Fire service wants public to report poorly maintained hydrants

Fire hydrants need to be clearly visible, so firefighters don't waste precious time trying to find and clear them. Photo / RNZ

By Linda Hall, Local Democracy Reporter

A poorly maintained fire hydrant in Taradale has sparked a call from Fire and Emergency New Zealand for residents to look at hydrants near them.

A post on social media said the Taradale Volunteer Fire Brigade “had to use this very poorly maintained hydrant to fill up our truck after a call” and that “time spent clearing away grass and debris to access a hydrant is precious time wasted”.

Hastings station officer Fred Houshman said fire engines only had a limited capacity for water for initial firefighting operations.

”We rely on well-maintained fire hydrants to supply our fire trucks with firefighting water,” Houshman said.

”Whenever we respond to a fire or a private fire alarm we locate our water source, being the nearest fire hydrant. We then establish water from the hydrant to the fire truck in case we need to use it.”

While it was the local council’s responsibility to maintain hydrants, Houshman said it would help if residents maintained the area around them, either by mowing the lawn or maintaining the garden so firefighters could find and access them easily.

”Please do not park vehicles over fire hydrants and notify your local council if the paint is faded or the plate is damaged,” he said.

”We have had issues with people parking over fire hydrants. This slows down firefighting operations as firefighters need to locate the next available hydrant, which is further away. This wastes time and uses up more hoses to run the water back to the fire truck.”

He said with the Hawke’s Bay sunshine turning it on at the moment, more people were lighting burn piles.

”We ask that people go to checkitsalright.nz before lighting any fire. This will tell you if it is safe to light a fire that day. If you are lighting a fire, ensure you have firefighting water on hand. And after a burn, check your pile for at least five days after.”

Napier City Council said it was up to residents to mow the berms and roadside areas outside their homes.

”In the majority of cases, people will also keep hydrants and water tobys [shut-off valves] on their berm free of grass and weeds, but this doesn’t happen all the time. It’s much like keeping drains outside your house free of leaves.”

The council’s obligation was to tidy up unmown berms twice a year if the resident chose not to.

”There are thousands of these hydrants and tobys across the city. Most are well maintained by residents. If people notice one that isn’t then it’s really helpful to contact us so we can get out there and clear it,” the council said.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.