Fire Safety Regulations
...compliance in the work place
The provision of access for fire service vehicles to the exterior of new buildings or extensions to existing premises should be in accordance with Section 17 of the Approved Document B (2000 Edition) published in support of the Building Regulations.
The standard provision for access for fire service vehicles in residential areas is that they should be able to approach to within 45 metres of an access door (usually the front door). In the case of larger buildings the requirement changes with increases in floor area, and height. Reference should be made to the above document for more detailed information.
Access roads should be a minimum of 3.7 metres wide with "pinch points" (i.e. gateways or similar constrictions) of no less than 3.1 metres. The minimum height clearance should be 3.7 metres, with a minimum carrying capacity of 12.5 tonnes.
Such provisions however, cannot take into account thoughtless parking which limits this access. This problem is particularly widespread in city areas that were never designed for high levels of car ownership. There is currently no legislation that permits the fire and rescue service to enforce requirements for access to existing premises, where such problems exist representations should be made to the police and to the local council highways department.
