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Woodford County Fire Department installs dry hydrant and seeks authority for local building inspections
Summary
Woodford County's fire leadership told the fiscal court on Wednesday that the department installed a certified dry hydrant at a farm on Fords Mill Road and is pursuing local authority to perform building inspections as a deputy state fire marshal.
Woodford County's fire leadership told the fiscal court on Wednesday that the department installed a certified dry hydrant at a farm on Fords Mill Road and is pursuing local authority to perform building inspections as a deputy state fire marshal.
Chief Melvin Montgomery said the dry hydrant installation at Twin Creeks Farm (near Patterson Road) required about four hours of work, was certified after pond testing, and cost the county $1,200.73, which he said was under an earlier estimate of roughly $1,608. "We ended up getting it done for a thousand $200.73," Montgomery told the court. He said the installation avoided obstacles such as rock and that the pipe extends about seven feet into the pond.
Montgomery and counsel Chris Hoskins briefed the court on a proposed ordinance that would authorize the Woodford County Fire Protection District to serve as a deputy state fire marshal and to perform building inspections in unincorporated county areas. Hoskins said the district needs an ordinance approved by the county to take on that authority and that the proposal was modeled in part on a 2023 Versailles city ordinance with modifications appropriate to county jurisdiction.
Why it matters: Hoskins and Montgomery said the authority would allow local personnel to enforce corrections when inspections identify safety violations and could improve the county's ISO rating, which may benefit local insurance rates. Montgomery estimated the county has "maybe 60 to 70 buildings to inspect," including distillery warehouses and some restaurants, and characterized the workload as lighter than a city's program.
The court authorized the county attorney to draft the final ordinance language; the judge said the first reading is expected at the Nov. 12 meeting.
Ending: The court thanked the fire department for the dry hydrant installation and for pursuing inspection authority, and encouraged staff and counsel to provide the court with the ordinance text in advance of the scheduled first reading.
