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Council reviews draft fire-hydrant maintenance program; staff flags staffing and vendor options
Summary
Council reviewed a draft ordinance to establish a fire-hydrant maintenance program requiring annual public-works pressure testing and a second check tied to fire-department training; staff noted legal limits on volunteer sign-off and suggested vendor backup if volunteers cannot perform additional checks.
Council discussed a draft ordinance proposing a fire-hydrant maintenance program that would require Public Works to complete the legally mandated annual pressure testing and add a second check aligned with volunteer fire-department training. Staff said the law requires a certified test and cautioned that volunteer fire department members cannot be assigned the statutory sign-off, so the city might need to budget for vendor inspections if volunteers cannot perform the second check.
Council members noted Public Works is understaffed and asked staff to estimate costs for buying testing equipment or contracting out the second inspection. Staff said the program would include a spreadsheet of hydrant locations, routine pressure tests by Public Works and non-pressure checks by the fire department as part of training, with contingency for vendor backup if needed.
