Trinity County Municipal Code Art. IV Emergency Water Standards

Emergency water for wildfire protection shall be available and accessible in quantities and locations specified in the statute and these regulations, in order to attack a wildfire or defend property from a wildfire. Such emergency water may be provided in a fire agency mobile water tender, or naturally occurring or manmade containment structure, as long as the specified quantity is immediately available.

(Ord. 1162 §1 Exh. A(part), 1991)

The provisions of this article shall apply when new parcels are approved by a local jurisdiction. The emergency water system shall be available on-site prior to completion of road construction, where a community water system is approved, or prior to the completion of building construction, where an individual system is approved.

(Ord. 1162 §1 Exh. A(part), 1991)

A. Water systems that meet or exceed the standards specified in Public Utilities Commission of California (PUC) revised General Order (Ord. 897 §1(part), 1990)103, Adopted June 12, 1956 (Corrected September 7, 1983, Decision 83-09-001), Section VIII Fire Protection Standards and other applicable sections relating to fire protection water delivery systems, static water systems equaling or exceeding the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 1231, "Standard on Water Supplies for Suburban and Rural Fire Fighting," 1989 Edition, or mobile water systems that meet the Insurance Services Office (ISO) Rural Class 8, 2nd Edition 3-80, standard shall be accepted as meeting the requirements of this article. These documents are available at CDF ranger unit headquarters.

B. Nothing in this article prohibits the combined storage of emergency wildfire and structural firefighting water supplies unless so prohibited by local ordinance or specified by the local fire agency.

C. When freeze protection is required, such protection measures shall be provided.

(Ord. 1162 §1 Exh. A(part), 1991)

A. The hydrant or fire valve shall be eighteen inches above grade, eight feet from flammable vegetation, no closer than four feet nor farther than twelve feet from a roadway, and in a location where fire apparatus using it will not block the roadway.

The hydrant serving any building shall:

1. Be not less than fifty feet not more than one-half mile by road from the building it is to serve; and

2. Be located at a turnout or turnaround, along the driveway to that building or along the road that intersects with that driveway.

B. The hydrant head shall be brass with a two and one-half inch National Hose male thread with cap for pressure and gravity flow systems and four and one-half inch gravity systems. Such hydrants shall be wet or dry barrel as required by the delivery system. They shall have suitable crash protection as required by the local jurisdiction.

(Ord. 1162 §1 Exh. A(part), 1991)

Each hydrant/fire valve or access to water shall be identified as follows:

A. If located along a driveway, a reflectorized blue marker, with a minimum dimension of three inches shall be located on the driveway address sign and mounted on a fire retardant post; or

B. If located on a street or road:

1. A reflectorized blue marker, with a minimum dimesion of three inches, shall be mounted on a fire retardant post. The sign post shall be within three feet of said hydrant/fire valve, with the sign no less than three feet nor greater than five feet above ground, in a horizontal position and visible from a driveway, or

2. As specified in the State Fire Marshal's Guidelines for Fire Hydrant Markings along State Highways and Freeways, May 1988.

(Ord. 1162 §1 Exh. A(part), 1991)