St. Johns County shifts routine hydrant inspections to Utilities to free fire crews for emergencies

St. Johns County officials announced on March 24 that routine fire‑hydrant inspections and flow testing will transition from fire crews to a dedicated team within the county Utilities Department, a change officials said will improve data quality and keep firefighters focused on emergency response.

At a presentation to the Board of County Commissioners, the utility director outlined the new structure: the county will create four dedicated utility positions (two inspectors, two technicians) and deploy specialized equipment to perform annual flow testing on roughly 20% of hydrants each year, with data collected for a central dashboard. County staff said the shift is funded within existing resources and will not require a tax increase or rate change.

Speakers emphasized operational benefits: the fire department retains its primary mission of emergency response, and utilities will “own” hydrant maintenance and data collection, improving consistency and supporting insurance/risk calculations. The director noted the program was approved in the FY26 budget and is expected to be operational by May, with staff recruitment and training already underway.

Commissioners thanked staff and the named employees (Eric, Anthony and Andrew) who were recognized for their role in standing up the program. The board did not take a separate policy vote on the program during the presentation; staff confirmed the program was transitioned with no immediate rate impacts.