What Lowes free delivery cost me.

[coldsteelva]

My home is 900 feet from the unpaved state-maintained road and between the building department and the fire marshal's office, you cannot obtain a certificate of occupancy without having appropriate fire department access. My access easement (shared with neighbor) includes a creek/stream crossing that was engineered and constructed to support a fully-laden pumper. On a routine basis, the local station comes out to all the private access lanes and verifies the road and bridge conditions. It gives me a decent amount of confidence in their ability to reach my home in event of fire.

 

[kenmbz]

We have box trucks through here for deliveries, they seem to be able to stay on the tarmac.
Fedex can't seem to figure this out.
I just went last weekend and cleared the bushes back another foot or so, maybe getting within 6 feet of them got them spooked

 

[LouNY]

OK, I'm just a rusty-uncurrent, school-trained ICC building inspector, and the regs have changed since I was active/current.

Here's my .02 on driveways; delivery access problems are similar in nature to FD access problems.

I see a whole lot of rural homes that do not meet the standards for fire department access; the older or myopic-designs of rural homes may be intentional, through ignorance, or simply neglect.

NFPA 1144 (1140) is designed for protection of homes in wooded areas, but all of the access requirements are the same no matter where homes are located...FDs need access to do their jobs; 8'-10' clear space around the home, turn outs every 200? feet, minimum heights (16'), widths(12' I recall), cleared driveways, radius of curve, % of slope, spaced out buildings, cut backs of trees & shrubs, etc.

16' high fir limbs in the summer are 6' high with snow or ice.

The specs also inlude fire-resistive construction like double pane windows, T111 siding, blocking, etc.

Not aimed at the OP or anyone else, but driveways that can prevent a fire truck from reaching the home, will probably prevent a 30' box truck from doing the same.

The info is free & public; the pic is a sample.

PS, there are grants to help home-owners prepare, and insurance companies are watching from above.

I pray this helps.

Much of what gets published by the NFPA and the NEC is dictated by latge companies that control the industry they are supposed to regulate.
Also much of it is just unwarranted governmental intrusion and regulations from unelected bureaucrats.
Suggested practices are one thing demands are a completely different thing.

 

[Eagle1]

Around here the feds (forest fire service) will use my pond to fill pumpers and dip with their helicopter if needed. While it can be damaging I prefer to know these guys as well as possible and keep them on the good side. The out of state guys keep thinking we are a federal place not private.

 

[civilian]

OK, I'm just a rusty-uncurrent, school-trained ICC building inspector, and the regs have changed since I was active/current.

Here's my .02 on driveways; delivery access problems are similar in nature to FD access problems.

I see a whole lot of rural homes that do not meet the standards for fire department access; the older or myopic-designs of rural homes may be intentional, through ignorance, or simply neglect.

NFPA 1144 (1140) is designed for protection of homes in wooded areas, but all of the access requirements are the same no matter where homes are located...FDs need access to do their jobs; 8'-10' clear space around the home, turn outs every 200? feet, minimum heights (16'), widths(12' I recall), cleared driveways, radius of curve, % of slope, spaced out buildings, cut backs of trees & shrubs, etc.

16' high fir limbs in the summer are 6' high with snow or ice.

The specs also inlude fire-resistive construction like double pane windows, T111 siding, blocking, etc.

Not aimed at the OP or anyone else, but driveways that can prevent a fire truck from reaching the home, will probably prevent a 30' box truck from doing the same.

The info is free & public; the pic is a sample.

PS, there are grants to help home-owners prepare, and insurance companies are watching from above.

I pray this helps.

Thanks for the info. I have had 3 different truss deliveries by semi truck/trailers in here, box trucks, cement trucks, and self loading log trucks in here. Like other areas in the spring time when the frost is coming out of the ground, driveway gets a bit soft. Had an idea about approaching local volunteer fire dept chief in here to hear his thoughts. Worse part is no hydrants in this area. But there is a fairly large creek i think they draw from to haul water. Jon

 

[ponytug]

@civilian You might ask the fire department about whether you can put in a draft pipe in the creek for them. (DNR may have some input on that one...)

Time and facilities matter during a fire.

All the best,

Peter

 

[civilian]

@civilian You might ask the fire department about whether you can put in a draft pipe in the creek for them. (DNR may have some input on that one...)

Time and facilities matter during a fire.

All the best,

Peter

I have seen those stand pipes in creeks and some lakes. I have to look closer at that creek crossing to see if there is one. Creek is not on my property. Actually that creek is crossed by two local roads running parallel to one another a mile apart. Jon

 

[Straightgrain3016]

I too belive ppl make a good living off their quorums, but sometimes...ppl cannot take care of themselves..one example:

I took a local ham radio fella (mid 20s) to a ham radio swap-meet a few years ago.

The 300 yard easement leading to his house was less than 8 feet wide; the lane was rutted gravel and boardered by 6' tall berry bushes & 4' high barbed wire fences....the first scratches on my new truck...

When I made it to the house, the front yard was completely covered with junk on all sides; 4 foot wide path leading to the front door., I had trouble getting my F250 in & outta there.

I considered talking to him about it, but he wasn't in a mental condition to hear it....there are some wierd ham radio operators out there...

If that house catches fire, its gonna burn...

The county passed a higher tax for fire patrols 2 years ago, but it appears they only go out when they can run their lights & sirens.

Edit: to "close the loop" on the OP's topic & my comment(s).

1. If the FD cannot make it, a 30' box truck probably cannot make it.

2. NFPA 1140/44 is a great reference for (heavy, tall, & long) truck access.