Friday, Apr. 1, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Fire hydrant inspection is completeBy BEN NELMS It happens twice each year, in April and again in October. And while it may cause temporary inconvenience to residents, the alternative is too frightening to consider. Twice a year Fairburn firefighters have the responsibility of inspecting each of the citys more than 800 fire hydrants. It is a list that keeps growing each year. Like firefighters everywhere, Fairburns crews can ill afford the surprise of arriving at the scene of a fire only to find the hydrant inoperative. In the world of public safety, surprises are usually bad ones. In the case of a fire we dont want to pull up to a hydrant and find it not working, said Public Safety Director Walt Brown. Brown said inspecting a fire hydrant is a multi-part process. All hydrants must be cleared of grass and debris to ensure appropriate access and the correct clearance for the large hydrant wrench. Hydrants are checked for leaks, caps are removed and greased to ensure the appropriate flow of water and, if needed, the hydrant is painted. Any repair work that is required is documented and the repair follows. Along with Fairburn itself, the number of fire hydrants continues to grow each year. Approximately 200 hydrants have been added each year for the past several years, bringing the current total to nearly 1,100 throughout the city, said Capt. Joey Highnote, explaining that inspections have the added benefit of keeping firefighters familiar with locations on that growing list. Another important aspect of the twice yearly inspection, and one that can sometimes inconvenience residents, is the need to flush each hydrant. Doing so, said Brown, clears built-up sediment from the water lines. The sometimes unavoidable result, he said, is that the hydrant flush can cause water in the residence to become muddy, an event that generates calls of inquiry to city hall. Brown said when this happens, the muddy tap water will usually clear up if the faucet is left running for a short while. A little inconvenience is better than the alternative, said Brown. It is better than losing possessions or a home or lives because the hydrant was not functioning properly. Yet there are other times, those not confined to the bi-annual hydrant inspections, where large numbers of calls come in to the city, and to the 911 center, Brown said. On some of those occasions, he said, the desire to assist the city by providing information can inadvertently lead to unfortunate outcomes. He cited the example of a recent fire that began in a dumpster area and spread to an area below power lines that feed the city. The fire knocked out power to many customers, who, in turn, called city hall to report the outage. In all, 157 people called to report the outage. Some of those, being unable to get through because of jammed phone lines, called the 911 center to issue their report. Those calls clogged the 911 lines, resulting in the delay of two emergency dispatches, one of which was a cardiac patient, Brown said. While the city appreciates residents trying to help by providing information on events such as power outages, Brown said it would be helpful if residents make sure they know which of the several electric providers their service is with. Calling the appropriate electric provider to report outages, rather than automatically calling the city, will benefit everyone and allow for faster response times for various types of emergencies, he said. |
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