Enable fire engines to safely reach your home
In a wildfire, there are rarely enough fire engines for every home. Crews go where they can work safely. If a fire engine can't get up your driveway, turn around, and get back out, the crew may not be able to protect your home, however much they want to.
What a crew needs
- Room to fit. Oregon's defensible space guidance asks for 20 feet of clear width and 13 feet 6 inches of clear height along the driveway. Trim back trees and brush, and cut low branches.
- Room to turn around. On a long driveway, a fire engine needs a place to turn around near the house so it doesn't have to back out through smoke. Many fire codes require a turnaround when a dead-end driveway is longer than 150 feet.
- A gate that opens. Gates should work, open wide enough for a fire engine, and not be locked in a way crews can't open. Ask your fire department how they open locked gates in your area.
- An address they can find. Put a reflective address sign at the road, readable from both directions, even at night and in smoke.
- A driveway that holds an engine. Fire engines are heavy. Ask your fire department about bridges, culverts and steep grades on your driveway.
Rules differ from place to place. Driveway width, grade and turnaround rules come from your county or city fire code. Your fire department can tell you what applies to your property, and many will come and look. Find your nearest fire station.
Getting out, too
The road that lets a fire engine in is also your way out. Know two ways out of your neighborhood if you can, and leave early, before the roads fill with smoke, traffic and fire equipment. See getting ready to leave.
Sources
- 13 feet 6 inches of vertical and 20 feet of horizontal clearance, reflective address signs visible from both directions, gates that work and are wide enough for fire apparatus: Oregon State Fire Marshal, Oregon Defensible Space.
- A turnaround on dead-end access roads longer than 150 feet (Oregon Fire Code section 503, as adopted locally): Gresham Fire & Emergency Services, Fire code applications guide (PDF).