Street fire hydrants – do you know where your nearest one is?
When seconds count, having this information at hand is crucial if fire fighters are to be able to quickly extinguish the blaze.
When your house is on fire and your whole life is going up in smoke around you, the last thing you want to worry about is where your closest fire hydrant is.
Local fire station Platoon Commander Otsile Kobue explained how poorly marked fire hydrants make firefighting much more difficult, wasting precious seconds, that can make all the difference in an emergency. “Many hydrants are not marked at all. We report on these monthly to Joburg Water. When we arrive at a scene, it is helpful if residents know where the closest hydrants are, so that we can
quickly tap into the water supply, even if they are unmarked,” said Kobue.
Ward 132 councillor Annette Deppe said that faulty hydrants are also a concern. “Because Joburg Water does not have detailed data of their network, it is prudent that the residents log a call to register a faulty hydrant and if possible, inform their nearest fire department.”
Caxton Local Media Joburg north spoke to residents across our footprint to ask them if they knew these hydrants existed. The vast majority said they did not.
Resident Maropeng Mokgethi said, “I did not even know that those were fire
hydrants. The government should teach people about these and their importance in the community.”
Station commander at Roosevelt Park Fire Station, Harris Ndove said that the poor visibility was worsened by loadshedding. “When it is dark and there is load-shedding, traffic is gridlocked, and being able to easily identify fire hydrants is even more important, but even more difficult as street lights are off.”
Fire hydrants should be strategically placed no more than about 200m apart on all municipal roads, according to Joburg Water.
Ward 88 councillor Nicolene Jonker said, “Residents across the city should go on a short walk along the road where they live to identify the nearest hydrant. When a hydrant is identified, it will assist the city by ensuring they are not obscured, broken, or vandalised. If it is, please report it to Johannesburg Water.”
Who is responsible for their upkeep?
Johannesburg Water is the entity responsible for the maintenance and suitable markings to ensure they are easily located.
When asked how often they are inspected and maintained, communications manager Nombuso Shabalala was unable to give timeframes.
“Municipality maintenance crews carry out random tests, look out for problematic hydrants, and effect repairs when identified. The fire department also conducts checks on core and critical hydrants where they can then report to us for action if needed.”
Robert Mulaudzi, spokesperson for the city’s Emergency Management Services said each station needs to inspect 40 hydrants per month and report findings to Joburg Water. Kobue showed the paper some of his recent reports which included findings of low water pressure, connections damaged, no visible markings, and missing gaskets to name a few.
EMS numbers:
• City of Joburg emergency control
centre 10177 or 011 375 5911
• 112 if calling from a cell phone.
