Fire chief lays out I-4 overhaul issues

Seminole’s Drozd says it creates challenges for firefighters

state road official conceded Wednesday that fire protection designed for the $2.4 billion rebuilding of Interstate 4 may be insufficient and in need of review with first responders.

The issue stems from a letter last week from Seminole County’s fire chief, stating concern to the Florida Department of

Transportation that long stretches, more than a mile in some cases, will be without immediate access to water.

In particular, said Chief Otto Drozd III, the newly built toll lanes, referred to by DOT as managed lanes, will be challenging for firefighters if completed as now proposed.

“The express lanes would remain totally unprotected unless we were to shut down entire sections of the interstate and lay supply lines across all lanes of traffic to the express lanes that will be located on interior porA tions of I-4,” Drozd said.

A dozen other fire chiefs in Central Florida were provided copies of the letter. Neither the Orange County nor Orlando fire chiefs responded to requests for comment.

In an interview, Drozd said that a fire truck can carry 500 gallons or more of water, which may not be enough for a single car fire, given the amount of fuel and combustible material they contain. “They have a pretty good fire load,” he said of typical cars.

As a result, a car fire could require several fire trucks, which would increase the risk of accidents on the busy road, Drozd said.

He said another concern is that a cargo truck or fuel tanker may trigger an enormous blaze that, without adequate fire-protection infrastructure available, could badly damage roadway, rendering it unsafe for vehicles and needing months to repair.

The issue surfaced at a meeting Wednesday of MetroPlan Orlando, an agency that coordinates transportation planning in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. The road project, the state’s most costly ever, extends along 21 miles in Seminole, through Orlando and into south Orange.

Seminole County Commissioner Bob Dallari, also the MetroPlan chairman, queried DOT’s local construction engineer, John Tyler, during a virtual meeting, noting that DOT has installed sufficient water systems for firefighting at other major road projects in the state but not Interstate 4.

“I-4, which is probably one of the busiest roads if not in the state, in the Southeast, didn’t have these standpipes put in,” Dallari said. “Could you enlighten or try to educate me on this?”

Tyler responded that

from Drozd’s letter a meeting has been scheduled with the Seminole County and Altamonte Springs fire departments on the matter.

He said local officials may not be aware that his agency met with all fire officials along the I-4 corridor prior to the start of construction in 2015 to design fire-fighting infrastructure.

But, Tyler added, I-4’s design of toll lanes sandwiched between conventional lanes is “relatively new to the state of Florida.”

“There has been continued evaluation in the thinking of what fire suppression should be provided,” Tyler said. “Standards have evolved during that time frame.”

He said “it makes perfect sense to sit back down” with local responders to evaluate I-4’s provisions for firefighting.

“If we need to make modifications to what we are building, we can certainly do that,” Tyler said.

Dallari said local officials have pressed DOT since 2013 on adequate fire protection for an overhauled I-4. “This issue is common up and down the Central Florida corridor,” he said.

The non-toll lanes of I-4 Ultimate are to open at end of the year. The toll lanes, the key provision for solving congestion along the region’s busiest road, will not open until the end of 2021, which is a year behind schedule.