Council modifies approach to Appendix L firefighter air‑replenishment code; votes to raise size threshold to 500,000 sq ft while staff completes review

The Spanish Fork City Council on March 18 directed staff to revise the city's Appendix L firefighter air‑replenishment requirement and voted to raise the square‑foot threshold that triggers the system from 250,000 to 500,000 square feet while staff prepares clarified ordinance language for a future council hearing.

Council members and fire officials discussed the safety rationale for firefighter air replenishment systems (FARS) — a device that allows firefighters to quickly refill self‑contained breathing apparatus during interior operations — and developers' concerns about installation costs and market capacity for vendors. Fire staff explained that the International Fire Code originally focused on vertical high‑rise applications (five stories or taller) but that FARS have been adopted in several jurisdictions for large single‑floor warehouses because of the scale of high‑pile combustible storage and the time it takes firefighters to move through a large open building.

Fire Chief Eddie Hales and Fire Marshal Jason Turner told the council they support requiring FARS for very large, single‑floor warehouses because fires in those buildings can escalate quickly and produce hazardous atmospheres; they cited national incidents and property‑loss figures in their presentation. They also confirmed that costs for installing a FARS in a new warehouse can be substantial — staff cited a contractor estimate in the hearing of roughly $600,000 for one building — and noted that adding the system after slab‑on‑grade construction (at tenant improvement time) can add additional expense because piping is routed under the slab.

City manager and staff proposed a short suspension/moratorium so staff could complete ordinance refinements. Council members debated options: a full suspension, preserving the current 250,000‑square‑foot standard, or an interim increase to 500,000 square feet with options for developers to install separating fire walls as an alternative to a FARS. After discussion, council voted to amend the ordinance directionally so the threshold in city code would be 500,000 square feet and asked fire marshal and building officials to return with recommended code language, options for firewall separation, and clear guidance on enforcement and tenant‑improvement timing.

Councilmembers stressed they did not want to leave enforcement ambiguous and asked staff to prepare a recommended ordinance that could be presented to council for formal adoption as soon as possible; several members said they preferred a narrowly tailored change rather than a full suspension. Fire officials said they would continue to enforce existing code until the council adopts new language and would catch potential requirements at the time of tenant improvements if needed.

The council motion to change the operational threshold and direct staff to refine Appendix L passed on a voice/roll call during the meeting; staff will return with drafted ordinance language for formal council consideration.