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Plan emergency vehicle access and an address that can be found

A fire engine or ambulance must be able to find the house and drive to it. Narrow, steep or overgrown tracks, low branches and locked gates can stop them.

How

1. Ask your local fire service or building authority what width, turning area, load rating and overhead clearance their vehicles need. These rules differ by country and region.
2. US example: the International Fire Code (Section 503) asks for access roads at least 20 ft (6.1 m) wide with at least 13 ft 6 in (4.1 m) overhead clearance, reaching within 150 ft (46 m) of all parts of the building, an all-weather surface able to carry fire engines, and a turnaround on dead ends longer than 150 ft. Turning radius and grade are set by the local fire official, and local amendments are common.
3. Keep vegetation trimmed back from both sides of the access road. One US federal guide suggests about 10 ft (3 m) on each side in wildfire areas.
4. Provide a turning or passing area near the house and near the main fire water supply.
5. Put a clear, reflective address sign at the road entrance and at forks in the track.
6. If gates are locked, agree a key or code arrangement with the local fire service.
7. Plan a second way out on foot or by vehicle in case fire or flood blocks the main road.

Do these first

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Sources

1. Defensible Space: Protection Against Wildfires. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Building America Solution Center (US DOE), accessed 2026-11
2. Defensible Space. CAL FIRE (Ready for Wildfire), accessed 2026-11
3. International Fire Code: Fire Department Access (Section 503 extract). City of Pasadena, Texas (US), accessed 2026-11

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