Staff, emergency managers align on occupancy, egress and communications for draft camping/lodging code

Planning staff said meetings with emergency-management providers and the fire district produced near-term alignment on several draft standards for campgrounds, lodging and certain temporary event uses. For remote "semi-primitive" backcountry uses staff said they were reviewing a 32-person occupancy cap; emergency managers indicated that semi-developed campgrounds should not exceed 100 people on-site at one time in hard-to-reach areas. Staff emphasized the need to define benchmarks for when a secondary means of egress is required and to coordinate those tests with the fire department.

Staff also reported discussing communication standards: when cell reception is inadequate, code language under consideration would require satellite communications (examples cited such as Starlink), a 24-hour contact, an evacuation plan recorded with OEM and inclusion of Everbridge sign-up information in the site check-in materials. The goal is to make emergency plans clear, defensible and enforceable in the site-plan or permit process before an entitlement is issued.