Getting emergency

vehicles into Fayette's numerous gated neighborhoods could be a problem,

according to county Fire Marshal David Scarbrough.

That's why

Scarbrough is working on a possible new ordinance that would address emergency

access to gated communities.

"It's

been being discussed for over a year," Scarbrough said.

Problems sometimes

occur, he said, because neighborhoods with two gated entrances often have

one gate manned by a security officer for at least part of the day, but

leave the second gate locked at all times.

If a fire truck,

police car or ambulance trying to get into the neighborhood encounters

the locked gate, precious moments are lost in driving to the other entrance

or trying to find someone to grant access, he said.

"If you've

got to turn all the way around, that could add four or five minutes to

the response time," he said, adding that could spell life or death

for someone having a heart attack.

"I think

it presents some unique problems," he said, adding that before another

new gated community is built here, he would like to have some standards

in place for construction and maintenance to allow for total access to

emergency vehicles.

Another problem,

he said, is that in gated neighborhoods where the streets are owned by

the homeowners, the Sheriff's Department has reported problems in giving

out tickets for such violations as not stopping for school buses. "You

can't enforce it on private property," he said.

Scarbrough

has talked to county staff people involved in the Technical Review Committee

for input, and last week presented a draft ordinance to the county Planning

Commission for additional ideas.

Residents of

gated communities "are going to have a certain expectation as a taxpayer

to have the same public services as everybody else," he said.

He will return

to the Planning Commission with new revisions to the proposed ordinance

during a work session next month, or possibly the next, he said, with

plans to eventually present the proposal to the public during a commission

business meeting.

When the document

is in its final form, it will go to the Board of Commissioners for approval

or rejection, he added.

Among proposed

rules, the ordinance would require that all gates be manned 24 hours a

day or locked in an open position.