Officials: Driveways with obstructions limit first responder access.
Beaverdam Volunteer Fire Department recently shared a Facebook post from Chief Jehu Post asking: “Will a fire truck fit down your driveway?”
“Most people don't think about making sure their property is visible or accessible by fire or EMS until they need fire or EMS,” assistant chief Cody Gibbs said. “The difference in a minute can change the scenario drastically.”
In an emergency, firefighters and other emergency services may need to access your property, so it’s important to have a clear path, Gibbs said.
Based on standards set by the National Fire Protection Association, driveways should be at least 12 feet wide and provide at least 13.5 feet of unobstructed vertical clearance for emergency vehicles.
Common obstructions include vegetation, power lines and gates. Gibbs said the long driveways of some residences in Oglethorpe County provide challenges for first responders.
“There are several driveways that we go to and we don’t have the choice to stop on the road if the driveway is half-mile long because that’s a long way to stretch the firehose, and tow the stretcher and medicine bags,” he said.
Gibbs said driveways with trees that “form a canopy and create a tunnel” are an issue for emergency vehicles. When responding to past fires, trees and branches have damaged equipment on top of the trucks.
“There’s been instances where the antennas have been ripped or broken off and the truck won’t have a radio, so we can’t talk to our dispatch or other arriving units and apparatuses,” Gibbs said.
In addition to clearing driveways, he recommends making sure the address is visible to help first responders locate homes.
“If we get dispatched to a residence, but there’s no numbers on the mailbox or the numbers are so small we can’t find the address, that delays the response time,” he said.
Gibbs recommends that residents have 911 address signs displayed near residences — with the biggest possible numbers. They are reflective signs that display street addresses that can be attached to a post or mailbox.
Gates are another common issue Gibbs said, which raises specific questions for the fire department.
“Do you want us to run over your gate? Is there a safety pin we can quickly pull or that sort of thing?” he said. “I know they’re meant to keep people out, and they do a good job of that, but it also delays the response.”
Even if a response is delayed by a gate or missing address sign, Gibbs said he wants county residents to know that emergency services will be there.
“We’re always going to find a way to make it down there regardless of what type of situation is going on,” he said.