Acceso para Vehículos de Emergencia y Bomberos
Rutas de acceso con capacidad de carga que cumplen los requisitos de los vehículos de bomberos, manteniendo un aspecto verde y permeable.
Why reinforcement matters here
Building regulations require fire appliance access to be capable of carrying the vehicle, but a tarmac road across a landscaped scheme is often unacceptable to the planners and adds impermeable area you then have to attenuate. Reinforced grass carries the load, disappears visually and counts as permeable surfacing.
Where this works well
At a glance
| Sub-base | Designed to the appliance loading in Approved Document B, typically 150-250mm MOT Type 1 |
|---|---|
| Infill | Rootzone and grass where visual mitigation is required; gravel on hard standings |
| Typical loading | Fire appliance loading as specified by Approved Document B and your fire officer |
| Permeability | Fully permeable. Normally treated as a SuDS component in a drainage strategy. |
| Design life | 25 years, subject to documented installation. |
| Material | 100% recycled polypropylene, made in the UK. |
How it goes in
- Mark out the area and excavate to the depth of your sub-base plus the grid depth plus your infill blinding.
- Lay a woven geotextile across the formation, lapping joins by at least 300mm. This stops the sub-base and the subsoil mixing.
- Lay and compact the sub-base: Designed to the appliance loading in Approved Document B, typically 150-250mm MOT Type 1. Compact in layers rather than all at once.
- Blind the sub-base with a thin layer of grit sand and screed it level. This is what gives you a flat finished surface.
- Push-fit the grids together across the area, working from one edge. Cut around obstacles with a jigsaw or fine-tooth saw.
- Fill the cells: Rootzone and grass where visual mitigation is required; gravel on hard standings. Work the fill in with a stiff brush so no cell is left hollow.
- Check the finished level. Nothing should stand proud of the cell walls, and no cell should be left under-filled.
Most installations are straightforward groundwork. The grids themselves push-fit together and need no fixings, adhesive or specialist tools.
Which grid depth?
The 30mm heavy duty grid for appliance routes and hard standings. Where a landscape condition requires the route to be grassed, the 40mm general duty grid is used instead and the sub-base is deepened to compensate.
If you are between two options, take the heavier duty one. The cost difference across a typical project is small next to the cost of lifting and relaying a surface that was under-specified.
The mistake we see most often
Designing to the average axle load rather than the appliance's stated gross weight. The fire officer will ask for evidence against the stated figure.
Common questions
What load does a fire appliance impose?
Building Regulations Approved Document B specifies a minimum carrying capacity. Confirm the figure with your fire officer and design the sub-base to suit.
Does the route need to look like a road?
No, and that is usually the point. Once grassed it reads as landscape while remaining fully trafficable.
How wide should the route be?
Follow the approved document and your fire officer's requirement, typically a minimum width plus adequate turning provision.
Will the planners accept it?
Reinforced grass access is widely used precisely because it satisfies both the fire officer and the landscape and drainage conditions.
Do we need to prove the load capacity?
Expect to. Have the sub-base design and the system data available for building control and the fire officer.
Can the route be shared with pedestrian or landscape use?
Yes, and that is usually the intent. A grassed route reads as landscape while remaining trafficable.
Consulte a nuestro ingeniero
¿Tiene preguntas sobre profundidades, sub-base, bordillos o qué sistema se adapta a su proyecto? Pregúntenos a continuación.