William, Please feel free to add this link to your site. The Oregon Code is precedent setting and should be copied and improved upon regarding rooftop access. When I say improved, I mean that 60% or more of an entire roof be available to firefighter access leaving 40% for solar. This should be the line in the sand for anyone representing the solar industry. Fighting tooth and nail against a committee of 12 and without any industry support one Bozo got 25%. See pg 26 for the Koyaanisqatsi clauses. http://www.bcd.oregon.gov/programs/solar/100510_OSISC_commentary.pdf
Andrew Koyaanisqatsi President Solar Energy Solutions, Inc. Since 1987, Moving Portland and Beyond to an Environmentally Sustainable Future. 503-238-4502 http://www.solarenergyoregon.com/ "Better one's House too little one day than too big all the Year after." From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> >To: RE-wrenches <[email protected]> >Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2014 12:24 AM >Subject: [RE-wrenches] Setbacks for fire responder protection > > > >Dear Colleagues: > >I know many of you have been concerned about the impacts of new regulations on >roof-top solar intended to protect fire responders. I have a new scenario to >offer for your consideration: > >Around here only one city has adopted codes that require eave and ridge >setbacks to provide firefighter access for residential rooftop PV. The >standard used for this city and for others adopting commercial restrictions >had been a draft proposal presented by Cal-Fire that has been circulating for >a while. A copy of that is on our web site. > >This city has upped the ante by increasing the setback such that the >measurement starts not at the gable eave but at the gable framed wall. This >typically subtracts another 24” of module space. It appears that the >justification for this more restrictive interpretation is language in the 2013 >California Fire Code offers some suggestion that gable eaves are not >structurally sound, although this is not stated. Here is the language: > >The access pathway shall be located at a structurally strong location on the >building capable of supporting the live load of fire fighters accessing the >roof. > >I see no evidence in the language to support the notion that a gable eave >overhang is not structurally sound. It is certainly strong enough to allow >roofers and other trades people to traverse without concern. I would suggest >that any portion of a framed roof can become unsound if the underpinnings are >being burned away. > >I think to disallow eaves as part of access paths based on the language is >taking this too far. Comments? > >Changing subjects slightly: I have always wondered why we must preserve >access to both sides of a E-W ridge. The concept I have heard is that >firefighters may need to open the roof at the highest point to let out smoke. >I have never seen a partition below a ridge in the attic that would prevent >smoke from wafting sideways 36” to a hole cut on the north side of the ridge >versus the south side. Does anyone know of a reason that the south side of >the ridge needs to be kept clear when the north side is clear? > >The material I refer to can be found here: >http://www.millersolar.com/MillerSolar/Resources/_Resources.html > >William Miller > > > > > >Lic 773985 >millersolar.com >805-438-5600 > >_______________________________________________ >List sponsored by Home Power magazine > >List Address: [email protected] > >Change email address & settings: >http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > >List-Archive: >http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > >List rules & etiquette: >www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > >Check out participant bios: >www.members.re-wrenches.org > > > >
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