KINGSTON, Jamaica – Fire hydrants play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of communities by providing readily accessible water for firefighting purposes.

However, despite their importance, fire hydrants are often misused and abused by the public.

Commissioner, Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Stewart Beckford stated that the devices are the “lifeblood” of the brigade’s operation and “without them we are really challenged to tackle large fires that require a constant flow of water”.

“We have seen instances where persons are doing construction at their home and the truck would come with the marl and sand [or] whatever material they are using and that will be dumped on the hydrant,” said Commissioner Beckford.

He noted that there are times when the hydrant barrel is not “dumped up” but the valve that is to be used to turn it on is covered, thereby preventing firefighters from easily accessing water during emergencies.

The commissioner also informs that there have been cases where individuals tamper with the hydrants as well as steal them, a practice he is urging citizens to desist from doing. “It is against the law to trespass on fire hydrants,” he advised.

Citizens are being encouraged to help in the care of fire hydrants by not blocking access to them or inserting stones or other debris into the hydrant barrel.

“If we get to you and there is a working hydrant there, the likelihood of us saving your property would have increased exponentially,” Commissioner Beckford says, adding that a malfunctioning fire hydrant puts the JFB at a disadvantage during its operations.

The commissioner explained that fire trucks have a limited amount of water, and as such, once firefighters arrive on the scene of a fire, the first task is to identify a nearby working hydrant.

He noted that the trucks have approximately 4,000 litres of water that could be pumped out in about seven minutes.

In 2023, as part of its hydrant’s maintenance programme, the JFB inspected 2,460 fire hydrants and repaired 432, up from 352 the previous year.

Commissioner Beckford said over the last five years, the island’s network of fire hydrants significantly improved due to the infrastructure developments taking place, especially within Kingston and St Andrew Metropolitan Area and St Ann.

“With each development, a certain number of hydrants has to be installed by the developers,” says Commissioner Beckford.

He further pointed out that even with the increase in the number of fire hydrants across the island, the JFB still finds itself “playing catch-up in terms of replacement of these hydrants”, as several of them are being knocked down during motor-vehicle accidents.

Data from the JFB revealed a count of 20,192 fire hydrants across the island as at 2022.

Commissioner Beckford informed that the JFB conducts inspection and servicing throughout the entire year.

“We recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Water Commission (NWC) to help with the servicing and repair of some of these hydrants because the numbers that we are seeing in terms of those that need servicing and repair far outstripped the resources that we have internally,” he added.

A total of 1,620 fire hydrants were serviced in 2023, a 53.4 per cent increase when compared to the previous year.

During a routine maintenance, firefighters first ensure accessibility to the hydrant by clearing debris from around the structure. The valve box and barrel of the hydrant are then cleared. The barrel, the upright column of the hydrant, is flushed to remove impediments and confirm that water can be accessed from the hydrant. Once complete, the hydrant is given a fresh coat of paint to signify that it has been recently serviced.

The signs of a hydrant in need of servicing that the public can look for include a leaking hydrant, the settling of water around it or one that has water coming up from underground.

Commissioner Beckford is also encouraging businesses that have fire hydrants on their premises to contact the JFB to ensure they are being properly maintained.

“If you have issues with them, give us a call, we will come in and do checks. We don’t want to turn up at your establishment with a large fire and that is when we are discovering that the hydrant that is on your property is not working,” he added.

-JIS