RICHMOND Fire Station captain James Rowland has urged Hawkesbury residents to become ‘hydrant heroes’.
Doing so is fairly simply.
Merely ensure the fire hydrants in your street are free of debris and visible to fire fighters.
Richmond fire fighters said they had had a number of problems in the past with being unable to locate fire hydrants, particularly at night.
They say this sort of unnecessary delay could have dire consequences in the event of an emergency.
Captain Rowland said the most common reason for his crew not being able to locate hydrants was due to residents letting vegetation grow over them.
He said other problems included rubbish being left over or near the hydrants ... something that could be easily overcome providing folk disposed of their rubbish appropriately.
“The main problem is a lot of the fires happen at night and when you are trying to find hydrants, they have been covered up with grass and vegetation,” Captain Rowland said.
“It has happened before. We've had to use a hydrant say 50 metres away, and it means less water goes on the house and can cause more damage or even cost lives.”
Fire and rescue NSW said this was not just a problem confined to the Hawkesbury region.
Apparently firies across the state have been running into similar problems, prompting a widespread call for hydrant heroes.
Captain Rowland said the fire fighters tried to check on hydrants when they could, but there were so many that it was hard to do so.
He encouraged residents to relieve his crews of some of the burden, specially if they knew of a hydrant locale in their street.
“From a practical point of view, if residents know it is there and they can maintain it and keep it clear and visible that is the best thing,” he said.
“If it is on their front lawn we hope people could make an effort to clean it. That would make it a lot easier for us.”
Fire and Rescue NSW said if any marking on maintenance was needed on the hydrants, people should contact their local fire station.
