County officials, firefighters discussing low water pressure

July 06--Cullman County officials and Logan Volunteer Fire Chief Toby Bates met Wednesday to resolve a disagreement over whether the water department has pressure issues that hamper firefighting efforts.

The clash became public this week as Bates and other firefighters reported having problems getting adequate water pressure from hydrants to put out a fire that destroyed event venue Brick Haven on U.S. 278, west of Cullman.

On Wednesday, Bates, Cullman County Water Department Manager Randall Waldrep, Cullman County Commission Chairman Kenneth Walker and County Attorney Chad Floyd sat down to discuss the issue.

"We're all going to try to work together to work it out," Waldrep said.

Bates said firefighters from seven departments struggled to get enough water pressure to put out the massive blaze inside the facility which featured timber beams that made extinguishing the fire particularly tricky.

"The pressure was not anywhere near what we needed it to be," Bates said. "It's been a problem for years, and it's never been addressed."

County officials maintain the water pressure should have been adequate, but noted that the water system's main priority is providing drinking water to customers.

"The water tank feeding that line had 1 million gallons of water in it that night, and when they got done with the fire, there was 300,000 gallons left so 700,000 gallons went somewhere," Walker said. "We have rules and regulations in place we have to follow, and we haven't been in violation of any of them, that I know of, in the past six to eight years."

Bates and fellow Logan firefighter Cody Bice said in past fires, crews have contacted the water department to increase pressure at hydrants and have been told those hydrants are for drinking water, not putting out fires.

When asked about it, Walker said the county supplies "flush" hydrants that they use to flush the line after a main breaks.

"I know in the past, if Vinemont or West Point is out on a fire, they've called the VAW Water Department, and someone has come out to turn up the pressure, just temporarily, until they can get the fire out and then they turn it back down."

Some firefighters wondered if the county water department had water pressure flow at hydrants turned down to prevent smaller, older pipes from bursting, requiring costly repairs.

"There's not any regulators on those hydrants out there," Waldrep said. "You can only get so much pressure on a line if there's an elevation. I mean, it is what it is."

Walker pointed to the water department's recent $2 million project to install a larger line along U.S. 278 with an additional pump station nearby Brick Haven.

Bates said the water pressure issue is worse in some areas of the county than others.

"It just seems like it's worse on the west side of the county," he said. "If we're on a fire and run out of water, what are we supposed to do? Just load up our trucks and go home while someone's home is burning down? It's a public safety issue."

Water flow rates at hydrants are factored into an area's ISO (Insurance Service Office) rating which affects homeowners' insurance. It can vary widely across the county and is higher in rural areas and lower in cities like Cullman, which just saw its ISO rating go down from 3 to 2. The higher the ISO rating, the higher a homeowners' insurance rates will be for fire protection.

Tiffeny Owens can be reached at 256-734-2131, ext. 135.

Tiffeny Owens can be reached at [email protected] or at 256-734-2131, ext. 135.

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