San Rafael, CA Fire Protection Tanks

Name(Required)
Project Address(Required)

Fire Tanks For Sale in San Rafael

Corrugated bolted steel tanks

Corrugated Bolted Steel

Water Storage Tank

Bolted Steel

Welded Steel Tanks

Welded Steel Tanks

Water Storage Tanks

Plastic Water Tanks

San Rafael city is the county seat of Marin County. The 2010 census reported the population of the city as 57,713.

The city was founded in 1817 when the Mission San Francisco de Asís was established by Vicente Francisco de Sarría. When established it was for use as a hospital. The mission was upgraded to a full mission in 1822.

The square miles of land are 16.5 and 6 square miles of water. The geography in San Rafael ranges from woods to marshland and estuarine settings. The climate is a Mediterranean climate so, it is fairly warm in winter rarely getting to the freezing mark. August usually runs about 80 degrees.

The economy of San Rafael tends to be medical and information tech services like BioMarin, Kaiser Permanente or Comcast, and Autodesk. The entertainment industry came in when George Lucas filmed the movie THX 1138 in 1970.

Fire Protection Tank
Things to do and see in San Rafael include:
  • China Camp State Park
  • WildCare
  • Several city parks
  • Art Works Downtown
  • Falkirk Cultural Center
  • Restaurants
Besides George Lucas, other notable people include:
  • Pro baseball player Will Venable
  • Pro Football players Stacey Bailey and NatuTuatagaloa
  • Musicians Carlos Santana, George Duke, and Metallica’s James Hetfield
  • Authors include Michael Savage, Isabel Allende, and Philip K. Dick
Fire Protection Tank

What Is a Fire Protection Tank

A fire protection tank is a very large water storage tank marked specifically for fire protection that meets national standards and all local and state regulations. It can be used for fire prevention or protection only. Most sizes run from several hundred gallons to over a million gallons.

Fire Tanks for both Commercial and Residential

Both commercial and residential fire tanks are required in California due to the high number of wildfires they have been experiencing over the past decade or two. One of the latest fires in or near San Rafael was in 2020. It was a wildfire that burned about 30 acres.

Any commercial property or business must have a fire protection plan including fire protection tank written into their business plan. Tanks can be steel bolted or poly as long as they meet the requirements and standards set forth.

Water Storage Tanks in San Rafael, CA

Water storage tanks in San Rafael will be helpful for fire prevention but can also be used for any of the following:

  • Drinking water
  • Wastewater treatment
  • Storm drainage to help prevent contamination or erosion
  • Rainwater harvesting for irrigation to public spaces

 

In fact, due to the number of fires, the city of San Rafael is running a grant program to help property owners reduce wildfire risks on their property.

Water Storage Tanks
Fire Protection Tanks

City, County and State of California Fire Code Requirements for Water Tanks

Tanks must be NFPA-22 complaint and meet all local and state codes and regulations.

San Rafael is now requiring the following codes to be met in the city along with other state and national codes.

Vegetation management regulations all people in the city of San Rafael whether property owner or renter must remove any vegetation that poses a fire risk; for example all dry grass must be cut and removed.

Construction or replacements of doors and windows must meet fire resistant building materials.

The county codes also apply to the city of San Rafael.

NFPA-22 Compliant Water Tanks

California requires all water tanks whether for drinking, irrigation, or fire protection be NFPA-22 compliant.

What is NFPA-22 complainant? NFPA-22 is a standard for private fire protection tanks. It covers design, manufacturing, installation, and upkeep of tanks. And it also covers the accessory equipment that supply water for private fire protection.

NFPA

Steel Bolted or Poly Tanks Available for Fire protection in San Raphael

You can choose between steel bolted and poly tanks in San Raphael. Each has its benefits.

Generally, commercial businesses with several buildings and more land to cover will choose the steel bolted tanks since they have larger capacities to hold water. The steel bolted tanks begin at around 4,000 gallons and go up to 2,868,000 gallons.

Residential users will often choose poly tanks as they have smaller capacity sizes. The poly tanks begin at around 300 gallons and go as high as 15,500 gallons.

Fire Protection Tank Roof
Choosing the right size tank will be determined by a few factors that include:
  • Are you a commercial or residential site?
  • What do you plan to use the water for irrigation, fire protection, or drinking water?
  • How large of an area are you planning on covering for irrigation or fire protection?
  • A tank that is customizable for connections for the local fire department
  • How many people and pets will be drinking the water if it is for drinking?
  • Do you have or will you put in sprinkler systems
For Fire Protection
  • How much product and processes or machinery do you need to protect?
  • The number of people you employee and need to protect?
  • Do you use chemicals that are explosive or highly flammable?
  • Sprinkler systems – will you use this fire protection tank to run interior and exterior sprinklers?
  • When replacing roof, doors, or windows, use fire retardant materials if you are just beginning to build use the fire retardant materials to start with.
  • Keep areas free of debris and dry shrubs and grasses
Fire Protection Tank

You should have a written fire protection plan whether you are a business or residential. That plan should contain things like:

  • Vegetation management
  • Sprinklers – interior and exterior systems
  • Have fire extinguishers
  • Keep extra garden hoses near water to help wet ground and buildings
  • Make a weekly routine of removing debris that can ignite
  • Store combustible fuel in a safe well vented space away from buildings.

All of these things with a fire protection tank that is accessible to your local fire department will help reduce the risk of your home or business catching on fire from hot embers of wildfires.

With the price of insurance going up, you need to give your written plan with video or photographs of it in working order to your insurance company. It may help you retain your policy without sky-high premiums.