Self Storage- Fire Marshal considerations

[Henry Clark]

Response to a person about to build in Louisiana, on how to navigate Fire Marshal items.

Actually being from Northwest Louisiana, the way to navigate the Louisiana Fire Marshal is to give them a Fifth of Whiskey and a paid saltwater fishing trip.

Otherwise:
Get your site plans and building plans drawn up and show them. Really depends if your inside City limits or not.
If inside city limits the following considerations will need to be considered:

a. Fire hydrants. Each town will be different, but ours requires all buildings to be within a 300 foot range of the hydrant. This "IS" not as the crow flies but going around buildings.

b. Knox Box 3200. See if they require a Knox Box at the front gate. You have to buy these for their department so the key is correct. About $600. These are to get into the office, to turn off electric breakers.

c. Ceiling Sprinklers, Offices attached/detached from storage, fire walls or gap between buildings, Square footage per building before sprinklers are required. There are rules, but they will be flexible.

d. If the hydrant is outside the Facility fence, then there needs to be a walk thru gate, they can cut the lock and get the hose through.

e. They may require the building widths and turn arounds to accommodate a fire truck, depending.

f. Fire extinguishers. Our town requires them to be within 75 feet. Thus you if you had two, they could be 150 foot apart from each other. Hang a certain height off the ground. And I believe they are 5 pounds.

Pictures below.

Left is our Office and right is storage. They don't allow to be attached without sprinklers (here).