Fire chief requests town to clear vegetation on streets

Published 4:02 pm Tuesday, September 5, 2017

By Ray McClees

(Ray McClees/Scuppernong Reminder)
Fire Chief Johnny Spencer on Aug. 7 requested Columbia officials to cut back vegetation on 18 town streets to ensure access by fire apparatus.
“Just about every street needs some kind of vegetation cut-back attention, but these are the worst and need immediate attention,” Spencer stated. “Some of these streets are just about impassable for fire apparatus. Some we just can’t get fire truck access.”
North-south streets named by Spencer are: North Broad, South Church, Fonsoe, Godfrey, Kohloss, Light, Road, Virginia and North Water.
East-west streets are: Branning, Bridge, Green, Hicks, Howard, Main, Martha, Railroad and Second Hicks.
Spencer pointed out that Tyrrell Volunteer Fire Department, a private, nonprofit corporation, recently acquired four large trucks, including the department’s first ladder truck, and that some barely manage to clear the fire station’s 12-foot-high vehicle bay doors.
These pieces of fire-fighting equipment have warning lights above the cabs and are wider, too.
As backup, Spencer brought along two laws pertaining to fire apparatus access roads, and he was accompanied by two volunteer firefighters: Stephen Swain and Lee Scripture.
Town Manager Rhett White said town staff “can do some of the work,” other parts of the project must be contracted out.
The aldermen directed White to determine the extent of the request and report his findings to the board Sept. 5.
The North Carolina Fire Code defines fire apparatus access roads as fire lanes, public or private streets, parking lot lanes and access roadways.
It specifies that fire apparatus access roads “shall have an unobstructed width of not less than 20 feet…and an unobstructed vertical clearance of not less than 13 feet 6 inches.”
Fire apparatus access roads are not to be obstructed in any manner, including the parking of vehicles, and shall be maintained at all times.
Furthermore, the state General Statutes provide that it is the town’s “duty to keep the public streets, sidewalks, alleys and bridges open for travel and free from unnecessary obstructions.”

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