Bollard Design and Usage

• Pipe bollards protect pedestrians or valuable equipment. Bollards are so commonplace that most vehicle drivers no longer notice them. Brightly painted yellow pipe bollards are present at every gas station, located at the entrance to the local grocery store, and often included in the architectural designs for public buildings. Bollards create a safety buffer by separating moving vehicle traffic from pedestrian traffic lanes.
  
  

Access Problems for Emergency Vehicles

• Regarding emergency vehicles, the same pipe bollards that provide safety for automobiles and pedestrians can create obstacles for emergency crews. When responding to a medical or fire emergency, emergency personnel must dismount their vehicles to remove bollards, or find an alternate path around permanently mounted bollards. This time expenditure creates the opportunity for avoidable loss of life or loss of property.
  
  

Removable Bollards Grant Easy Access for Emergency Vehicles

• For these reasons, the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) created standards that govern the creation of removable bollards. Removable bollards allow for easy access by emergency vehicles. Removable bollards are installed by sinking the metal column into a metal collar in the ground, rather than permanently cementing the entire bollard.
  
  

Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities

• Section 30A of the NFPA standards govern the creation and use of removable bollards in and around a motor fuel dispensing facility and in repair garages. This section of the act specifically describes what type of facilities can be used to dispense flammable liquids, the conditions under which they will be constructed, and the definition of what constitutes an outdoor fuel dispensing facility. These areas feature dense populations of both pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic. This section of the NFPA establishes standards designed to reduce the hazards in and around motor fuel dispensing facilities in the repair garages without impeding reasonable and efficient use of these facilities. The Act is meant to connect the description of fuel dispensing facilities to the specific requirement and use of removable bollards.