But what if you have a fire at your building?  Is your site fireman friendly?  Here are a few things for you to look for to see if it is.

First of all, consider that fire department vehicles are larger than you would think. 

The average pumper truck is 32 feet long, 9 feet 8 inches high, and weighs 34,200 pounds. 

Aerial ladder trucks average 48 feet long 12 feet high and weigh 68,000 pounds. 

Trucks with elevating platforms average 48 feet long, 12 feet 4 inches high and weigh 72,000 pounds. 

All of these average 9 feet 2 inches wide and require a minimum turning radius of 45'. 

These are not nimble, maneuverable vehicles  - they require more roadway than the average vehicle does.

If your building was designed according to code, it will have required at least part of your building to have what is called an open perimeter.  This is an area that is at least thirty feet wide around the perimeter of your building that is free of other buildings or obstacles.

The open perimeter serves two functions.  First, it creates distance between buildings to help prevent fire from spreading from one building to another.  Secondly, it gives the fire department space to drive their equipment around the building to easily reach the fire.

This perimeter needs to be kept free of obstacles, such as large trees or fences, which would prevent the fire department from gaining access to the building.

You need to think three-dimensionally when considering the open perimeter.  When looking at a site plan it may appear that you have an open perimeter, but if the terrain is steep, if the ground is too soft, or if tree branches overhang into it, it may prevent the fire department vehicles from driving around your building.
Your site can have many other less obvious obstacles to access from the fire department.  Some of these can be remedied with regular maintenance of your site, but others are a matter of design and need to be considered prior to construction.

Any part of the site that is set aside for fire department access needs to be designated as a fire lane.  This can be done by posting fire lane signs or by painting a curb red with white letters that say "no parking - fire lane".   Enforcement of this is important, because we have all seen people who ignore the signs.

If your building is sprinkled, it will have what is called a fire department connection, sometimes called a siamese connection.  These allow the firefighters to connect their hoses closer to the fire.  This is especially important if a fire hydrant is some distance away from the building.  Carrying, unrolling and connecting hoses is hard work and time-consuming.  If the connection is concealed by plants, trees, or other materials, it will cost valuable time for the firefighters to locate it.

The same goes for fire hydrants.  Don't plant bushes around them, and don't paint them to camouflage them.  It makes them too difficult for firefighters to find them, especially at night.  This is one item that should be exempted from the overall color scheme.  Bright yellow or red is in order here.

Make your site easy to find by making the address obvious with signage that is easy to see in daylight and is illuminated at night.  Don't assume that because your building is big and obvious that your firemen will automatically know where to go
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Fighting a fire successfully at your church begins before a fire ever occurs, in the planning stages.  The goal is to create conditions that are favorable for early detection, speedy notification, and easy access to the fire. These will not only make the difference between sustaining minor damage and suffering a major loss, but will affect the degree to which firefighters place their life on the line to save your building.

If you have questions about the conditions of your church site, contact your local fire officials to request a site visit.  They are always happy to make suggestions that will be beneficial to their department and to your church.