Sites&Sounds

I'm informed by the District's Fire and EMS Department that the fire department just completed testing hydrants in the Shaw neighborhood. Once they have completed the assessment on the hydrants, the results are sent to the DC Water and Sewer Authority. DC WASA is informed if the hydrant needs maintenance or has been placed Out of Service. WASA then has 5 days to repair and 10 days to replace a defective fire hydrant.

To address concerns about the fire department operations when dealing with a fire hydrant out of service, I was told that Fire commanders have been trained to deal with this exact situation every day all over the city. There are a number of hydrants in the vicinity of those marked “out of service” that are working fine. It’s the hydrants that are not identified that slow the fire departments operations down. However the Fire department now knows which hydrants need attention and will not let those impact their operations.

Fire trucks carry about 4000 gallons of water on each truck and — with fire hose extensions and the assistance of other trucks — the department is still able to service local fires efficiently and effectively.

For information regarding the scheduling of hydrant repairs, residents can contact the General Manager of the Water Authority, Mr. Jerry Johnson, at jjjohnson ]at[ dcwasa.com.