Commercial Site Plan Submission Requirements

Liberty Township Fire Department

Fire Prevention Bureau

 

Commercial Site Plan Submission Requirements

 

The following required items are included in accordance with all applicable provisions of the 2017 Ohio Fire Code (“OFC”), the Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio Supplement to the 2017 Ohio Fire Code (“Supplement”), the Ohio Administrative Code (“OAC”), the Ohio Revised Code (“ORC”), and any other applicable source of local, state, or federal law.  

 


 

  • Plan Submittal: Electronic Plans shall be of sufficient clarity to indicate the location, nature, and extent of the work proposed and show in detail that it will conform to the provisions of the OFC, this Supplement, and any other applicable source of law.  

 

  • Electronic Media: One (1) AutoCAD base w/ TIFF image of each sheet, PDF on a USB Flash Drive in a hard plastic protective case.

 

ADD TO STANDARD NOTES

 

  • Pre-Construction Meeting: All prime contractors shall attend a pre-construction meeting. This meeting shall take place a minimum of fifteen (15) business days prior to commencement of any work on the site.

 

  • Traffic Light Priority Control Systems: In the event that a traffic light is required for any development, a GPS Priority Traffic Light Control System or equivalent shall be installed at the developer’s expense and shall be compatible with the GPS equipment of Liberty Township and any applicable mutual aid departments without modifications.

 

  • All Buildings – Landscaping near Fire Apparatus Access Roads: The following shall be added to the general and landscaping notes in every Commercial Site Plan submission:

 

“No landscaping at maturity shall encroach on the fire apparatus access road, which is either twenty feet (20’) or twenty-six feet (26’) in width and thirteen feet, six inches (13’6”) in height, and shall comply with all applicable provisions of the OFC, including OFC Appendix D105.”  

 

  • All Buildings – Landscaping near Existing or Proposed Fire Protection Equipment: Per the OFC, landscaping shall be of a type that will not encroach within a three feet (3’) radius of the fire apparatus access road at maturity. 

 

  • All Buildings – “Knox® Box(es)” Requirement: When a property is protected by the Liberty Township Fire Department, a Knox® Box, 3200 series or larger, as required by AHJ, shall be required for all A, B, E, I, M, S, F, H, and U use groups as classified by the OAC, in addition to each tenant space, including the sprinkler room door and the rear of the above structures, as required by the Fire Code Official. Additionally, a Knox® box shall be required for all R use groups where multiple residents reside off of one (1) common locked entrance. In all cases, Knox® Box(es) shall comply with all provisions of the OFC and Supplement.

 

  • All Structures and Buildings – Hydrants: In accordance with the OFC and Supplement, prior to above ground construction, permanent fire hydrants shall be installed, inspected, tested, and maintained with approval from Del-Co Water Company, Inc.

 

  • Buildings with Sprinkler Systems – Acceptance: The following shall be added to the general notes on plans for buildings equipped with an automatic fire sprinkler system and/or standpipe system – 

 

“Approval of Commercial Site Plan does not include the design of the fire sprinkler system underground piping from backflow prevention device to one foot (1’) above finish floor level. A separate detail sheet(s) shall be submitted to the Liberty Township Fire Prevention Bureau for review and approval.”

 

WATER / HYDRANT INFORMATION

 

  • Minimum Required Fire Flow: The minimum required fire flow for protection purposes shall be one thousand five hundred Gallons per Minute (1,500GPM). The approved method shall comply with all specifications and requirements contained in OFC Appendix B. Commercial Site Plans shall include the node map and results table for the proposed or existing hydrants on site showing that the required fire flow can be achieved.

 

  • Water Flow Test Data: All submitted Commercial Site Plans shall provide water flow test data obtained from Del-Co Water Company, Inc. verifying that the required water flow for fire protection is available for the site. The water flow test results and graph(s) shall be shown on the submitted Commercial Site Plan. 

 

  • Fire Hydrants:

 

  • The submitted Commercial Site Plan shall clearly indicate the location of all required and/or existing fire hydrants.
  • Fire hydrants located on a fire apparatus access road shall be located not less than forty feet (40’) from the buildings to be protected. 
  • Vehicle parking or other obstructions shall not be permitted in front of or obstructing access to fire hydrants. Any such parking stalls shall be bollard blocked. 
  • Landscaping shall be of a type that will not encroach within a three feet (3’) radius of any fire hydrant at maturity. 
  • The MAXIMUM SPACING between fire hydrants for all commercial and multi-family buildings is three hundred feet (300’).
  • Fire hydrants shall be located within one hundred fifty feet (150’) of the terminus of a dead end, street cul-de-sac, or cul-de-loop.
  • Fire hydrants shall be located within fifty feet (50’) of intersecting streets.
  • Fire hydrants shall be of an approved type and have not less than a six-inch (6”) diameter connection with the main, in accordance with the OFC and Supplement.
  • Fire hydrants shall be installed, inspected, tested, and maintained with approval from Del-Co Water, Inc.
  • Fire hydrant nozzles shall be 2-2.50 National Standard (“NST”) and composed of one- to five-inch (1” – 5”) Storz® connections with blind cap.
  • Private fire hydrants shall be painted Safety Green, with a white band measuring a minimum of one- and one-half inches (1.5”) placed using reflective paint around the complete circumference of the fire hydrant bonnet.
  • Del-Co Water Company, Inc. fire hydrants shall be painted red, with a white band measuring a minimum of one- and one-half inches (1.5”) placed using reflective paint around the complete circumference of the fire hydrant bonnet.
  • In all cases, fire hydrants shall comply with all provisions of the OFC and Supplement.  

 

SITE ACCESS / FIRE APPARATUS ACCESS ROADS

 

  • Timing of Installation: Pursuant to OFC § 501.4, prior to the construction phase of all A, B, E, I, M, S, F, H and U use groups, when fire apparatus access roads (“FAAR”) or a water supply for fire protection is required to be installed, such protection shall be installed and made serviceable prior to any above ground construction. A FAAR shall be located within one hundred fifty feet (150’) of all portions of the first story measured by a route approved by the Fire Code Official around the exterior of the facility or building. 

 

  • Construction: During the construction phase, a FAAR shall be constructed of hard-packed gravel, asphalt, or concrete and shall be capable of supporting an aerial ladder weighing eighty thousand pounds (80,000 lbs.) under all weather conditions. The four (4) aerial ladder stabilizing jacks must be supported by the sub-pavement surface of 90 pounds per square inch (PSI).

 

  • Initial Form: The professional engineer, the installing contractor, and the owner shall complete the Initial Certification of Fire Apparatus Access Road (“Initial Form”), original stamped and sealed, and include the Initial Form with this Commercial Site Plan. The FAAR shall be maintained throughout construction and shall be kept clear of construction material, debris, dumpsters, and vehicles.

 

  • Full Completion: Prior to the occupancy of any use group structure, all required FAAR(s) shall have the permanent hard surfaced roadway of either concrete or asphalt in place and be fully completed.

 

  • Final Form: The professional engineer, the installing contractor, and the owner shall complete the Final Certification of Fire Apparatus Access Road (“Final Form”), original stamped and sealed, and submit the Final Form to the Fire Code Official upon final completion of the FAAR. Occupancy of any building(s) or structure(s) shall not occur until the Final Form has been accepted by the Fire Code Official.  

 

  • Aerial Fire Apparatus Access Roads: Aerial FAAR’s shall comply with OFC Appendix D105. Buildings or portions of buildings or facilities exceeding thirty feet (30’) in height above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access shall be provided with an approved Aerial FAAR. The Aerial FAAR shall be a minimum of twenty-six feet (26’) unobstructed clear width in the immediate vicinity of the building. Overhead obstructions, including but not limited to utility or power lines, shall not be located within the Aerial FAAR. At least one Aerial FAAR shall be located a minimum of fifteen feet (15’) and a maximum of thirty feet (30’) from the building and positioned parallel to one entire side of the building.

 

  • Turning Radius: Per OFC § 503.2.4, the minimum turning radii of a FAAR shall be sixty-five feet (65') outside and thirty-five feet (35’) inside. The turning radii shall be illustrated on the Commercial Site Plan by template.

 

  • Dead-Ends: Per OFC § 503.2.5, Dead-end FAAR’s in excess of one hundred fifty feet (150’) in length shall be provided with an approved turn-around. All dimensions of the turn-around shall be included on the Commercial Site Plan.  

 

  • Grade: Per OFC § 503.2.7, the maximum grade for a FAAR, including but not limited to that portion of a FAAR within the right-of-way of a public or private road, shall be ten percent (10%).   

 

  • Angles of Approach and Departure: Per OFC § 503.2.8, the maximum acceptable angle of approach and departure for a FAAR shall be ninety degrees (90°) and maximum ten percent (10%) grade.  

 

  • Fire Lane Markings: The approximate location of all required fire lane signs/markings shall be indicated on the Commercial Site Plan. Fire lanes that are twenty feet (20’) in width shall be posted and marked on both sides of the roadway. Aerial Fire Lanes of twenty-six feet (26’) in width shall also be posted and marked on both sides of the roadway. The location(s) and method(s) of marking fire lanes shall be clearly indicated on the submitted Commercial Site Plan. All fire lane signs/markings shall be double-faced. All fire lane signs/markings shall comply with Section (I)(3)(j) of the Supplement.