From: solsyst@netscape.net
To: board@jeffco.k12.co.us
Subject: Fire lanes and alarm safety at Evergreen High School
(cc) fdearborn@evergreenfirerescue.com, mweege@evergreenfirerescue.com,
janderson2@evergreenfirerescue.com, dchristensen@evergreenfirerescue.com, jdedisse@evergreenfirerescue.com, mgregory@evergreenfirerescue.com, jmosby@evergreenfirerescue.com, bmay@eprd.co, plindquist@eprd.co, plinn@eprd.co, jellis@eprd.co, eoconnor@eprd.co, btucker@eprd.co, bob.finch@denvergov.org, noel.harryman@jeffco.k12.co.us, rbtaylor@jeffco.us,
mfarmen@co.jefferson.co.us
The purpose of this email is to provide information and solutions pertaining to fire lane and alarm safety at Evergreen High School, and to request specific actions by the School District that will improve the safety of property and patrons.
In this regard I have provided several attachments which deliver the message using both pictures and text.
Existing Conditions
While the School District has done an excellent job in marking fire lanes on North Olive road and in the West parking lot, and to all North and West facing sides of the High School building, there are some omissions that simply require an extension of fire lane markings that already exist.
Actions Required
To achieve the short term solution described and pictured herein requires a buy in of and collaboration between:
- The evergreen Parks and Recreation District (EPRD)
- The R1 Evergreen School District
- The Evergreen Fire and Rescue District (EFRD)
- The Jefferson County Government Commissioners
The action that is within the exclusive power of the School District is therefore the easiest fire lane extension to accomplish. It is simply to paint the South West curb on Olive road, from the High School entrance to the beginning of the cul-de-sac circle (owned by Jefferson county) with the yellow paint that will mark it as a fire lane. Addition of a few “no parking” signs would insure that fire vehicles have unobstructed speedy and safe access to the South East side of the High School building and the cul-de-sac circle.. This action by the School District would make South Olive road just like North Olive road.
Not only would this simple low cost action provide a higher level of safety for souls in the South East corner of the High School, but it would also produce an added benefit of doing a favor for the EPRD by providing a sourly needed fire lane almost to it’s parking lot. A collateral benefit would be the provision of an additional level of safety for first responders that must access the Wulf Recreation Center (WRC). This is a small but very real favor that the School District will be able to cash in on at a later date.
Another extension that needs to be completed is the fire lane that currently exists at the West end of the WRC parking lot. This fire lane is on the curb of the small High School pavilion that projects eight parking spaces into the WRC parking lot. The curb is painted yellow and by convention curbs painted to identify a fire lane extend outward and establish the fire lane 24 t0 26 feet from the curb. So this fire lane actually overlaps the eight west most parking spaces in the WRC parking lot. This fire lane is directly connected to the established fire lane to the High School parking lot and the fire lanes within right out to the exit to Buffalo Park road.
The reason why the School District needs to extend this fire lane to the East entrance of the WRC parking lot. Is because there currently is no fire lane providing access, and therefore protecting the South side of the High School building which is similar in length to the football field. There is a set aside of one parking space for the fire hydrant that exists at the North end of the WRC parking lot. But the hydrant is of no use if the fire department cannot get to it because a fire and alarm in the High School has not triggered an alarm in the WRC parking lot and so there is “business as usual” pedestrian foot traffic and vehicle movement clogging the WRC parking lot. It seams like the EFPD should weigh in here.
It is a simple matter of the application of Physics and measurement to understand that the very best place from which to rain down thousands of pounds of fire quenching water on any part of the roof of the High School roof is from a hook & ladder truck parked at the north curb of the WRC parking lot. The School District needs a fire lane at this curb.
Unfortunately, first responders will rarely, if ever, get a huge hook & ladder truck into this desirable position because the curb is host to WRC parking spaces. The school buses use these spaces to pick up students in the afternoon and at other times the spaces are filled by WRC patron vehicles.
Without a designated fire lane, WRC patrons are legally free to back out of parking spaces into the parking lot center lane at will. In large part patrons in vehicles are oblivious to fire alarms at the High School or at the WRC and accomplish parking operations as needed. Under these conditions first responders encounter an evolving chaos of obstructions from vehicles and patrons on foot.
So, the very least action that should be taken, is the extension of the fire lane in the West end of the parking lot, to the East entrance in the center lane. This fire lane extension, together with a parking lot patron evacuation strategy would at least afford first responders a speedy and safe route to the South side of the High School building. Albeit from behind parked vehicles and more than 26 feet away from the curb where they would most like to be.
So, the School District needs:
- A fire lane on South Olive road,
- a fire lane in the cul-de-sac circle,
- A fire lane in the WRC parking lot,
- Outside audible and visual alarms at the WRC to inform patrons and eliminate movement in the parking lot so that first responders have exclusive use the fire lane to access the fire hydrant, the south side of the High School, or the WRC,
- A WRC evacuation strategy that manages patron and vehicle exclusion from the WRC fire lane when there is a fire in the High School,
- and a direct one way link between the High School fire alarm and the WRC firer alarm so that first responders can travel to and suppress a fire in the South side of the High School building without delay.
Except for the fire alarm link, the EPRD has exactly these same needs, which should make collaboration and achievement easy and rewarding. At a recent on-line town hall meeting the citizen participants registered a high priority for public safety, so JEFFCO should be a willing partner in the creation of this fire lane by painting the pavement of the cul-de-sac circle..
Clearly, this email with copies to every governing district and JEFFCO commissioners will be informative, but only “words from the horse’s mouth” will produce action from others on this issue. The School District must make it’s needs known in no uncertain terms.
The attachments “Where we want to be 918” describe the best solution that can be achieved in the short run, with no harm to the limited and insufficient parking now available at the WRC.
The better solution will produce two fire lanes at the WRC. One designated by painting the Northern curb from entrance to entrance to protect the High School, and the other by painting a fire lane on the pavement from the east entrance to the front steps of the WRC, with all the former parking spaces being folded into a four story parking garage.
on the South West corner of the former parking lot. This is the solution depicted in the two attachments entitled “Where we hope to be Post 2020” and will require a broadly supported bond issue on the 2020 ballot.
Regards,
evergreensafetywatch
ATTACHMENTS