After months of bickering, the D.C.’s water authority and fire department have agreed to inspect the city’s fire hydrants twice a year, the first time the hydrants have been inspected on a routine basis in recent memory.
The tussle over the maintenance of the fire hydrants had been ongoing for nearly a year, but the issue erupted publicly after two fire hydrants failed during a blaze that gutted the historic Georgetown public library in April. Firefighters conducted their own inspection blitz of more than 10,000 hydrants and found that more than 10 percent were out of order.
More recently, the agencies pointed blame at each over the water pressure woes that hampered fire crews during a four-alarm fire that ravaged an Adams Morgan condominium earlier this month.
At a recent council hearing, Fire Chief Dennis Rubin even played audio tapes of the calls from firefighters frustrated as water drizzled out of their fire houses while the flames roared through the top of the building.
But on Friday, Rubin and D.C. Water and Sewer Authority General Manager Jerry N. Johnson said they were pleased to put the bickering behind them.
The deal helps to remove confusion over who is responsible for the up-keep of the fire hydrants, Mayor Adrian Fenty said.
“Without question,” Fenty said. “This will improve public safety. More lives will be saved.”
The memorandum of understanding designates the fire department to inspect the District’s 9,000 hydrants twice a year, during the spring and fall. The agencies will split the personnel costs, slated to be no more than $1 million a year.
The agreement also requires WASA to test the maximum water flow for each hydrant and clearly mark the amount using color-coded bands. Every hydrant will be color coded within two years, Johnson said.
WASA will also upgrade about 3,500 antiquated fire hydrants within five years, which Johnson said will cost the agency about $25 million. The board approved the money for the improvements four years ago, he said.
Fire union head Dan Dugan said he was pleased to see the deal get finalized.
“This affects our safety,” Dugan said. “If we don’t have water, we put ourselves and the citizens at risk.”
