Walden fire chief warns proposed hydrant law would restrict routine checks and training; trustees form committee

George Brown, chief of the Walden Fire Department, told the Village of Walden Board of Trustees that a recently distributed draft of a local law on fire hydrants differed significantly from earlier versions and could hamper emergency response and training. "This law is now proposing to make it illegal for the fire department to use fire hydrants," Brown said, urging trustees to restore language allowing routine checks and coordination for drills and emergencies.

Brown — speaking during the public comment portion devoted to the proposed hydrant law — said subsections removing plowing language, flow-testing requirements for municipally owned hydrants, and reporting obligations left the department unable to perform long-standing checks when it responds to calls. He warned those omissions could also jeopardize progress toward lower ISO insurance ratings for residents and businesses: "If we just did flow testing alone, it would most likely qualify us for that reduced insurance rate," he said.

Trustees and staff pushed back that the village Department of Public Works (DPW) performs scheduled hydrant flushing and flow testing. Trustees pointed to language in the circulated draft that, by their reading, limits maintenance to village employees or authorized contractors. At one point a trustee read from the draft: "It shall be unlawful for any person other than a village employee, authorized contractor, or fire department personnel to test or operate a hydrant," language that the chief said was ambiguous when applied to routine checks at incident scenes.

Retired firefighter Fred Pernice cautioned against widespread routine testing by fire crews, saying full-pressure flow testing can strain the system and create brown-water complaints: "If the fire department goes to a call, they're going to test this hydrant... the next day that hydrant may or may not work," he said, urging the board to weigh operational and infrastructure risks.

Trustees and the fire department agreed the principal problem is wording rather than intent. The board proposed substituting "coordination" for "supervision" and refining definitions of "test," "maintain," and "operate" so that firefighters can check hydrants during emergencies and conduct drills without requiring a village employee to physically supervise each action. The board asked George Brown to meet with a small committee of trustees — Cheryl, Lynn and Jared volunteered — to finalize language and return recommendations to the full board.

The committee was described as a temporary working group to reconcile DPW responsibilities, volunteer firefighter practices and public-safety needs. Trustees said they expect the group to finalize changes quickly so the board can move forward with a version of the law that preserves water-system protections while allowing firefighters to do essential checks and training.