobstructed vertical clearance of 13.5 feet and meets all applicable standards as set forth in Section 502 of the NC Fire Prevention Code. Access shall be provided for any building or facility which is set back more than 150 feet from a public street or exceeds 30 feet in height and is set back more than 50 feet from a public street. Roads shall be at least 20 feet in width with the street edge closest to the building at least 10 feet away from the building and no more than 30 feet from the building. The surface of the fire lane shall be paved with a minimum of 6 inches of ABC stone and 2 inches of S 9.5 B or other approved driving surface capable of supporting the imposed load of fire apparatus weighing at least 75,000 pounds.
6C.03b Road Grade. Fire apparatus access roads shall not exceed 15 percent in grade. Where an approved fire protection system is installed, grades steeper than 15 percent but less than 18 percent are permitted, as approved by the Fire Chief and the City Engineer or their designees.
6C.03c Turning Radius. The minimum turning radii shall provide the radius needed to accommodate an American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) SU-30 / Rt=42ft” vehicle template.
6C.03d Dead Ends. Dead-end fire apparatus access roads in excess of 150 feet shall be provided with approved turnaround provisions.
6C.03e Fire Apparatus Access Road Gates. The installation of security gates across a fire apparatus access road shall be approved by the fire code official. Gates securing the fire apparatus access roads shall comply with all of the following criteria:
1. The minimum clear gate width shall be 20 feet. Minimum gate set back from intersections with private/ public streets shall be a minimum distance of 40 feet, or as determined by the Fire Chief and City Engineer or their designees, to allow the emergency vehicle clearance to safely operate the gate.
2. Gates shall be of the horizontal swinging or sliding type. Vertically operating gates are not permitted. The access road shall be painted with yellow striping to show the depth of the gate swing. Swinging gates shall be posted with a sign that states “CAUTION - GATE OPENS IN” or OUT” as appropriate. The gates shall be designed so that the access roadway turning radius shall not be obstructed by the operation of the gate. Gates cannot move across public property or obstruct any pedestrian use areas, such as sidewalks.
3. Construction of gates shall be of materials that allow manual operation by one person. Hardware used to disengage a power operated gate mechanism shall be identified, with a different color or markings, so as to be visually distinctive from the rest of the controls and mechanisms.
4. Gate components shall be maintained in an operative condition at all times and replaced or repaired when defective. Inoperative gates shall remain in the full open position until repaired or operating power is restored.
5. All gates limiting access will be required to provide emergency access controls for Fire Department entry. Access gates are required to be electrically motorized or attended by continuous staffing at the gate location(s). Operation at the electrically motorized gate shall be by an approved audible preemption device and coded keypad (siren operated sensor). Gates must fully open within 15 seconds of activation and remain in the open position until closed by operation of the electrical control device. A coded number override key pad is required so that the police department may make a silent entry. Access controls shall be exterior to the gate and located for activation by the vehicle operator without dismounting from the vehicle. The key pad control pedestal must be identified with an approved sign. This sign must be securely fastened to the pedestal and legible from the approaching vehicle. The gate must have an emergency power backup system designed for continuous duty OR open and hold the gate open until line power is restored. Emergency opening devices shall be approved by the fire code official.
6. Manual opening gates shall not be locked with a padlock or chain and padlock unless they are capable of being opened by means of forcible entry tools or by use of a KNOX padlock. Manual gates are not approved for use on required fire department access roads.
7. Locking device specifications shall be submitted for approval by the fire code official. Plans and specifications for gate systems shall be submitted to the City of Asheville Fire Marshal’s Office for review, permitting, and approval prior to installation.
6C.04a One or Two-Family Residential Developments. Developments of one or two-family dwellings where the number of dwelling units exceeds 30 shall be provided with separate and approved fire apparatus access roads. Where there are 30 or fewer dwelling units on a single public or private access road and all dwelling units are protected by approved residential sprinkler systems, access from two (2) directions shall not be required. The number of dwelling units on a single fire apparatus access road shall not be increased unless the access road will connect with future development, as determined by the Fire Code Official.
6C.04b Multiple-Family Residential Developments. Multiple-family residential projects having more than 100 dwelling units shall be equipped throughout with two (2) separate and approved fire apparatus access roads. Projects having up to 200 dwelling units may have a single approved fire apparatus access road when all buildings, including nonresidential occupancies, are equipped throughout with approved automatic sprinkler systems.
Multiple-family residential projects having more than 200 dwelling units shall be provided with two (2) separate and approved fire apparatus access roads regardless of whether they are equipped with an approved automatic sprinkler system.
6C.04c Commercial Developments. Buildings or facilities having a gross building area of more than 62,000 square feet shall be provided with two (2) separate and approved fire apparatus access roads. Projects having a gross building area of up to 124,000 square feet may have a single approved fire apparatus access road when all buildings are equipped throughout with approved automatic sprinkler systems.
6C.04d High Rise and Mid Rise Developments. High rise and mid rise buildings shall be provided with approved fire apparatus access roads capable of accommodating fire department aerial apparatus. Overhead utility and power lines shall not be located within the aerial fire apparatus access area. Fire apparatus access roads shall have a minimum unobstructed width of 26 feet in the immediate vicinity. At least one of the required access routes meeting this condition shall be located within a minimum of 15 feet and a maximum of 30 feet from the building, and shall be positioned parallel to one entire side of the building. The grade for an aerial apparatus access lane shall not exceed five percent (5%). In no case shall the maximum grade for an aerial apparatus access road exceed 10 percent.
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