Section 503.1 Amended - Where required. Fire apparatus access roads, including private residential driveways, shall be required for every building hereafter constructed when any portion of an exterior wall of the first story is located more than 150 feet from the closest point of an approved fire department vehicle access.
Fire apparatus access roads, except private residential driveways, shall be provided and maintained for purposes of rapid and reliable fire apparatus access and for unobstructed traffic circulation for evacuation or relocation of civilians during a wildfire or other emergency. Fire apparatus access roads shall be provided and maintained in compliance with this section and the most recent edition and any amendments thereto, of public and private road standards as adopted by the City of Murrieta. The fire code official may modify the requirements of this section if the modification provides equivalent access.
Section 503.1.2 Amended - Additional access. The fire code official is authorized to require more than one fire apparatus access road based on the potential for impairment of a single road by vehicle congestion, condition of the terrain, climatic conditions, or other factors that could limit access. When additional fire apparatus access roads are necessary, the additional fire apparatus access road must be remote from the primary fire apparatus access road and be approved by the fire code official.
Section 503.2.1 Amended - Dimensions. The dimensions of fire apparatus access roads shall be in accordance with the following:
(a) The width of an approved fire apparatus access road is measured flow-line to flow-line. All fire apparatus access roads shall have and maintain an unobstructed vertical clearance of not less than 13 feet 6 inches.
(b) Fire apparatus access roads shall have an unobstructed improved width of not less than 24 feet, except for single-family residential driveways serving no more than two single-family dwellings, which shall have a minimum of 14 feet of unobstructed improved width. Any of the following, which have separated lanes of one-way traffic: gated entrances with card readers, guard stations, or center medians, are allowed, provided that each lane is not less than 16 feet wide.
(c) Fire apparatus access roads serving multi-family structures shall have an unobstructed improved width of not less than 24 feet. The fire code official may require additional access road improvements, including 26 feet of roadway width when necessary to accommodate an Aerial Fire Apparatus.
(d) Fire apparatus access roads serving commercial, industrial, or buildings greater than two stories shall have an unobstructed improved width of not less than 26 feet to accommodate an Aerial Fire Apparatus. The fire code official may require additional access road improvements necessary to accommodate an Aerial Fire Apparatus.
Section 503.2.3 Amended - Surface. Fire apparatus access roads shall be designed and maintained to support the imposed loads of fire apparatus at 75,000 pounds and shall be hard-surfaced, paved, or concrete and suitable for fire apparatus. Pervious pavers may be used when designed, installed, and maintained to hold the imposed loads of fire apparatus at 75,000 pounds and are approved by the fire code official. In rural areas, all-weather surfaces may be utilized for fire apparatus access roads where slopes permit. All-weather surfaces must be maintained to engineered standards, failure to do so will result in violations as outlined in 15.24.120.
Section 503.6.1 Added - Automatic opener. New motorized gates shall be provided with means to be automatically opened remotely by emergency vehicles.
(Ord. 584 § 1, 2022)