Appendix 1: Hamilton Fire District Recommendations for the Storage of Used Vehicle Tyres
The following recommendations have been taken from the NFPA Guidelines, Appendix G "Guidelines for Outdoor Storage of Scrap Tyres" and information based from Fire Safety Assessment of the Scrap Tyre Storage Methods by Williamson and Schroeder.
Piles should be sorted vertically and in an orderly manner and should include:
2. Tyres should not be stored on wetlands, flood plains, ravines or steep graded surfaces. Flat level ground is preferred.
2. The preferred surface for storage is concrete or hard packed clay but not asphalt or grass.
3. A three-metre high wire fence should secure the pile area with six-metre wide opening gates. These gates should remain unobstructed at all times and at least one on each side of the storage site.
4. Piles should not be accumulated under power structures or lines.
5. The storage area or piles should be provided with an emergency vehicle access road so that there is no area of the piles further than 45 metres from the road. This road should be able to carry the weight of a standard pumping appliance of 13 tonne.
6. Piles should be 15 metres from fences or boundary lines.
7. Area within 61 metres of a tyre pile should be void of trees, plants or other vegetation.
8. All ignition sources should be kept out of the cleared area around and within the tyre piles.
9. Separation between tyre storage and buildings, vehicles, other combustibles should be a minimum of 61 metres.
10. Pile height should not exceed six metres maximum, 15 metres in width and 80 metres in length.
11. If the clear space between piles or other exposures cannot be achieved a dirt bund wall should be constructed 1½ times the height of the tyre piles between the exposures.
12. The following table is a guideline for the storage of used tyres.
Table 1: Minimum exposure separation distances for used tyre piles
|
Tyre storage pile height (m) |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Exposed pile face length (m) |
2.5 |
3 |
4 |
4.5 |
5 |
5.5 |
6 |
|
8 |
17 |
19 |
21 |
22 |
24 |
25 |
26 |
|
16 |
23 |
26 |
29 |
30 |
33 |
35 |
37 |
|
30 |
30 |
36 |
40 |
43 |
45 |
48 |
50 |
|
48 |
30 |
36 |
40 |
43 |
45 |
48 |
50 |
|
64 |
30 |
36 |
40 |
43 |
45 |
48 |
50 |
|
80 |
30 |
36 |
40 |
43 |
45 |
48 |
50 |
Water supplies
Where the storage capacity for tyres is less than 20,000 tyres (1500m3) a water supply capable of delivering 75 l/s for 6 hours should be provided within 60 m of the storage area. This supply should be increased to 150 l/s for six hours duration if storage capacity exceeds 20,000 tyres (1500m3). If there is a lake, pond, stream, river or other static water supply equal or greater than above an access must be provided within three metres to it for a standard pumping appliance of 13 tonne.
Martin Berryman
Deputy Chief Fire Officer
Hamilton Fire District
14 March 2002
