Fire and Water Do Mix

The Dandridge Volunteer Fire Department and the Town of Dandridge Water Department will be teaming up to insure the capacity and usability of fire hydrants in the County seat. Town Administrator Melissa Peagler said in an interview on Friday that jurisdiction and the parameters of testing have been in question and many of the local fire hydrants have not been fully tested in around a decade. Peagler stated that around $2,500 in testing equipment has been purchased and the project will be a dual effort of the Fire Department and the Water Department.

Fire Hydrants will be marked to insure that First Responders are aware of their capacity. Some are already sporting a new red paint job, thanks to the Water Department, and that would be necessary no matter what the capacity.  Additional color coding, which indicates usability, will be added to the hydrants following testing, according to Peagler.

Peagler acknowledged that there has been some concern among First Responders, personnel at the Water Department and citizens regarding testing of the hydrants. She said “Looking at the issue, it made sense for the Water Department and the Fire Department to have a cooperative effort in testing the fire hydrants. We are very proud and grateful for the time and dedication of our Fire Fighters, as well as our City employees. It is a positive step that there is a plan in place to address the needs of the community regarding the fire hydrants. It is good fiscally and productively for this to be a cooperative effort.”

There has been funding in the budget to address fire hydrants because the Water Department operates as an enterprise fund, meaning that all services are mandated to be accompanied by a charge. The costs of man power for fire hydrant testing would likely seriously exceed the allocated amount in the budget. Contribution of man hours from the Fire Department will make the project less of a financial burden to the limited number of tax payers that are within the city limits. Peagler is also hoping to get some outside assistance in determining parameters for the Fire Department, which is currently overextended due to a large number of calls outside the Dandridge limits.

With the cooperation of the Water and Fire Departments, Peagler expects that the fire hydrant testing will move at a more rapid clip and hopes to begin testing in mid summer 2014.