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Department
Building Identification
To assist emergency responders in locating properties, building address numbers must be
visible from the street. Premises or building identification is covered in Section 10.11
of NFPA 1, Fire Code. Address numbers can be mounted either on the building itself or, if
the building is not visible from the street, on a post located on the street. The numbers should
be designed to contrast the background of the building or post and be large enough to be
easily seen from the street.
These access roads should be kept unobstructed to a width of not less than 20 ft (6.1 m) and a
height of not less than 13 ft 6 in. (4.1 m). Keep in mind that these widths and heights may be
altered by the local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) to accommodate responding
apparatus. It is also important to maintain the proper turning radius needed for the responding
apparatus and ensure that any required turnaround space is also kept clear. If the access road
has a dead end that is greater than 150 ft (46m), a turnaround space is required.
To ensure that your fire apparatus access roads are unobstructed from any parked vehicles or
other obstructions, it may be a good idea to provide signs or roadway markings. This is
something that may also be required by the AHJ.
Access Boxes
The fire department must be able to open any doors leading into the building that may be
locked. This means an access box may be required by the AHJ to give the fire department the
ability to obtain keys to unlock the building during an emergency. Typically, these access
boxes are located near the front entrance of the building. If these access boxes are not
provided, it is likely that the first responders may need to perform some forcible entry to gain
access to the building, which means doors may be damaged or destroyed.
If access to the premises is secured by a locked gate, then the fire department must be
provided with an approved device or system to unlock the gate. This could be done with the
installation of an access box on or near the gate that contains keys to the gate, or the
responding fire department can be provided with an access card or other security device.
Fire Hydrants
The fire department also needs access to water. This is typically done by connecting to fire
hydrants located on or near the property. All fire hydrants should be maintained so that a
clear space of not less than 36 in. (914 mm) is provided all the way around the hydrant.
Additionally, a clear space of 60 in. (1524 mm) needs to be provided in the front of a hydrant
if it has a connection that is greater than 2 1⁄2 in. (64 mm). This clear space is provided to
allow the connection and routing of hose lines. If you live in a cold climate, this means that
all snow must be removed from around the hydrant after each storm.
Fire pumps are required to be in a room that is separated from the remainder of the building
with fire resistance–rated construction. If your building has a fire pump room, it is important
that this room be properly identified and free of all storage and equipment that is not essential
to the operation of the fire pump. Fire pump rooms are required to be accessed from a
protected interior pathway or from an exterior door, so it is also important to ensure that the
protected interior pathway or the path to the exterior door of the pump room is also free and
clear of obstructions.
As you can see, there are many more aspects to fire department access than just keeping a fire
lane clear.
We want to make sure that the fire department and first responders can properly identify the
building as well as access all of the building equipment that they may need during their
response. It is important to get into a habit of regularly checking these items as you never
know when you might need the fire department or first responders at your building, and in the
case of an emergency, every second counts.
Interested in learning more? Take a look at this video excerpt (below) from our Fire and Life
Safety Operator Online Training, which goes over items that need to be maintained to assist
the fire department.