Designing for that BIG RED Truck – Fire Access in Austin

Municipalities like the City of Austin set specific design standards so these emergency vehicles can maneuver as quickly as possible. Our civil design experts break down some of the requirements.

What are the City of Austin standards for emergency access?

A fire engine is one of the largest vehicles we see on the road today. Your typical tanker can run 25 to 35 feet in length while a ladder truck can reach 40+ bumper to bumper. With that extreme wheel base, municipalities like the City of Austin set specific design standards so these emergency vehicles can maneuver as quickly as possible. Some of these requirements include drive aisle width, curb radii, fire hydrant placement, specific turnaround design, and fire lane marking, all of which can be found here in the City of Austin municipal code.

FDC — Fire Department Connection. – Identifiable on most modern buildings, these allow the fire department access to internal fire protection like sprinklers.

Fire Hydrant and Lane Markings — Typical City of Austin curb markings (red with white letters) indicating driving lanes for emergency vehicles.

The City of Austin adheres to the 2012 edition of the International Fire Code. With that, you will find a number of approved turnaround designs detailing (minimum) specifications. For fire truck access with a dead end, one design solution is the 120 foot hammerhead.

Do you have questions about the layout of your next development project? At WGI, we’ve done this before. Contact us today to learn how we can put our experience to work for you.

WGI

WGI is a national design and professional services firm leading in technology-based solutions for the construction of public infrastructure and real estate development. At WGI, we’re providing Tomorrow’s Infrastructure Solutions Today.