Angler's Crossing Access.doc
MEMORANDUM
Date:August 31, 2006
Development Services Director Bowman
To:
From:Fire Marshal Westfall
Subject:Emergency Access Requirements for Angler’s Crossing PRD 05-137
Fire and medical emergency services and access to those services are obligations the
City owes every property owner. Given property tax assessments for these services it
is, in fact, every property owner’s right to be provided emergency service access.
1) International Fire Code requires provisions for access to every structure in the City.
The developed property value of the planned residential development (PRD) will be
substantial.
2) The Fire Code requires additional access requirements when the potential of
impairment by a single road due to vehicle congestion, winter and terrain conditions
may limit access. Additional access is not unusual in the scope of such a development.
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Other PRDs have been imposed equivalent requirements, Lincoln Estates (23400 100
Ave W.) and Woodway Highlands in Woodway, for example.
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3) Access to Angler’s Crossing is identified from west at 80 Ave W and from east at
Olympic View Drive (OVD). A network of fire stations spaced in the area provide
immediate around-the-clock coverage for any emergency at every City location.
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Edmonds Fire Station 16, 8426 196 St SW, will be the first responding station to
Angler’s Crossing. If those firefighters are already at an emergency, the next closest
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service response will be from Lynnwood Fire Station 14, 18800 68 Ave W. from the
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east. Existing response from this station is inhibited by 180 ST SW, the nearest
roadway extending east to west. This route requires additional travel time due to
increases in travel distance, narrow city roadways and a severe turn to safely navigate.
Alternatives to this present equal delays and worse. Four and eight-minute response
time standards for initial Basic- and Advanced-Life Support units, respectively, were
adopted by Edmonds City Council in 1998 obligating the City Fire Department to assure
that these standards will be maintained.
4) When a structure fire occurs in Angler’s Crossing, the initial response will be from the
five closest stations. All emergency apparatus responding via the same route is
impractical. Fire engines, aid and staff cars will be arriving from the west and from the
east approaches due to the scattered geographical design spacing of the fire stations.
City of Edmonds Fire Marshal
These will include firefighter crews from Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, and Snohomish
Fire District 1 that are not familiar with this response area. Water drawn from fire
hydrants will be brought in from the east and west to help extinguish the structure fire in
the PRD. Eliminating the design OVD access from the east will severely impact fire
department response to quickly put these fires out.
5) Traffic controls and obstructions also slow emergency travel thereby increasing
emergency response time.
Thank you for the question and concern!
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