Emergency Equipment Access Survey for Lockett Ranches Fire District

April 2023

Late last summer, the Fire District and Torsten Palm of the Summit Fire and Medical District, conducted a survey of Lockett Ranches to determine if there were any barriers for emergency equipment in our area that could impede fire or emergency medical response. Below are the results, along with suggestions on what can be done to improve that emergency response. If there are any questions, please contact the Fire District at [email protected].

Highlights
• Access for emergency vehicles within the Fire District area is considered generally good;

• House numbers need to be placed near the ends of driveways;

• Turnarounds at ends of private roads in some places should be enlarged or reinforced with gravel to make them all-weather surfaces. Quint/ladder trucks (FFD’s largest vehicle) have a turning radius of 35’ inside and 55’ outside;

• Trees encroaching into roadways should be trimmed up and back to allow emergency vehicles to pass unhindered. FD requests 12 feet of clear width, and no branches extending over the road lower than 14 ft. above ground. This is also a ADOT requirement;

• Winter plowing of snow when greater than 6” in depth is important to allow emergency vehicles to negotiate winter conditions. The Fire Department will always respond to a 911 emergency, but snow depths greater than 6” risk vehicles getting stuck and not reaching their destination;

• Narrow driveways that are long and curved need to have reflectors defining their edges;

• Utility boxes located very close to the edges of roadway should have reflectors;

• Fire hydrants in Lockett Estates need maintenance and testing to have any emergency utility;

• A second ingress/egress is needed for the area in case the Quintana exit is blocked for any reason like it was several times this summer.

Details
Access for emergency vehicles within the Fire District area is considered generally good. Both Association and private roads were judged to be adequate for emergency equipment access in all seasons.

The following situations however were noted that if addressed would improve access and thus could potentially reduce emergency response times:

We noted in a number of places house numbers that were missing altogether or were placed away from the ends of driveways where they could easily be missed. The Fire department does use software to find addresses, but to avoid any confusion at night or during winter conditions house numbers should be located near the ends of driveways and either be lighted or reflective.

Fire engines are about 10 ft wide including mirrors. The minimum road width for one-way access is thus 12 ft wide and 20 ft is needed for passing another FD vehicle. All private roads meet the minimum condition for a single vehicle, but if owners are considering road upgrades these dimensions should be kept in mind. Another factor to consider in any planned road upgrade is weight-bearing capacity. FFD recommends all-weather roads be engineered to support 80,000 pounds (as per the State’s Fire Code).

Most private roads in Lockett Ranches have turnarounds but a few do not and some turnarounds that do exist could be enlarged to allow large emergency vehicles to reverse direction without having to backup long distances. The minimum turning radius for FFD’s largest ladder truck is 35’ inside and 55’ outside. Tight turnarounds were noted on Piedra Lane, Subera (where a turnaround at the bottom was in soft wash sediments and could be made all weather with some additional gravel), Wildcat Trail (where a large ponderosa is growing in the middle of the road), and Flat Rock Ridge.

Trees and other vegetation were found in places to have grown into roadways and thus potentially could restrict access to wide and tall emergency vehicles. Branches lower than 14 ft that extend over roadways should be trimmed, so an engine coming by will not break branches or be damaged by the branches. Trees narrowing roadways were found on the following private roads: Jack Rabbit Trail, Subera, Wildcat Trail, Chickadee.

Winter plowing of snow will help emergency vehicles reach their destinations. Maximum snow depth is 6” for assured access, especially on unpaved roads.

Narrow driveways that are long and curved need to have reflectors defining their edges so in winter conditions emergency vehicles will not accidentally run off the edges. In places sharp drop-offs were noted and could be filled to reduce potential damage to both the driveway and vehicles.

In several places utility boxes were located very close to the edges of roadways. These boxes are the responsibly of utility companies but many would benefit from reflectors so they are not hit during night and winter conditions. Boxes very close to roadways were noted on Piedra Lane and Basin Trail.
The Fire Department again expressed concern that Lockett Ranches has only one way in and out. They recommend a second one be clearly defined for use in emergency situations, in case the Quintana exit is blocked for any reason like it was several times this summer.

Lockett Estates fire hydrants need to be tested for function and deliverability, to have any utility in a fire emergency. At least one hydrant looked to be non-functional based on cursory inspection. Most likely the Fire Department would bring water to a fire using water carried by the fire trucks or by water tenders and they would choose to refill tender using high volume city hydrants, but the local public water district may need them to work for system maintenance.