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Hydrants and Access
Unit
The Fire Department’s
Hydrants and Access Unit is responsible for ensuring that
newly constructed buildings meet minimum requirements for
fire department emergency access and proximity to a fire hydrant.
A paraphrased summary of these requirements follows.
Please refer to Division
9 of the Fire Code which follows this page for more detail.
We encourage you to consult with the Hydrants and Access Unit
early in the planning process for your project. The Hydrants
and Access Unit can be reached between 7 A.M. and 4:30 P.M.,
Monday through Friday, at (213) 482-6543. You may also
be referred to the Hydrants and Access Unit for review of
your project during the building permit approval process or
for clearance of a condition of approval placed by another
city agency.
Access
All portions of
the exterior walls of any structure, other than a residential
structure, must be no more than 150 feet from where a Fire
Department emergency vehicle would park if responding to an
emergency in your building. The door to the furthest
dwelling unit in a residential structure (single family dwellings,
apartments, condominiums, hotels, motels, etc) must be no
more than 150 feet from where a Fire Department emergency
vehicle would park.
Dead ends
Fire department
access to a structure which ends in a dead end cannot be more
than 700 feet in length. Any street or fire lane more than
700 feet long must continue to where it intersects another
street.
Fire Lane
A fire lane on your
property must be provided if your structure is located more
than 150 feet from a public street (see Access).
A fire lane must be at least 20 feet wide and be kept free
of obstructions (including parked cars) at all times (add
8 feet of width for each lane of parallel parking). A gate
may be installed across a fire lane with the approval of the
Fire Department but may not reduce the required width. If
a fire lane is providing access to a private fire hydrant,
the fire lane must be 28 feet wide for 30 feet either direction
from the fire hydrant. If the fire lane is providing access
to a building 28 feet or taller at the roof edge, the fire
lane must be 28 feet wide along the building. Fire lanes must
have 14 feet of unobstructed overhead clearance. Fire Lanes
must terminate at a public street or an approved turn-around
and must meet the Department of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering
standard for paving a public alley.
Fire Lane
Signs
A fire lane must
be clearly designated on your plan and must be posted as described
in Division
9.05.
Fire Hydrants
All portions of
the exterior walls of any structure, other than a residential
structure, must be no more than 300 feet from a public or
private fire hydrant. The door to the furthest dwelling unit
in a residential structure (single family dwellings, apartments,
condominiums, hotels, motels, etc.) must be no more than 300
feet from a public or private fire hydrant. If a public fire
hydrant is not within the required distance, the installation
of an additional public fire hydrant or a private fire hydrant
will be necessary. You must pay for the installation of the
fire hydrant.
Private fire hydrants
are required by the Fire Department when a public fire hydrant
cannot be located close enough to a proposed structure. Only
Los Angeles Fire Department approved fire hydrants may be
installed. Your plans will need to indicate the location of
the fire hydrant, how it will be protected from damage by
vehicles, and where it will be connected to a public water
main. A minimum of three feet of clearance in all directions
around a fire hydrant is required. You must obtain a completed
Service Advisory Request from the Department
of Water and Power, contact Water Business Arrangements
at (213) 367-2130 or go to http://www.ladwp.com/water/service/sar.htm
for more information. This report must be presented along
with your plans to obtain Fire Department approval. A separate
Fire Department Permit is required; the fee is currently $474.00.
This fee helps to defray the cost of the plan review and field
inspection of the installed hydrant.
Your plans will
be reviewed and the plumbing installation inspected by the
Commercial Plumbing Section of the Department of Building
and Safety under a separate permit. Contact the Department
of Building and Safety at (888) 524-2845 for more information.
Fire Sprinklers
For residential
and many commercial buildings fire sprinklers will be required
throughout your building if your building is more than 1.5
miles from the nearest fire station. For some commercial and
all industrial buildings the requirements are stricter, refer
to Table 9-C at the end of Division
9 in the Fire Code. There are other ordinances and
codes which may require the installation of fire sprinklers
in your building. Contact the Department of Building and Safety
for further information.
Lock Boxes
A Fire Department
approved lock box containing a key or switch to provide access
to a building or premises may be required on a case by case
basis. Lock boxes are required for any automatic gate installed
across a fire lane. Refer to Fire
Prevention Bureau Requirement No. 75 for lock box specifications.
The foregoing is
a paraphrased summary of the requirements outlined in Division
9 of the Los Angeles Fire Code (57.09.01-57.09.11 L.A.M.C.)
and should be used as a guide when designing your building.
Other agencies
to contact
Other city Departments
the Hydrants and Access Unit works closely with include the
Department of Building and
Safety, the agency which will initiate the permitting
process; the Department
of Transportation; the Department
of Public Works, Bureau
of Engineering; the Department
of City Planning; and the Department
of Water and Power. Be sure to consult these other
agencies while planning of your project. Consulting these
agencies early in the planning process can help to ensure
that the review process for your project goes as smoothly
as possible.
Fire Hydrants
Although the Hydrants
and Access Unit maintains a close liaison with the Department
of Water and Power, the Fire Department does not repair or
maintain public fire hydrants. Public fire hydrants are used
by the Fire Department but are owned and maintained by the
Department of Water and Power. Fire hydrant repairs
(leaking, damaged, etc.) should be reported directly to the
Department of Water and Power at (800) 342-5397. Private
fire hydrants are tested annually by the Fire Department.
However, repairs and maintenance are the sole responsibility
of the property owner.
Because the danger
of flooding constitutes an emergency, fire hydrants which
have been knocked off should be reported to the Fire Department
Dispatch Center directly by calling 911. The Fire Department
will respond to shut-off the water to the hydrant and report
the damage to the Department of Water and Power or to the
property owner, as appropriate. Public fire hydrants
blocked by parked cars should be reported to the Department
of Transportation at (213) 485-4184. Private fire
hydrants which are blocked by parked cars or other obstructions
should be reported to the nearest fire station. If you are
unsure of the location of the nearest fire station contact
the Hydrants
and Access Unit for assistance.
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