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New Haven fire officials press for higher fines after rise in blocked hydrants

Connecticut General Assembly - Transportation Committee · February 10, 2023
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

New Haven fire department leaders and Rep. Al Paolillo urged the committee to raise fines for blocking fire hydrants (HB 5766), saying the current $75 penalty no longer deters repeat offenses and that blocked hydrants have operationally delayed water access.

Representative Al Paolillo introduced HB 5766 to the Transportation Committee and ceded time to Assistant Chief Daniel Coughlin of the New Haven Fire Department to describe operational risks from blocked hydrants.

Coughlin said blocked hydrants are increasingly common in New Haven, estimating blocked hydrants are "up about 150" and explaining that multiple blocked hydrants can multiply water-delivery delays and operational complexity. He said the $75 fine last updated in 2010 is no longer an effective deterrent and urged the committee to modernize penalties to protect life and property.

Committee members asked for supporting data and noted city efforts to partner with parking enforcement; members and witnesses agreed the committee would accept written material from the fire department with incident logs and enforcement data to supplement the record.

No formal action was taken; the record remains open for submitted statistics and proposed penalty language.

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