Fire and EMS access, roadway widths and parking received sustained attention during the briefing as commissioners and a county fire protection specialist described operational problems on recently built age‑restricted developments.

Brian Van Fosen, identified in the transcript as a fire protection specialist, walked the board through applicable life‑safety provisions in the state‑adopted fire code (NFPA 101 and NFPA 1). He noted that fire apparatus access typically must reach within 150 feet of the rear of a non‑sprinklered building, while fully sprinklered buildings can extend that distance to about 450 feet under exceptions in the adopted code (Brian Van Fosen, SEG 1136–1145). Commissioners reported field examples where narrow private site roads, clustered units and on‑street parking impede emergency response and routine delivery vehicles; several urged the county to consider local site‑plan standards that are stricter than the state minimum where public safety and daily operations are affected.

Road dimensions and parking standards were debated: staff explained county public‑road standards (22 ft for cul‑de‑sacs; 30 ft for larger residential streets) but said private site plans commonly propose narrower (25 ft) roadways. Commissioners argued that high‑density age‑restricted projects should either build wider roads (e.g., 30 ft) or provide dedicated off‑street guest parking to avoid scenarios where cars parked both sides of a narrow private street reduce the carriageway to a single lane and block emergency vehicles. The transcript also shows discussion of requiring turnarounds on short dead‑end private roads (roughly 150 ft in the example discussed) in line with county standards for County roads.

Staff acknowledged tradeoffs: wider roads increase impervious surface and stormwater management needs and can raise construction costs and runoff controls. Commissioners asked staff to develop options that balance safety (clear access for emergency apparatus and safe pedestrian routes), livability (guest parking near homes), and environmental/code consequences (inlets, stormwater management and maintenance obligations for private roads).

Quote from transcript: "In a sprinklered building ... you can go up to 450 feet around to the back of the building," (Brian Van Fosen, SEG 1143–1145). Staff said it can propose stricter local site‑plan requirements in areas where operational evidence shows the state minimum leaves first responders at risk. Staff will include fire/EMS operational input, off‑street parking examples, and potential roadway width alternatives in their follow‑up package (Staff member, SEG 1599–1610).