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-314- <br /> <br />June t,2001 <br /> <br />To: Pat Trudgeon, Senior City Planner <br />From: Dean Kapler, Fire Chief <br /> <br />Subject: Request for height variance for proposed senior's apartment <br /> <br />I'have been asked to review a request for a height variance of a proposed <br />building to be constructed in Ramsey. As the Fire Chief of Ramsey I oppose the <br />variance for the following reasons: <br /> 1) The height restriction is in place to assure that the fire department can <br /> provide adequate fire suppression for all structures in Ramsey while <br /> keeping the risks to firefighters at an acceptable level. With the current <br /> equipment fleet the fire department can not provide an adequate level of <br /> service and more importantly buildings of this height would certainly put at <br /> risk firefighters that could be working off ground ladders in the high roof <br /> areas. <br /> 2) With the building being designed for senior housing the issue of <br /> possible limited mobility becomes a concern. Mass evacuation or rescue <br /> would certainly take much longer than in other structures. <br /> <br />Ramsey does have an apartment building that exceeds the restriction by almost <br />ten feet. In 1998 I granted the variance with the condition that an aerial ladder <br />truck be put into the Capital Equipment Plan the next year, To date the truck has <br />not been placed in the plan. <br /> <br />Until I have some level of commitment that the aerial ladder truck is part of the <br />Capital Equipment Plan, I can not support the variance. <br /> <br />Dean Kapler <br />City of Ramsey Fire Chief <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br /> <br />