County Fire Chief, Saratoga Mayor Respond to Lack of Hydrants' Concerns

Santa Clara County Fire Deputy Chief John Justice said Monday afternoon that even though his department can quickly provide an adequate water supply to the neighborhood for all firefighting duties.

Residents who live along the rural private road had expressed concern this weekend when they noticed there was no fire hydrant following Friday's inferno that engulfed a single-story home at 18565 Aspesi Drive.

Chief Justice explained that although public water supplies and fire hydrants in Saratoga are installed and maintained by the San Jose Water Company, some developments, however, were constructed in the '50s and were omitted from the fire prevention code.

When new developments are proposed in Saratoga and other communities, the city sends construction plans to the fire department for current fire code review and approval, with specified conditions for those individual projects, he said.

Today’s adopted California fire code generally requires new residential developments to have fire hydrants spaced at 500-foot intervals. By law, however, fire hydrant location and many other fire code requirement do not apply to residential remodels as is the case with the new home for sale at 13685 Quito Road on the market for $1.5 million.

Chief Justice said the homes behind Aspesi Drive were built during the early 1950s into the 1970s. Back in the 1950s, a model fire prevention code did not exist throughout the country, he added.

"Rather communities relied on fire prevention codes written by a perceptive insurance industry," he said. "I do hope all the residents [in the neighborhoods near the fire] checked to see they have functioning smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in their homes so they can be alerted to a life safety situation and get out quickly and congregate at a safe area."

Saratoga Mayor Jill Hunter said when a request for a home or a subdivision comes into the Saratoga Planning Division, it's forwarded to the Santa Clara County Fire Department for review. 

If the fire department feels that there is any inadequacy, particularly for subdivisions, they mark up the plans and the city requires additional infrastructure prior to approval of a development application, Hunter said.

"If a homeowner is concerned about their home during or after a fire, they should contact the fire department and speak to them about their concerns. The fire department is expert on such matters and I'm confident they will be able to relieve the minds of the homeowners," Hunter said.

RELATED COVERAGE:

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