Blocked access to a fire hydrant has earned the new Webster School building a citation for a fire code violation.
Fire Capt. Pete Stehman said he wrote the citation because there is a fence and a steep grade between the south fire hydrant and the southeast side of the new Webster School addition. This would make it difficult or impossible for the tankers to supplement the school's sprinklers in a major fire, he said.
"We have to supplement if there are a large number of (sprinkler) heads flowing for it to maintain adequate pressure," Stehman said.
Stehman said in order to make the rear of the building accessible, the district may have to remove the fence or put in a gate, as well as build a short access road to let the trucks get closer to the building.
So far, there are no penalties or deadlines, Stehman said. "The intent is to remedy the situation," he said. "As long as we know progress is being made.... They're concerned about the children's safety as much as we are."
Jerry Patterson, head of maintenance for Unit 10 schools, said the district has sent a letter to architectural firm AAIC Inc. to review its specifications. The Fire Department does not have approval over blueprints, Patterson said, but it does have the authority to implement fire codes once the building is constructed.
"We're going to have to sit down with Landmark (Construction) and the Fire Department and AAIC and see what we can do," Patterson said. "They have to be able to access that part of the building."
Stehman said partway through the construction of Webster's new addition, designers switched its primary source of emergency water to the south hydrant to keep fire trucks away from the children's point of exit in the front. They also added a south parking lot right where the trucks would arrive, he said, and it's possible the fire access simply fell through the cracks.
AAIC architect Cal Morris said he could not comment on the situation. "I'm confident whatever problem the Fire Department has will be rectified," he said. "But it must be addressed through proper channels."
Representatives for Landmark Construction, which managed the district's entire $51.5 million school construction program for the last three years, could not be reached for comment.
