When civil engineers sit down to develop a stormwater management plan, much of the work that they do is focused on reducing water that runs off from asphalt areas. Asphalt from parking areas and roadways is especially responsible for creating runoff that enters local creeks and rivers. To improve water quality and reduce runoff typically we work with designers to reduce the area of asphalt across a site.
In many instances however, the fire department responds to a design demanding increased road area for their trucks to navigate any proposed site. For years this has been something that has bugged me, I’ve generally been of the opinion that the fire department should focus on acquiring smaller trucks, and this would have an immediate impact on the ability of cities like Peterborough to improve our urban spaces and improve our local environment at the same time. Many cities in Europe in fact have trucks that are much smaller, and are able to navigate a smaller streetscape. Even Norwood has a small truck (pictured above) that would be a perfect replacement for many of the vehicles that Peterborough Fire department operates.
I could opine on the topic at great length, but I’d encourage you to check out this video by “Not Just Bikes” that explores the impact that North American fire fighting practices have had on our urban streetscapes. In the video, there were some excellent proposals that I will personally be advocating for in our stormwater designs. The video focuses on street safety, however wider streets and increased asphalt areas have a noticeable impact on stormwater design. Enjoy the video and let me know what you think!