Chatham Emergency Services Update

By Carey Ruppert - cruppert@chathames.org
Chief, Skidaway Division

Where’s The #*@%ing Fire Hydrant?

Spring is the time of year when Landings homeowners (or their yard care contractors) spruce up their yard by clearing out dead branches and leaves and trimming bushes and other vegetation. While this spring yard cleanup is underway, it is the perfect time to locate the fire hydrant on your property or the common property adjacent to your home and clear the vegetation from around it.

I can understand that some residents might feel that fire hydrants aren’t aesthetically pleasing. They do resemble the space alien ET in a shiny green sort of way. But from a firefighting perspective, they are beautiful, and ready access to them is vital. When we arrive at a structure fire scene, one of the first things we do is locate the nearest fire hydrant and establish a water supply to the engine we will use to attack the fire. The sooner that water supply can be established, the sooner we can attack and extinguish the fire.

When heavy vegetation prohibits a clear view of a fire hydrant from the street, the process of establishing our water supply is severely impacted, especially at night. I speak from experience when I say it is extremely frustrating to tromp around in the bushes, in the dark, looking for a fire hydrant while there is a house on fire nearby. It is equally frustrating to try to get a supply hose attached to a hydrant while a “decorative” palmetto plant is attacking you.

I ask everyone to be kind to your local firefighters and protect your home and the homes of your friends and neighbors by clearing a three-foot perimeter around all fire hydrants. Hopefully, everyone will come to love our shiny green little friends as much as I do!



This article was originally published by The Landings Association on their website.

Visit landings.org to read the original article.
https://landings.org/news/2021/03/25/chatham-emergency-services-update