MARTIN COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION PART 3

The recent fire at the Viesel biofuels facility in Martin County (brief report) showed the need to consider the synergistic effects of placing incompatible facilities near, next to, or within each other and within a residential neighborhood. The biofuels fire and its aftermath is still being felt. The firefighters were heroic and contained what could have been a catastrophe from spreading. They were aided by the fact that both Dixie Highway and US 1 offered fire trucks good road access to the light industrial center where the fire took place.

The biofuel facility is located in a complex where the surrounding businesses work with and store highly flammable materials, materials that produce noxious fumes. Some of these businesses are boat builders. Was this the right location for a fuels facility? Martin County is now going to consider that question.

County officials reacted quickly to the aftermath of the fire and suggested placing a temporary halt to site plans and building permits for biofuel facilities until the issues surrounding them can be studied (brief news report). The topic was on the agenda for the May 19th meeting of the Board of County Commissioners. This was the same meeting that the cell tower was to be heard. Our cell tower issue was continued until June 23rd as was the hearing on the moratorium on biofuel facilities.

The investigation into the Viesel fire concluded that it was an accident. According to an article in the TCPalm, a county official said it could cost as much as $500,000 to remove the biodiesel, water and dirt from the county's drainage system and other areas following the fire.

A cell tower with associated electrical equipment and generators is just as incompatible a facility to place immediately adjacent to and within a boat storage shed. The tower design standards say it is designed to have a 100 ft fall zone (see previous post). This tower proposal has no fall zone. Debris falling from the tower or water borne or wind borne debris at the Marina during a hurricane could cause the tower's equipment to generate a fire, a fire that could ignite scores of boats stored in the building.

However, the actual cause of this fire would not be an accident. The cause would be the fact that the County bypassed its own regulations as well as the design standards for the tower to place the tower at this location; that the County came up with a new type of zoning called "Postage Stamp" zoning to accommodate just this one tower;  that the County is determined to put the lives of thousands of residents and visitors round the Manatee Pocket at risk from explosion, fire, and noxious fumes; that the fragility of the Manatee Pocket is not a consideration if a cell tower and boat shed fire has to be fought;  that the County thinks a 10 lb fire extinguisher is sufficient to fight such a fire.

We applaud the County firefighters for risking their lives for us. They are heroes in every sense of the word. We sincerely hope that they do not have to save our lives and put their own lives at risk because of such an ill conceived project.

The next posting will take a look at the Fire Codes that apply to this project.  Stay tuned.

I THINK I HAVE BEEN HACKED

When I started this blog I thought very carefully about whether to allow or not allow comments. I discussed this option with several people and finally came to the conclusion that comments would not be allowed.

Comments require moderating. They open the Blog up to inappropriate language and highlighting issues that should not be considered here.

In the US Telecommunications Act of 1996, the effects of electromagnetic radiation CANNOT be used in fighting the location of a cell tower. There are many readers of this Blog who think this issue will help us win our case. We understand their concerns and appreciate their support. But we cannot let this issue be open for discussion here. Therefore I closed the Blog to all comments to prevent this from happening.

So I was shocked to see a comment from Mr. Aycock using this Blog to promote his cause. Yet another good reason for not permitting comments.

I am leaving the comment up. We have nothing to hide. No tower should be built in such a hazardous location.

I have once again closed the Blog to comments. Will I  be successful? Who knows? -   but if more inappropriate comments are posted, I will be sure to tell you about them.

MARTIN COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION ISSUES PART 2

The review of the cell tower application included a fire protection review which was summarized in the final staff report as follows:

SAILFISH MARINA STEALTH COMMUNICATIONS TOWER REVISED MAJOR/MASTER FINAL

Applicant: Bayley Products, Inc.
Property Owner: Bayley Products, Inc.
Agent for the Applicant: Kevin Aycock
County Project Coordinator: Deanna Freeman, Principal Planner
Growth Management Director: Nicki van Vonno, AICP (Recused)
Assistant County Administrator: Roger Baltz
Project Number: S242-003
Application Type and Number: D056 201400027
Report Number: Staff Report 3
Application Received: 02/04/2014
Transmitted: 02/14/2014
Staff Report Issued: 05/19/2014
Joint Workshop: 06/05/2014
Resubmittal Received: 10/28/2014
Transmitted: 10/28/2014
Staff Report Issued: 12/29/2014
Resubmittal Received: 01/27/2015
Staff Report Issued: 02/24/2015
LPA Meeting: 03/05/2015
BOCC Meeting: 04/07/2015

...

P. Determination of compliance with fire prevention and emergency management requirements
Fire Rescue Department Fire Prevention

Findings of Compliance:

The Fire Prevention Bureau finds this submittal to be in compliance with the applicable provisions governing construction and life safety standards. This occupancy shall comply with all applicable
provisions of governing codes whether implied or not in this review, in addition to all previous requirements of prior reviews.

A 10 lb. fire extinuisher[sic] will be required within the gated compound.

Additional Information:

Information #1: Martin County Code of Laws and Ordinances, Section 79.121, adopts NFPA 1 and NFPA 101 as the county's fire prevention code. The Code is to prescribe minimum requirements necessary to establish a reasonable level of fire and life safety and property protection from the hazards created by fire, explosion, and dangerous conditions. This is in accordance with Chapter 633, F.S. All construction, including, but not limited to, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire suppression systems, shall be subject to these codes. All documents including specifications and hydraulic calculations are required at the time of the application for a building permit for the property that is the subject of this application for site plan approval.

Information #2: The AHJ shall have the authority to require an access box(es) to be installed in an accessible location where access to or within a structure or area is difficult because of security. [NFPA 118.2.2.1] Martin County utilizes and requires the Knox access system. You may contact
www.knoxbox.com to order the system.

Really? A 10 lb. fire extinguisher, for all that electronic equipment and the backup generator that will be located within the building? What Type of fire extinguisher is effective against a disaster involving flaming gasoline, diesel, and fiberglass boats? An A,B,C or a CO2?

Also where is the "gated compound" that is referenced?  Are the gates of the communities of Yacht and Country Club, or the Mariner Cay which are next door to the Marina being confused for this "gated compound"?

Fire Protections Issues will continue..........

HEARING POSTPONEMENT CONFIRMED

Shortly after the meeting began this morning, the Board of County Commissioners voted to continue the two agenda items concerning Postage Stamp Zoning and Construction of a 120 ft Cell Tower at Sailfish Marine.

The new date for the hearing is now June 23, 2015. Updates to follow.

Please keep checking this blog for more information.

MARTIN COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION ISSUES PART 1

Human life and safety should be the number one priority when considering the cell tower. The proposed cell tower will be located adjacent to a boat storage building at Sailfish Marina. There is no FALL ZONE around the tower as is required by the tower's design standards. See previous post.

There is no fence around the tower to protect it from the fork lift maneuvering gasoline laden boats around it and having an accident.

The tower will be built in a hurricane area. During a storm, wind borne and/or water borne debris could impact the tower and all or part of the tower could fail. Falling debris from the tower could strike the boat storage shed and the electrical equipment housed inside and ignite the stored boats. They are filled with fuel and the resulting fire would be of staggering proportions.

Remember the previous fire at Sailfish Marina? The noxious fumes, the black smoke that invaded our homes? If not check it out here WPTV News story. The dean of the Chapman School of Seamanship who witnessed the fire thought that if the boat storage shed had gone up it would have been a major disaster.

Martin Fire and Rescue Chief William Schobel stated that the thousands of gallons of fuel, fiberglass which burns at a very high temperature, winds, and poor access to the fire site were all issues in fighting the fire which involved just three boats.

The conditions at the marina have not changed. What would happen if scores of boats in the storage shed should ignite? The catastrophe that was so narrowly avoid last time because the boats were at the water edge, may not be avoided because the ignition source would be the adjacent 120 ft. cell tower and its electrical equipment.

Why is Martin County permitting such a proposal as this to go forward? Why are our lives, the environment, and our homes worth less than a Cell Tower?

Read my next posting on how Martin County reacted to the biofuels fire.

HEARING POSTPONED AGAIN

While not official until the Board of County Commissioners meet on May 19 and they vote on a postponement to their published agenda, it does look like our Postage Stamp Zoning and Cell Tower application will be postponed again.

On May 19, the Martin County staff will recommend to the BOCC that the following two applications be postponed until June 23, 2015. There is a Supplemental Memo notation to the published agenda stating this fact.

BAYLEY PRODUCTS, INC. REZONING This is an application for a proposed mandatory amendment to the County Zoning Atlas for a 640 square foot portion of the property located at 3565 SE St. Lucie Boulevard within the existing Sailfish Marina. The applicant is requesting a rezoning from R-3A to WGC, Waterfront General Commercial to accommodate a proposed telecommunications tower. AGENDA ITEM: 8069360d QUASI JUDICIAL & CONTINUED FROM 4/7/2015 
SUPPLEMENTAL MEMO (request to continue to June 23, 2015)

SAILFISH MARINA STEALTH COMMUNICATIONS TOWER REVISED MASTER/FINAL SITE PLAN This is a request for revised Major Master/Final Site Plan approval to construct a 120 foot tall stealth telecommunications facility at the Sailfish Marina. The property is located at 3565 SE St. Lucie Boulevard, south of Sandsprit Park in eastern Martin County. The proposed stealth monopole and associated telecommunication equipment will be located on land adjacent to an existing storage building and will replace an existing 75 foot tall lattice communications tower. AGENDA ITEM: 8069382e QUASI JUDICIAL CONTINUED FROM 4/7/2015 
SUPPLEMENTAL MEMO (request to continue to June 23, 2015)

The BOCC meeting will be held at 9 A.M. at Martin County Administrative Center, 2401 S.E. Monterey Road, Stuart, FL and is open to the public. You can attend this meeting and voice your opposition to the tower, especially if you will not be present in June. Many people leave during the hurricane season and will not be able to attend the June 23 hearing. You can still be heard!

Also it will be critical that you write each of the Commissioners of your opposition to this zoning change and the construction of the tower. More information and addresses will be in a later posting. The purpose of this post is to quickly get the word out that we are facing another postponement.

Please visit the blog regularly for updates.

DTI STATES FALL ZONE FOR STEALTH 120 FT CELL TOWER IS 100 FT

In a document dated September 29, 2014 addressed to former Growth Management Principal Planner Deanna Freeman regarding the engineering report for the 120 ft cell tower, DTI clearly states that this tower is designed to have a FALL ZONE OF 100 FEET. However his project design does not include the clearance to meet this design standard.  Martin County, by permitting the application to move forward, seems to think this is acceptable.

BACKGROUND

According to Martin County Codes Division 18 which deals with telecommunications towers, a STEALTH tower is the only tower permitted in vulnerable and environmentally sensitive areas. See blog post Is this a Stealth tower? published on 3/23/15.

Stealth is only a cosmetic feature, it is about aesthetics. Unfortunately Martin County conflates stealth with safety. In some cases stealth installations do not present a hazard to public safety.  A small installation disguised as a cactus would not be a hazard to public safety if it should fall. 

Large facilities by their very nature present a hazard.  If they fall, they can hurt people, destroy property, and cause a tremendous amount of damage. Large facilities require a fall zone, even if they are stealth such as the 120 ft tree at Sugar Hill in Jensen Beach.

If this 120 ft tower is permitted to be labeled Stealth the critical safety features of setbacks and fall zones will be ignored.

MC Code 4.798.B Tower separations and fall zones states that a tower shall have a minimum setback that is relative to its height. From a residential area zoning district (such as the Yacht and Country Club and Mariner Cay) that distance is equal to 400 % of the tower height. And fall zone means the calculated area of the land surrounding a tower or any of its attachments which may be affected by debris should the tower structure collapse.

However MCC 798.C states that the above requirements shall not apply to a stealth tower. So in the project design there is no setback, no fall zone, and the tower is set next to a boat storage building. This building, which pre-dates 1971, stores scores of boats filled with gasoline. A fork lift goes in and out of the building all the time carrying boat with a gasoline engine, so if this proposal goes forward the fork lift driver must maneuver around a steel tower base with a precariously balanced boat to enter the storage shed.

We do not understand why Martin County is permitting this application to go forward.  DTI clearly states that this tower is designed to have a FALL ZONE OF 100 FEET and given the circumstances at the marina, the fall zone should be exactly as stated in the MCC and be 480 feet.

Why is Martin County so keen to ignore this very important safety feature?

#nosailfishmarinecelltower
#indianriverlagoon
#notallaboardflorida
#facebooknosailfishmarinacelltower
#kcingramshow
#riverscoalition

RADIO BROADCAST AGAINST THE TOWER

The KC Ingram Show on WSTU AM 1450 Martin County's Heritage Radio Station devoted the 5:00 to 5:30 PM time slot on Tuesday, May 12 to the Coalition to Preserve and Protect Our Neighborhood which is fighting the Cell Tower.

You can hear (and see) the group discuss the issues of postage stamp zoning, the definition of what constitutes a stealth tower, safety concerns, and alternative solutions to a 120 ft cell tower at this link radio show discussion.

And stay listening to the second half of the broadcast which is on All Aboard FL.

A huge thank you to KC Ingram for inviting us to participate on air and get the message out to many more people in Martin County than the few residents around the tower who had to be notified because of the proposed zoning change. Just because the Cell Tower is not in your backyard, does not mean you will be not be affected if it is approved because:

Postage Stamp Zoning is a bad idea to allow to go forward in Martin County. Your neighbor could use it to develop property that is outside the character of your neighborhood.

Dynamic Towers stated vision for Martin County is to build one of these 120 ft Cell Towers every mile and a half throughout the county. So you too could be fighting one of these towers near your home soon.

There is the potential for a disaster of staggering proportion especially during a hurricane when the Tower fails and some part of it falls on to and ignites the adjacent boat storage shed with scores of fiberglass boats filled with gasoline. The fireball and toxic smoke will be visible for miles. The run off from the fire will be hazardous and will pollute the Manatee Pocket. Sailfish Marina is not an appropriate location for a 120 ft. tower.

The destruction of the peace and viewshed of Manatee Pocket (one of those special places in Martin County) is everyone's concern.

How many more reasons does the County need before they realize that this Cell Tower is the wrong development for such a sensitive area?