Let me fill you in on the next step in our process of ensuring the safety of your fire hydrants. This is where you’re invited to get involved.
As a little background, the Commission had its engineering staff do a study of the maintenance and upkeep of the state’s 50,000 fire hydrants last year. In large part, the report was good. We learned the state’s fire hydrants are maintained and functioning, but standards for upkeep of the maintenance and who has jurisdiction over studying fire hydrants was not clear. To resolve those issues, we took the matter to the Legislature this year.
Lawmakers determined the Commission should be the oversight agency in dealing with fire hydrants and their maintenance. The Legislature said two national standards ought to be followed, when possible. The first is for water-flow testing and marking of hydrants, and the second deals with installation, field testing, and maintenance of the devices. This is in addition to state requirements already on the books.
So, the Legislature said the Commission should issue rules and regulations to bring hydrants in line with those standards. Lawmakers want us to look at what is called for nationally, then write rules adopting practices that ensure the proper functioning of fire hydrants and the operation of the utilities that own them. Nothing is predetermined. We are to look at everything to choose what we think best meets state needs.
This is where you come in. We want to hear from a broad spectrum of individuals, businesses, groups, towns, counties, associations, and anyone else interested in fire hydrants.
After we collect a list of interested parties, the Commission will assemble a task force to make recommendations. We don’t know how large it will be, but we want the best and brightest to work on this important issue. We hope to hear from a broad spectrum of individuals, businesses, local governments, and associations. In fact, anybody with an interest in fire hydrants.
We don’t know how long the work will take, but hope to have a final plan by the end of the summer, with legislation possibly for the 2025 Legislature.
So, let us know of your interest. Who knows? You may end up on our task force.
