(1) All waste tire sites, collection centers, processing facilities, and disposal facilities which store waste tires shall comply with the following technical and operational standards:
    (a) If the site receives waste tires from the public, a sign shall be posted at the entrance of the site stating operating hours, cost of disposal and site rules.
    (b) No operations involving the use of open flames shall be conducted within 25 feet of a waste tire pile.
    (c) An attendant shall be present when the site is open for business if the site receives waste tires from the public.
    (d) Fire protection services for the site shall be assured through notification to local fire protection authorities. A fire safety survey shall be conducted at least annually and the survey report shall be made part of the next quarterly report.
    (e) The operator of the site shall prepare and keep at the site an emergency preparedness manual. A copy of the current manual shall be kept at an off-site location designated by the operator. The manual shall be updated at least once a year and upon changes in operations at the site. The manual shall contain the following elements:
    1. A list of names and numbers of persons to be contacted in the event of a fire, flood, or other emergency,
    2. A list of the emergency response equipment at the site, its location, and how it should be used in the event of a fire or other emergency; and,
    3. A description of the procedures that should be followed in the event of a fire, including procedures to contain and dispose of the oily material generated by the combustion of large numbers of waste tires.
    (f) The operator of the site shall immediately notify the Department in the event of a fire or other emergency which poses an unanticipated threat to the public health or the environment. Within two weeks of any emergency, the operator of the site shall submit to the Department a written report on the emergency. This report shall describe the origins of the emergency, the actions that were taken to deal with the emergency, the results of the actions that were taken, and an analysis of the success or failure of the actions.
    (g) The operator of the site shall maintain records of the quantity of waste tires received at the site, stored at the site, and shipped from the site.
    (h) If the operator of the site is not the owner of the property, the operator shall obtain written authorization to operate the facility from the owner of the property.
    (i) Communication equipment shall be maintained at the waste tire site to assure that the site operator can contact local fire protection authorities in case of a fire.
    (j) The owner or operator shall provide for control of mosquitoes and rodents so as to protect the public health and welfare.
    (k) An approach and access road to the waste tire site shall be kept passable for any motor vehicle at all times.
    (2) All waste tire sites, collection centers, processing facilities, and disposal facilities which store waste tires indoors must comply with the following additional technical and operational standards:
    (a) Tire piles may not be more than 50 feet in width, except that piles along a wall shall not be more than 25 feet in width.
    (b) The width of main aisles between tire piles shall be not less than eight feet.
    (c) The clearance from the top of storage to sprinkler deflectors or roof structures shall not be less than three feet.
    (d) The clearance in any direction from unit heaters, radiant space heaters, duct furnaces, and flues shall not be less than three feet.
    (e) When waste tires are stored up to 15 feet high, walls between adjacent warehouse areas and between manufacturing and warehouse areas shall have not less than a four-hour fire rating.
    (f) When waste tires are stored over 15 feet high, walls between manufacturing and warehouse areas shall have a fire rating of not less than six hours and steel columns shall have one hour fireproofing. If the top of storage exceeds 20 feet in height, two-hour fireproofing shall be provided for the column and its connections with other structural members.
    (g) An automatic sprinkler system installed in compliance with “”The Standard for Storage of Rubber Tires,”” NFPA 231D, published by the National Fire Protection Association, Battery March Park, Quincy, Massachusetts, incorporated herein by reference, may be substituted for fire walls and column fireproofing.
    (h) At any time when an attendant is not present, access to the site shall be controlled through the use of doors, fences, gates, natural barriers, or other means.
    (3) All waste tire sites, collection centers and any processing or disposal facilities which store waste tires outdoors must comply with the following additional technical and operational standards:
    (a) A waste tire site shall not be constructed, maintained or operated in or within 200 feet of any natural or artificial body of water, including wetlands within the jurisdiction of the Department, except bodies of water contained completely within the property boundaries of the facility which do not ordinarily discharge from the site to surface waters. A person may maintain a waste tire site within the 200-foot setback area upon demonstration to the Department, as part of a permit application or modification, that permanent control methods for residuals will result in compliance with water quality standards in chapters 62-302 and 62-520, F.A.C. Stormwater control methods shall meet stormwater requirements of chapters 62-25 and 62-330, F.A.C., as applicable. The site shall be managed in such a way as to divert stormwater or floodwaters around and away from the storage piles. This section shall not apply to artificial reefs constructed pursuant to Department permit.
    (b) An outdoor waste tire pile shall have no greater than the following maximum dimensions:
    1. Width: 50 feet,
    2. Area: 10,000 square feet; and,
    3. Height: 15 feet.
    (c) A 50-foot wide fire lane shall be placed around the perimeter of each outdoor waste tire pile. Access to the fire lane for emergency vehicles must be unobstructed at all times.
    (d) Access to the site shall be controlled through the use of fences, gates, natural barriers or other means.
    (e) The site shall be bermed or given other adequate protection if necessary to keep liquid runoff from a potential waste tire fire from entering water bodies.
    (f) The waste tire site shall be kept free of grass, underbrush, and other potentially flammable vegetation at all times.
    (4) For all waste tire sites, collection centers, processing facilities, and disposal facilities which store processed waste tires, the temperature of any above-ground piles of compacted, processed tires over ten feet high shall be monitored and may not exceed 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature control measures shall be instituted so that pile temperatures do not exceed 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature monitoring and controls are not required for processed tires disposed of in permitted landfills.
    (5) Any residuals from waste tire processing must be managed so as to be contained onsite, and must be controlled and disposed of in a permitted solid waste management facility or properly recycled.
    (6) The Department shall approve exceptions requested by an applicant as part of a waste tire processing facility permit application or modification to the preceding technical and operational standards if:
    (a) No waste tires are stored on that site for more than one month; and,
    (b) The Department, after consultation with the local fire authority, is satisfied that the site owner or operator has sufficient fire suppression equipment or materials on site to extinguish any potential waste tire fire within an acceptable length of time.
Rulemaking Authority 403.704, 403.717 FS. Law Implemented Florida Statutes § 403.717. History-New 2-19-89, Amended 11-7-90, 2-28-94, Formerly 17-711.540, Amended 3-22-00.