United Fire chief briefs Emigration Canyon planners on access, sprinkler alternatives

United Fire Chief Sean Peterson told the Emigration Canyon Planning Commission on Feb. 13 that access for emergency vehicles and the availability of water are the key constraints in the commission’s effort to revise canyon development standards.

Peterson said the International Fire Code and the Wildland-Urban Interface Code require a “solid, maintainable surface that can hold 75,000 pounds,” and that typical 4-inch poured concrete or common landscaping pavers do not meet that standard unless reinforced. “Until there needs to be it needs to be reinforced and it needs to be … 6 inches thick of concrete,” he said.

The chief told commissioners that minimum width for fire department access is 20 feet, and that longer private roads typically must widen to 26 feet when they exceed 500 feet in length. He also described turning and hose-lay limits: an inside turn radius of 28 feet is required for apparatus maneuvering, and crews generally measure hose lay from the furthest point of a structure back to the public road; if that hose lay exceeds about 300 feet, a turnaround is required. “We draw a line of, you know, hose lay all the way back to the road. And if that goes beyond 300 feet, then they’re going to be required to put a turnaround in on that,” Peterson said.

Peterson described grade and distance limits that will affect how the commission defines “private road” versus “driveway.” He said the maximum grade is generally 10 percent (12 percent may be allowed in some sites) and that a consistent 10 percent grade should not exceed 500 feet. He added that a standard minimum clear vertical clearance is 13 feet 6 inches along the vehicle path and that surfaces must withstand routine maintenance such as snowplows.

Where property conditions make meeting access or water-supply standards difficult, Peterson said the fire department prefers to offer a code modification allowing automatic fire sprinkler systems in lieu of costly roadway upgrades. He identified the applicable National Fire Protection Association standard for single-family residences as NFPA 13D. “13D is single family,” Peterson said when commissioners asked for the correct NFPA designation. He explained the permitting flow for that option: homeowners note the intent on building permits, contractors submit sprinkler plans as a delayed submittal, third-party reviewers evaluate them and the fire department performs the final sprinkler inspection.

Peterson also flagged water-supply constraints common in canyon settings: some systems lack the reserve duration required by code. “They need that for 2 hours,” he said, describing scenarios in which available pumps, storage or pressure do not meet the 2‑hour flow requirement and therefore affect whether sprinklers can be relied on in lieu of roadway work.

Commissioners and staff raised evacuation and multi-agency access concerns. Peterson said well‑maintained main routes and multiple egresses improve evacuations and reduce the chance of vehicle gridlock during wildfire events. He noted that road width, parked vehicles and narrow intersections have been factors in past wildfire evacuations elsewhere.

The commission did not adopt ordinance language at the meeting but directed staff to fold the chief’s technical points into the draft code revisions and to return a revised ordinance for fire‑department review. “We will take all of your input and draft the ordinance … and we’d love for you or one of your staff to review that and critique it for us before we send it on to the city council for adoption,” Planning Commission Chair Tim Harps said.

Why it matters: Emigration Canyon’s topography, water systems and narrow, winding roads make the technical thresholds Peterson described (surface strength, widths, grades, turnaround requirements and hose‑lay distances) material constraints on where and how new homes and shared access lanes can be built. The conversation frames specific code edits the commission is considering and identifies sprinkler systems as a commonly used, formal code modification route when infrastructure upgrades are infeasible.

What’s next: Staff will integrate Peterson’s guidance into draft ordinance language, circulate the draft to the fire prevention office for review and return with revised text for future Planning Commission review and eventual council consideration.