PORT ANGELES — Clallam County has added a fire protection chapter to the books.
County commissioners Tuesday voted 3-0 for an ordinance establishing a fire protection chapter in the county code “to safeguard life and property, and to provide standards for fire protection for residential, commercial and industrial developments” within unincorporated areas.
Focused on design and construction standards, the new ordinance codifies a long-standing draft policy for fire protection that has been in place since 1991.
Sheila Roark Miller, county fire marshal, building official and community development director, said the ordinance was recommended by the county Permit Advisory Board and backed by the fire chiefs.
‘Landmark legislation’
Clallam County Fire District No. 2 Chief Sam Phillips described the ordinance as “landmark legislation.”
“Fire losses and the cost of fire protection annually outnumbers all of our other natural disasters nationally combined,” Phillips said in a public hearing.
“This is an important economic issue. This is an important life safety issue.”
Annie O’Rourke of the Permit Advisory Board also endorsed the document.
“It addressees the fire protection concerns with prudence respecting the rural nature of Clallam County,” she said.
Wants more
Judy Larson of Sequim said the chapter should have requirements for anchoring propane tanks for earthquake hazards, standards for the height of grass and the storage of hazardous fuels, and require safe access routes for firefighters and their equipment.
Roark Miller said the storage of combustible materials and grass hazards are addressed by the International Fire Code and are subject to a case-by-case review by the county fire marshal.
Commissioner Jim McEntire said rules about how property owners can use their property would be “a subject for another day.”
After the meeting, Roark Miller said existing roadways that are too steep, existing bridges that are too narrow and private driveways that serve one- and two-family dwellings are not subject to the ordinance.
New roads or repaired bridges, however, are subject to the requirements of the International Fire Code, she said.
Beyond the roadway requirements, the fire protection ordinance contains chapters for water system requirements, sprinkler and fire hydrant requirements, compliance procedures and exemptions.
Made in the future?
Phillips said refinements to the ordinance can be made in the future.
McEntire thanked the Permit Advisory Board and others for their work on the document.
“It’s good to put a punctuation mark on this long-standing draft policy and actually adopt it formally to provide clarity and certainty for folks that are going to be developing pieces of property or building buildings and so on,” McEntire said.
In other news, commissioners Tuesday awarded a $644,438 bid from Lakeside Industries of Port Angeles for this year’s hot mix asphalt and liquid asphalt projects.
The road department’s estimate was $659,750.
Also, Mark Smith and Johan Van Nimwegen were reappointed to the Carlsborg Community Advisory Council for terms expiring in December 2014.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
