FSINSP2023-0002ADDITIONAL SITES
CHRONOLOGY
CONTACTS
NAME TYPE NAME ADDRESS1 CITY STATE ZIP PHONE FAX EMAIL
APPLICANT G H A ENTERPRISES INC 30-875 DATE PALM
DRIVE STE C
CATHEDRAL
CITY
CA 92234-
3747
(760)969-1400 CBONILLA@GHACOMP
ANIES.COM
CONTRACTOR G H A ENTERPRISES INC 30-875 DATE PALM
DRIVE STE C
CATHEDRAL
CITY
CA 92234-
3747
(760)969-1400 CBONILLA@GHACOMP
ANIES.COM
OWNER ABPTS POLO VILLAS, LLC 2425 S STEARMAN, STE
220
CHANDLER AZ 85286-
503
(760)969-1400 RYAN@BUILD-TO-
STAY.COM
CHRONOLOGY TYPE STAFF NAME ACTION DATE COMPLETION DATE NOTES
NOTE ARMANDO MAGALLON 6/5/2023 6/5/2023 THIS PERMIT IS FOR INSPECTIONS PURPOSES ONLY, NO
REVIEW WAS COMPLETED,
CONDITIONS
Description: POLO VILLAS / HYDRANT/TRACT ACCESS FIRE INSPECTION
Type: FIRE SPECIAL INSPECTION Subtype: Status: ISSUED Applied: 6/1/2023 EMO
Parcel No: 777030003 Site Address: 51317 MADISON ST LA QUINTA,CA 92253 Approved: 6/5/2023 AMA
Subdivision: PM 16457 Block: Lot: 3 Issued: 6/9/2023 ONLINE
Lot Sq Ft: 0 Building Sq Ft: 0 Zoning: Finaled:
Valuation: $0.00 Occupancy Type: Construction Type: Expired: 1/15/2024 LRO
No. Buildings: 0 No. Stories: 0 No. Unites: 0
Details:
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Printed: Tuesday, August 15, 2023 9:08:41 AM 1 of 6
Permit Details
City of La Quinta
PERMIT NUMBER
FSINSP2023-0002
INSPECTIONS
SEQID INSPECTION TYPE INSPECTOR SCHEDULED
DATE
COMPLETED
DATE
RESULT REMARKS NOTES
TRACT ACCESS/HYDRANT
VERIFICATION LRO 6/6/2023 6/6/2023 DISAPPROVE
D See Notes
LOTS 1 - 7, BRES2023-0128 – 0134
INSPECTIONS FEES HAVE NOT BEEN PAID AS
OF 6/5/23.
DESCRIPTION ACCOUNT QTY AMOUNT PAID PAID DATE RECEIPT #CHECK #METHOD PAID BY CLTD
BY
FIRE FAILED OR
ADDITIONAL FIELD
INSPECTIONS
(EXCESSIVE) EACH
101-0000-42421 0 $175.00 $175.00 7/11/23 WEB15664 111759481
9 CREDIT G H A ENTERPRISES
INC ECON
FIRE SPECIAL
INSPECTION 101-0000-42421 0 $175.00 $175.00 6/9/23 WEB15391 888971156 CREDIT G H A ENTERPRISES
INC ECON
Total Paid for FIRE FEES: $350.00 $350.00
TECHNOLOGY
ENHANCEMENT FEE 502-0000-43611 0 $8.00 $8.00 6/9/23 WEB15391 888971156 CREDIT G H A ENTERPRISES
INC ECON
Total Paid for TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENT FEE: $8.00 $8.00
TOTALS:$358.00 $358.00
Printed: Tuesday, August 15, 2023 9:08:41 AM 2 of 6
Permit Details
City of La Quinta
PERMIT NUMBER
FSINSP2023-0002
TRACT ACCESS/HYDRANT
VERIFICATION LRO 6/6/2023 6/6/2023 DISAPPROVE
D See Notes
Disapproved, had a 6 inch supplying a
temporary fire hydrants from a 2 1/2 outlet
from an existing fire hydrant. The following
corrections are as follows:
1. Engineered drawn plans/notes/specs of
temporary hydrant strapped/secured to
floor.
2. The existing fire hydrant that is supplying
the temporary hydrant is being supplied
from the existing 2 ½ inch outlet. We need
the underground main T’d with the existing
fire hydrant on top and the 6-inch supplying
the temporary fire hydrant. We will need
CVWD to approve this configuration as well
as engineered drawn out plans/notes/specs
of how this will be implemented.
Pending the review and approval of the
BCPR2023-0002 Master Permit for Arch/MEP
review which address the ambient
temperature maintenance for the ESS
Battery, I am giving Fire Clearance with
specific conditional limitations to the
individual lot BRES permits as was discussed
today.
At this time and with consideration of the
High-line Temporary Fire Hydrant capable of
not more than 500 gpm flow, and no
presence of acceptable Fire Access roadway
for during construction – the project shall be
limited to combustible material lumber drop
and foundation/slab construction only. No
vertical combustible construction is
permitted at this time. I have inserted
“Warnings” to each of the lot parcels
explaining this limited clearance.
In order to obtain release for vertical
Printed: Tuesday, August 15, 2023 9:08:41 AM 3 of 6
Permit Details
City of La Quinta
PERMIT NUMBER
FSINSP2023-0002
TRACT ACCESS/HYDRANT
VERIFICATION KHET 6/7/2023 6/7/2023 PARTIALLY
APPROVED
construction, the project shall be provided
with the installation of the permanent water
mains serving the 2 planned fire hydrants
and able to provided a minimum fire flow of
1,000 gpm; as well as
installation/improvement of a minimum 24-
feet wide minimum Class II road base
compacted for Fire Access to all individual
lots. OFM Fire Inspector shall be scheduled
to inspect the provision of these features in
order to expand the clearances of the
permits to advance further in their
development.
This clearance with specific conditional
limitations has been recorded in the
FSINSP2023-0002 case for tracking the Tract
Access/Water scopes. This permit still has
the required payment of the initial
inspection in the amount of $183.00. Please
make immediate arrangements to pay this
fee through the online permit portal. It is
linked to cbonilla@ghacompanies.com
account login. Additional inspection fee will
also be required for the future conditional
releases.
TRACT ACCESS/HYDRANT
VERIFICATION LRO 7/19/2023 7/19/2023 APPROVED Additional inspections
may be required.
Inspection is for the 2 planned fire hydrants,
which shall provided a minimum fire flow of
1,000 gpm; as well as
installation/improvement of a minimum 24-
feet wide minimum Class II road base
compacted for Fire Access to all individual
lots
Printed: Tuesday, August 15, 2023 9:08:41 AM 4 of 6
Permit Details
City of La Quinta
PERMIT NUMBER
FSINSP2023-0002
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment Type CREATED OWNER DESCRIPTION PATHNAME SUBDIR ETRAKIT ENABLED
DOC 6/7/2023 KOHL HETRICK
1ST SUBMITTAL -
ONSITE STREET
IMPROVEMENT PLAN
TM 33085.pdf
1ST SUBMITTAL -
ONSITE STREET
IMPROVEMENT PLAN
TM 33085.pdf
1
DOC 6/7/2023 KOHL HETRICK
ONST2022-0004 - FIRE
CONDITIONS OF
APPROVAL.pdf
ONST2022-0004 - FIRE
CONDITIONS OF
APPROVAL.pdf
1
DOC 6/7/2023 KOHL HETRICK PV - Temp Water Site
Plan 05-04-23.pdf
PV - Temp Water Site
Plan 05-04-23.pdf 1
DOC 6/7/2023 KOHL HETRICK
6-7-2023 - Email -
Conditional
Clearances.pdf
6-7-2023 - Email -
Conditional
Clearances.pdf
1
PHOTO 6/7/2023 KOHL HETRICK 20230607_101830.jpg 20230607_101830.jpg 1
PHOTO 6/7/2023 KOHL HETRICK 20230607_101826.jpg 20230607_101826.jpg 1
PHOTO 6/7/2023 KOHL HETRICK 20230607_101604.jpg 20230607_101604.jpg 1
BOND INFORMATION
TRACT ACCESS/HYDRANT
VERIFICATION LRO 7/19/2023 7/19/2023 APPROVED Additional inspections
may be required.
Inspection has been approved for vertical
construction with all the following items
above confirmed. Additional Tract
Access/Hydrant inspections may be required
for blue reflector dots and permanent street
signs.
REVIEWS
REVIEW TYPE REVIEWER SENT DATE DUE DATE RETURNED
DATE
STATUS REMARKS NOTES
1ST PERMIT TECH (1
DAY)
PERMIT TECH
BUCKET
6/1/2023 6/2/2023 6/1/2023
PARENT PROJECTS
Printed: Tuesday, August 15, 2023 9:08:41 AM 5 of 6
Permit Details
City of La Quinta
PERMIT NUMBER
FSINSP2023-0002
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment Type CREATED OWNER DESCRIPTION PATHNAME SUBDIR ETRAKIT ENABLED
PHOTO 6/7/2023 KOHL HETRICK 20230607_101535.jpg 20230607_101535.jpg 1
PHOTO 6/7/2023 KOHL HETRICK 20230607_101531.jpg 20230607_101531.jpg 1
PHOTO 6/7/2023 KOHL HETRICK 20230607_101525.jpg 20230607_101525.jpg 1
Printed: Tuesday, August 15, 2023 9:08:41 AM 6 of 6
Permit Details
City of La Quinta
PERMIT NUMBER
FSINSP2023-0002
1
Hetrick, Kohl@CALFIRE
From:Hetrick, Kohl@CALFIRE
Sent:Wednesday, June 7, 2023 2:08 PM
To:Carlos Bonilla; Joe Martinez; Rojas, Leilani@CALFIRE
Cc:Mario Gonzales; Pat Schlicht; Filiberto Perez; Armando Magallon; Jose Delgado; AJ Ortega
Subject:RE: Polo Villas Temporary Hydrant Corrections
Good aŌernoon and thank you for the Ɵme to meet on site at the development.
Pending the review and approval of the BCPR2023-0002 Master Permit for Arch/MEP review which address the ambient temperature maintenance for the ESS BaƩery, I am
giving Fire Clearance with specific condiƟonal limitaƟons to the individual lot BRES permits as was discussed today.
At this Ɵme and with consideraƟon of the High-line Temporary Fire Hydrant capable of not more than 500 gpm flow, and no presence of acceptable Fire Access roadway for
during construcƟon – the project shall be limited to combusƟble material lumber drop and foundaƟon/slab construcƟon only. No verƟcal combusƟble construcƟon is
permiƩed at this Ɵme. I have inserted “Warnings” to each of the lot parcels explaining this limited clearance.
In order to obtain release for verƟcal construcƟon, the project shall be provided with the installaƟon of the permanent water mains serving the 2 planned fire hydrants and
able to provided a minimum fire flow of 1,000 gpm; as well as installaƟon/improvement of a minimum 24-feet wide minimum Class II road base compacted for Fire Access
to all individual lots. OFM Fire Inspector shall be scheduled to inspect the provision of these features in order to expand the clearances of the permits to advance further in
their development.
This clearance with specific condiƟonal limitaƟons has been recorded in the FSINSP2023-0002 case for tracking the Tract Access/Water scopes. This permit sƟll has the
required payment of the iniƟal inspecƟon in the amount of $183.00. Please make immediate arrangements to pay this fee through the online permit portal. It is linked to
cbonilla@ghacompanies.com account login. AddiƟonal inspecƟon fee will also be required for the future condiƟonal releases.
Please let me know if you have any further quesƟons.
KOHL HETRICK
Fire Safety Specialist / Office of the Fire Marshal
City of La Quinta & County Strategic Planning
CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department
Desk: 760-777-7074 | Mobile: 760-409-5109
Inspection Hotline: 760-777-7131
78495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta, CA 92253
kohl.hetrick@fire.ca.gov | www.rvcfire.org
Sch: Mon-Thurs
Leadership, Competence, Integrity, Safety, Customer Service
The Office of the County Fire Marshal is committed to facilitating fire and life safety solutions by empowering its employees to serve our community through innovation and
partnership.
From: Carlos Bonilla <cbonilla@ghacompanies.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 9:12 AM
To: Hetrick, Kohl@CALFIRE <Kohl.Hetrick@fire.ca.gov>; Joe Martinez <joe@ghacompanies.com>; Rojas, Leilani@CALFIRE <Leilani.Rojas@fire.ca.gov>
Cc: Mario Gonzales <mario@ghacompanies.com>; Pat Schlicht <pat@ghacompanies.com>; Filiberto Perez <Filiberto@ghacompanies.com>
Subject: RE: Polo Villas Temporary Hydrant Corrections
Warning: this message is from an external user and should be treated with caution.
Good morning Kohl –
Provided informaƟon and requirements received. It’s my understanding you and Mario Gonzales connected on the phone this morning and reviewed the provided
informaƟon. I just wanted to briefly follow up and advise that I will be onsite this morning at 10:00am to assist Joe MarƟnez in reviewing with you how we can best
accommodate the site to allow GHA to buildout and CAL FIRE to protect in the case of an incident. Thank you, talk soon.
Carlos Bonilla
Sr. Project Manager
Office: 760-969-1400 ext. 491
Mobile: 760-275-6749
30875 Date Palm Dr. Ste. C-2
Cathedral City, CA 92234
WWW.GHACOMPANIES.COM
From: Hetrick, Kohl@CALFIRE <Kohl.Hetrick@fire.ca.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 7:59 AM
To: Joe Martinez <joe@ghacompanies.com>; Rojas, Leilani@CALFIRE <Leilani.Rojas@fire.ca.gov>
Cc: Mario Gonzales <mario@ghacompanies.com>; Pat Schlicht <pat@ghacompanies.com>; Carlos Bonilla <cbonilla@ghacompanies.com>
Subject: RE: Polo Villas Temporary Hydrant Corrections
Mr. MarƟnez,
2
It was presumed that the request for the Fire Tract Access/Water InspecƟon was to provide one of the required Fire Clearances to release the Building ResidenƟal permits
for starƟng construcƟon and bringing combusƟble materials on to the job site to start framing specifically.
As these houses are showing a 4,800 to 6,300 sf of area, the implicaƟons of 2022 CFC Appendix B for required fire flow are greater than most communiƟes being built
throughout CV.
AŌer reviewing this detail, we know that a minimum 1,000 gpm fire flow is required for this project. We know that the permanent CVWD water system will provide this
and greatly exceed it, once installed.. CFC Chapter 33 “Fire Safety During ConstrucƟon and DemoliƟon” outlines specific requirements for fire protecƟon water supply.
SECTION 3313
WATER SUPPLY FOR FIRE PROTECTION
3313.1 When required.
An approved water supply for fire protection, either temporary or permanent, shall be made available as soon as combustible building materials
arrive on the site, on commencement of vertical combustible construction and on installation of a standpipe system in buildings under construction,
in accordance with Sections 3313.2 through 3313.5.
Exception: The fire code official is authorized to reduce the fire-flow requirements for isolated buildings or a group of buildings in rural areas
or small communities where the development of full fire-flow requirements is impractical.
3313.2 Combustible building materials.
When combustible building materials of the building under construction are delivered to a site, a minimum fire flow of 500 gallons per minute (1893
L/m) shall be provided. The fire hydrant used to provide this fire-flow supply shall be within 500 feet (152 m) of the combustible building materials,
as measured along an approved fire apparatus access lane. Where the site configuration is such that one fire hydrant cannot be located within
500 feet (152 m) of all combustible building materials, additional fire hydrants shall be required to provide coverage in accordance with this section.
3313.3 Vertical construction of Types III, IV and V construction.
Prior to commencement of vertical construction of Type III, IV or V buildings that utilize any combustible building materials, the fire flow required
by Sections 3313.3.1 through 3313.3.3 shall be provided, accompanied by fire hydrants in sufficient quantity to deliver the required fire flow and
proper coverage.
3313.3.1 Fire separation up to 30 feet.
Where a building of Type III, IV or V construction has a fire separation distance of less than 30 feet (9144 mm) from property lot lines, and
an adjacent property has an existing structure or otherwise can be built on, the water supply shall provide either a minimum of 500 gallons
per minute (1893 L/m) or the entire fire flow required for the building when constructed, whichever is greater.
3313.3.2 Fire separation of 30 feet up to 60 feet.
Where a building of Type III, IV or V construction has a fire separation distance of 30 feet (9144 mm) up to 60 feet (18 288 mm) from
property lot lines, and an adjacent property has an existing structure or otherwise can be built on, the water supply shall provide a minimum
of 500 gallons per minute (1893 L/m) or 50 percent of the fire flow required for the building when constructed, whichever is greater.
3313.3.3 Fire separation of 60 feet or greater.
Where a building of Type III, IV or V construction has a fire separation of 60 feet (18 288 mm) or greater from a property lot line, a water
supply of 500 gallons per minute (1893 L/m) shall be provided.
So, in pracƟcality – the 2.5” Metered connecƟon being used to supply the temporary hydrant can realisƟcally provide not more than 500-gpm through standard engineering
over the 1-hour required duraƟon of flow. We are not going to flow for 60-minutes to test this hydrant. This temporary hydrant would only be suitable for lumber drop. As
secƟon 3313.1 states, this proposed arrangement needs to be “approved”. We do not leave it to be only a field approval and typically require some drawing and detail of
the proposed installaƟon. Those details should also address concerns of securing the piping and devices from movement which could cause breaks and injure persons. We
need to know how the “high-line” is going to be secured/strapped.
3
Pending addiƟonal fire clearances and release of the building plans, I will also consider this temporary hydrant as supporƟng “FoundaƟon Only” construcƟon work.
Prior to a single verƟcal framing element being installed, the CVWD permanent water supply to the project fire hydrants would need to be in place and operaƟonal. We
would need to again inspect at this point to confirm and give clearance to begin verƟcal construcƟon.
I will be stopping by later today as well, to confirm the condiƟon of the construcƟon roadway and ability to support fire apparatus. A minimum 24-feet wide Class-II road
base, 6-inches thick and compacted, is required for ConstrucƟon Fire Access (unless Civil Engineer detail is provided showing an alternaƟve material and installaƟon to
support 40,000 lbs over 2-axles). This 24-feet driveable surface cannot must be maintained cleared of construcƟon materials, equipment and vehicles during construcƟon.
*SuggesƟons that since heavy equipment and water tenders are able to use these roads as jusƟficaƟon for supporƟng fire apparatus, are not accepted/approved.
Acceptable access would be required for VerƟcal construcƟon release.
3311.1 Required access.
Approved vehicle access for firefighting shall be provided to all construction or demolition sites. Vehicle access shall be provided to within 100
feet (30 480 mm) of temporary or permanent fire department connections. Vehicle access shall be provided by either temporary or permanent
roads, capable of supporting vehicle loading under all weather conditions. Vehicle access shall be maintained until permanent fire apparatus
access roads are available.
Respecƞully,
KOHL HETRICK
Fire Safety Specialist / Office of the Fire Marshal
City of La Quinta & County Strategic Planning
CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department
Desk: 760-777-7074 | Mobile: 760-409-5109
Inspection Hotline: 760-777-7131
78495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta, CA 92253
kohl.hetrick@fire.ca.gov | www.rvcfire.org
Sch: Mon-Thurs
Leadership, Competence, Integrity, Safety, Customer Service
The Office of the County Fire Marshal is committed to facilitating fire and life safety solutions by empowering its employees to serve our community through innovation and
partnership.
From: Joe Martinez <joe@ghacompanies.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 7:19 AM
To: Rojas, Leilani@CALFIRE <Leilani.Rojas@fire.ca.gov>; Hetrick, Kohl@CALFIRE <Kohl.Hetrick@fire.ca.gov>
Cc: Mario Gonzales <mario@ghacompanies.com>; Pat Schlicht <pat@ghacompanies.com>; Carlos Bonilla <cbonilla@ghacompanies.com>
Subject: Polo Villas Temporary Hydrant Corrections
Warning: this message is from an external user and should be treated with caution.
Good morning Leilani,
I believe there is a misunderstanding of what we are trying to achieve here with clearance to start building.
Is it possible to meet with Kohl and yourself on site or at your office ?
This is a temporary line, the new water main and fire hydrants will start installaƟon in the next 30 days.
CVWD has no other opƟon for temp water as it needs to be metered. We have used this same method throughout the Coachella Valley to commence construcƟon while
new infrastructure is being installed.
Please let me know thank you,
Joe Martinez
Vice President of Operations
30875 Date Palm Dr Cathedral City CA 92234
760-969-1400 Office
760-250-9555 Cell
760-322-6333 Fax
WWW.GHACOMPANIES.COM
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE. UNAUTHORIZED INTERCEPTION IS PROHIBITED BY FEDERAL LAW. This message is being sent by GHA Companies, GHA Holdings Inc., GHA Enterprises Inc., Gonzales Construction Inc.. It is intended exclusively
for the individuals and entities to which it is addressed. This communication, including any attachments, may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise legally exempted from disclosure. If you are not the intended
recipient or believe that you may have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by email, delete all copies of this email and do not read, print, retain copy or disseminate this message or any part of it.
From: Rojas, Leilani@CALFIRE <Leilani.Rojas@fire.ca.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, June 6, 2023 4:26 PM
To: Joe Martinez <joe@ghacompanies.com>
Cc: Hetrick, Kohl@CALFIRE <Kohl.Hetrick@fire.ca.gov>
Subject: Temporary Hydrant Corrections
Joe,
4
From today’s Tract Access/Water inspecƟon we are unfortunately going to have to disapprove the way the temporary hydrant is currently set up. For your project to get
this approved, we will need the following informaƟon:
1. Engineered drawn plans/notes/specs of temporary hydrant strapped/secured to floor.
2. The exisƟng fire hydrant that is supplying the temporary hydrant is being supplied from the exisƟng 2 ½ inch outlet. We need the underground main T’d with the
exisƟng fire hydrant on top and the 6-inch supplying the temporary fire hydrant. We will need CVWD to approve this configuraƟon as well as engineered drawn out
plans/notes/specs of how this will be implemented.
I also did noƟce on the FSINSP2023-0002, there are pending dues for the permit on your end. Please have this taken care of ASAP.
If you have any quesƟons, please don’ hesitate to contact me.
Thanks,
Leilani Rojas
Fire Systems Inspector / Office of the Fire Marshal
Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department
City of La Quinta
Desk: 760-777-7158 | Mobile: 760-218-8125
Inspection Hotline: 760-777-7131
78495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta, CA 92253
leilani.rojas@fire.ca.gov | www.rvcfire.org
Sch: Tues-Fri
Leadership, Competence, Integrity, Safety, Customer Service
The Office of the County Fire Marshal is committed to facilitating fire and life safety solutions by empowering its employees to serve our community through innovation and
partnership.
OFFICE OF THE FIRE MARSHAL – LA QUINTA
78495 Calle Tampico, La Quinta, CA 92253 • Phone (760) 777-7074
• www.rvcfire.org
September 26, 2022
Coachella Valley Engineers
77933 Las Montanas #101
Palm Desert, CA 92211
Re: Onsite Street Improvement Plans - Fire Plan Review – SOUTH ORCHARDS
ONST2022-0004 / TM 33085 / EVANGELINE LANE / KIWI COURT
The plans you submitted for the above referenced project have been reviewed by Riverside County Fire
Department - Office of the Fire Marshal personnel and are approved with the following conditions.
Dimensions (CFC 503.2.1)
The RCFD has amended the CFC to require that fire apparatus access roads shall have an unobstructed
width of not less than 24 feet, exclusive of shoulders, except for approved security gates in accordance with
Section 503.6.
Parallel parking on one side is permitted on a fire apparatus access roadway that is at least 32 feet in width.
Parallel parking on both sides is permitted on a fire apparatus access roadway that is 40 feet or more in
width.
Marking (CFC 503.3)
The method of marking fire apparatus access roads (fire lanes) shall be approved prior to installation.
Where approved by RCFD, curbing shall be painted red and shall also be provided with “FIRE LANE – NO
PARKING” painted on top of the curb in 4” white lettering at a spacing of 30 feet on center.
Alternatively or in addition to, where approved by RCFD, signs shall meet the following requirements:
1. All signs shall have a minimum dimension of 12 inches wide by 18 inches high and have red lettering on
a white retroreflective background. Signs shall be made of durable material.
2. Signs shall be posted with spacing not to exceed a factor of x10 the posted speed limit converted to
linear feet. Maximum spacing shall not exceed 500-feet. Consideration for curved roads and obstructions
may require reduced spacing intervals.
3. For manual vehicle access gates located across required fire apparatus access roadways, NO PARKING
– FIRE LANE signs complying with these requirements shall be posted on both sides of the vehicle
access gate(s).
Any alternative signs or markings differing from the details above, must be approved through the RCFD and
by the City/County Engineer and/or police agency, as applicable. In areas where fire lane parking restrictions
are enforced by the California Highway Patrol, “NO STOPPING—FIRE LANE” signs meeting Caltrans
standards shall be used.
Traffic Calming Devices (CFC 503.4.1)
Existing traffic calming devices installed after January 1, 2014, without documented review and approval by
the RCFD, may be required to submit for retroactive review and approval.
Proposed installations of traffic calming devices (passive/active) within a fire apparatus access lane shall be
reviewed and approved by the RCFD prior to any installation. The following items and details shall be
provided as part of the required submittal:
1. Scaled site plans that identify the location of and the construction dimensions of all traffic calming devices
(existing/proposed).
2. A detailed analysis (prepared by a traffic management company or other approved source) which:
a. Analyzes the need and legal authority to install traffic calming devices at the location(s).
b. Shall include a traffic study or equivalent which evaluates the cumulative impacts of all traffic
calming devices and their effects on normal and emergency vehicle response activities
(Police/Fire/EMS).
c. Evaluates benefits and effects of passive/active traffic calming devices.
d. Gives design proposals and details for passive/active traffic calming devices.
Security Gates (CFC 503.6)
Where not required for apparatus placement associated with building fire suppression activities, the minimum
open clear width of security gates may be reduced to a minimum of 14 feet.
Manually operated gates shall not be locked unless:
1. A KNOX box containing the key to the lock installed at the gate in an approved location, or
2. A KNOX padlock capable of unlocking the gate is utilized.
Electric gates shall include the capability of being opened via a KNOX key switch in an approved location
and via automatic opener. To order KNOX products visit https://www.knoxbox.com.
Automatic Opener (CFC 503.6.1 RCFD Amendment)
The RCFD has amended the CFC to require that new motorized gates shall be provided with means to be
automatically opened remotely by emergency vehicle excluding gates serving individual one- and two-
family dwelling parcels.
The gates shall be installed with a receiver compatible for use with Riverside County emergency vehicle
preemption devices from, but not limited to, the following manufacturers: Federal Signal, Whelen, and
Tomar. Automatic openers shall be installed to be initiated by Riverside County Fire apparatus (clear
view/adequate height of receiver) and keep the gate open for at least 30 seconds. A function test shall be
required by Fire Department apparatus prior to final acceptance.
Loading Areas and Passenger Drop-off Areas (CFC 503.7 RCFD Amendment)
The RCFD has amended the CFC to require on private properties, where fire apparatus access roads are
utilized for loading or unloading or utilize for passenger drop-off or pick-up, an additional 8-feet of width shall
be added to the minimum required width for the fire apparatus access road.
All questions regarding the meaning of these conditions should be referred to the Office of the Fire Marshal
staff at (760)777-7074.
Kohl Hetrick - Fire Safety Specialist
78495 CALLE TAMPICO, LA QUINTA, CA 92253 / 760-777-7000 / INSPECTION HOTLINE: 760-777-7131