Faulty hydrants hamper fire service efforts

There are 7,298 firre hydrants across TT.

And out of the 2,278 which have been checked by the Fire Service 1,368 (60 per cent) are functional.

Divisional Fire Officer Gerard Jack of the Water and Essential Services Division provided the data based on fortnightly reports.

“From what we have mapped 40 per cent or 910 hydrants have some level of defect. If we apply that 40 per cent rate to the 7,298 hydrants, we can estimate that there are 2,919 hydrants in TT that may have some level of defect. The hydrant mapping exercise is ongoing.”

The lack of water in a fire hydrant has been identified as one of the factors which hampered firefighters during a domestic fire on Santa Cruz last weekend where a 98-year-old man perished. Fire tenders from Port of Spain had to respond to douse the fire as the nearby Santa Cruz station was without any fire tender.

Asked about the service’s access to pipe-borne water, and how the Water and Sewerage Authority’s (WASA) rationing of water had affected the Fire Service's ability to respond, Jack said the service had no control over its access to pipe-borne water via hydrants.

“We are at the mercy or discretion of WASA for water supply. However, they are one of our main stakeholders and so when there is a large turnout, meaning a big fire, when more than one appliance has to come out, we have communications with certain operation managers, and when we call them, depending on where the request is, they would boost pressure or turn on a valve, whatever is required for us to have the amount of water needed.

“It’s not the best system for us, meaning that sometimes there’s a delay in getting the water needed but it’s better than nothing. In addition to that, in some cases they would supply us with truck-borne water. So water supply is out of our hands but we have ways and means of getting what we need from them through our collaboration.”

WASA corporate communications manager Daniel Plenty said most fire hydrants are supplied directly from the authority’s water distribution systems.

“As such, any water scheduling in the areas where these may be located will impact the supply available to those hydrants, particularly at off schedule times. However, the Authority works closely with the Fire Service in the event of an emergency to provide or boost the pipe-borne supply to the area, or provide a truck-borne service to assist with firefighting efforts.”

National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds was asked about the lack of fire tenders after the Passing out Parade of batch one of 2022 at the Police Academy, St James Barracks on Wednesday.

He said that fire tenders get old and have to be repaired and replaced, and procurement of the tenders was an ongoing work. He said two custom-built tenders arrived in TT earlier this year.

“And I have been informed by the fire chief that in respect of other orders, they are now in the process of registration to be able to hit the road. So we are in this constant business of replacing, repairing, keeping them mobile. On this occasion fortunately, unfortunately, a citizen lost his life.

“I want to extend condolences to the family and I've been in touch with the fire chief. He has issued a public statement and we look forward to getting to the place where we hope we will not lose a single house, a single roof, nor a single life to those kinds of events.”

Newsday asked insurance companies what difference, if any, the increased damage to houses or property owing to the Fire Service not having equipment or water to put out a fire quickly made to their payouts.

The Association of TT Insurance Companies (ATTIC), in response to questions from Newsday, said once the property has insurance, the extent of the damage caused by the fire would be settled.

“The lack of water/vehicles just causes the insurer to pay-out more money.”