DAN ALLIE
WESTFIELD – The Public Health & Safety Committee discussed the functional status and access to fire hydrants throughout the city last night with Water Resource Director Dave Billips.
At-large Councilor Dan Allie, PH&S chairman, requested Billips to present a report about non-working hydrants and steps which can be taken to allow access to hydrants during an emergency response.
Billips said that The Water Resource Department, which is responsible for testing and repairing hydrants, has a protocol in place to fix a hydrant which is out of service. If the hydrant cannot be repaired immediately, it is tagged as being out of service and the Fire Department notified.
Billips said that some of the city’s hydrants are so old that parts are not available. Another problem is that many older hydrants are not equipped with shut off gates, which would require the department to shut off water service to a number of customers in order to replace the defective hydrant, something that the department avoids if there are functioning hydrants located nearby the out of service hydrant.
MARY L. O’CONNELL
Another common problem, especially in the downtown area, is that hydrants are served by four-inch water lines which, because of mineralization, have internal diameters of an inch-and-a-half and may not provide sufficient pressure for the hydrant to be feasible for fire flows, Billips said. The department routinely replaces those old undersized mains with larger mains when streets are being improved through road improvement programs such as the Gaslight District and Old Town infrastructure improvement projects.
Billips said that many hydrants are privately owned on commercial and industrial property, and that while the Water Resource Department will test those hydrants at the request of the property owner, it is not responsible for repairing defective privately owned hydrants.
RALPH FIGY
“There are approximately 15 fire hydrants out of service out of 2,200 hydrants across the city,” Billips said.
Allie also questioned who is responsible to clear snow around hydrants, especially during winters such as the one experienced this year when snow often buried hydrants.
Billips said that both his department and the Fire Department clear hydrants but neither department has the manpower available to clear every hydrant in the city.
“There is no ordinance requiring tenants or residents to clean around hydrants in front of their residence,” Billips said. Only two communities in the region have that ordinance.”
Billips said that Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell, who is currently a member of the PH&S Committee, and former Ward 2 Councilor James E. Brown Jr., introduced a motion to amend the city code of ordinance to require residents to clear hydrants.
Ward 2 Councilor Ralph Figy, a member of the PH&S Committee and chairman of the Legislative & Ordinance Committee, said that he has been researching motions sent to the L&O and the O’Connell-Brown hydrant motion is not in that committee.
O’Connell said that it may be time for the PH&S Committee to submit a motion to amend the ordinance requiring residents to clear sidewalks in front of their residences and add the requirement to clear hydrants, as well.
