Tire dump rules considered
A National Fire Protection Association committee has decided to create an appendix to NFPA 231D, “Standard for Storage of Rubber Tires,” regarding outdoor storage. Until the committee’s report is published in midsummer, the NFPA won’t say what provisions are being considered.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Waste Management Board hopes to have its new permit rules for tire dumps in effect April 30. They would require 50foot-wide fire lanes to be cut around new and existing piles of discarded tires, and prohibit piles more than 10,000 feet square or 20 feet high. A pile that size would contain about 70,000 passenger-car tires loosely stacked, says board planner Dave Benke.
Storage and processing facilities for used tires in Minnesota would also have to keep an emergency preparedness manual which lists officials to be notified, the locations of all firefighting equipment and its prescribed use, and the locations of all water supplies.
The permit rules are part of a set of three documents; the others cover abatement of existing stockpiles and a grant and loan program for recycling.
