USATODAY Article: Sprawl exceeds reach of hydrants

[JNA]

This article was on the front page of the Friday Aug. 24 edition.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition...trip24.art.htm

HIGHLIGHT:

Nearly a fourth of U.S. families face ... protection inadequacies .... because they live in extended suburban or rural locations with no hydrants, says Lori Moore-Merrell, an operations analyst with the International Association of Fire Fighters.

"Municipalities and county governments are finding with this far-flung development it costs a lot to extend the basic infrastructure," says Anthony Flint, public affairs director of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Hydrants, which are recommended every 1,000 feet, cost about $1,200 apiece, according to Jim Smalley of the National Fire Protection Association.

Proximity to hydrants and fire stations has always been important to homeowners because it influences insurance rates.

More information about the water supply evaluation for Fire insurance ratings: http://www.isomitigation.com/ppc/3000/ppc3010.html

Did not want to bump year old threads.

Must be a current problem if it made the front page of USA TODAY ?

In my fair county the developers are required to extend water service and place hydrants. There is some cost sharing on pump stations.

[mgk920]

Four words here:

"Welcome to the COUNTRY!"



If you want that idyllic parklike 'testosterone-sized' lawn in an area with many others like that, private wells and the volunteer fire department having to rely on tankers and a vacuum hose from the nearby creek come with the deal.

Mike

[Chet]

The Town Next Door has a volunteer fire dept. and no public water. Thier motto is "we always save the basement"

[Michael Patrick]

The county where I work requires X thousand number of gallons of stored water to allow for Y amount of pressure for Z minute (for very outlying new structures and new uses out of a hydrant's reach -- I don't remember the exact numbers off-hand, but it's based on sizes of structures and extents of uses).

It's pretty simple: keep water on-site in case of emergency. I guess the local government for the location in the story doesn't have such standards? If not, I wonder if it's negligence or if the local government just leaves the task up to the individual.

[ricohockey]

just a thought: I wonder if neighborhoods with hydrants have seen the same fate because although the hydrants were present, the infrastructure was such that the water pressure was too low to provide enough water to put out the fire.....

I know some areas face spreading themselves too thin in terms of water capacity, and I'm thinking that could prevent suburban developments from getting needed water to fires.

[SuperPenguin]

just a thought: I wonder if neighborhoods with hydrants have seen the same fate because although the hydrants were present, the infrastructure was such that the water pressure was too low to provide enough water to put out the fire.....

It's not unheard of. Also, consider that fire loads have been steadily increasing, with more petroleum-based and synthetic products. Combine that with perhaps some infill or redevelopment, yielding larger buildings, more stories, etc., and you may have an area that had a fine water supply 50 years ago, that now is woefully short.

[Jeff]

This is why they make tanker trucks.

I'll go out on a limb and say more of the country is not served by hydrants than those that are.

It not like the trucks are pulling up dry either. Engines typically caryy 500-1K gallons of water, usually sufficient to knock down most residential fires.

[ricohockey]

good point...those trucks are pretty big.

it's interesting that people either don't know or don't mind that there aren't fire hydrants also nearby...banking on the fact that there will be enough in the tankers.