LUCEA, Hanover

CONCERNS have again been raised over the alarming number of fire hydrants in the parish of Hanover that are currently out of service.

The issue was once more brought to the fore during the recent sitting of the regular monthly meeting of the Hanover Parish Council.

In a report drafted for the month of September and submitted by the Hanover Fire Department to the council, it was noted that a recent audit of fire hydrants across selected sections of the parish showed that only seven of the 24 hydrants checked were working.

Among the problems identified with the hydrants were issues with valves and incompatible outlet connections.

The revelation was not taken lightly by the councillor for the Hopewell Division, Devon Brown (JLP), who pointed out that with the parish only having one fire station and a truck, “this is disaster waiting to happen”.

“When you look at the area, Hanover being limited with a single fire station, and to reach point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ and there is no hydrant in between…, I think Hanover is going to burn down soon or later, because the hydrants are not working,” Brown stressed, describing the situation as “a disgrace”.

But, Superintendent in charge of the Hanover Fire Department, Paul Hilbert, explained that a number of the hydrants in the parish are very old, and are therefore not compatible with the “connections of equipment” currently being used by his department. He added, however, that the brigade is currently trying to source connections that can be fitted to the outlet of hydrants that are in a “fair condition”.