Shippensburg fire hydrants get maintenance

Aug. 24--SHIPPENSBURG -- A maintenance program underway in Shippensburg focuses on inventory, inspection and preliminary testing of 450 fire hydrants in the service area of the Shippensburg Borough Authority.

Fire Chief Randy O'Donnell said the program, funded in this year's water authority budget, is of "great value" to firefighters and citizens alike.

Water department foreman Louis Larson said crews composed of water department and borough employees are achieving steady results, but that the project will continue into 2016.

"We've found some minor problems here and there and addressed them as we've found them," Larson said this week. "We have not had to mark any (hydrants) out of service, but a minor problem on a fire hydrant usually costs $400, though."

According to Larson, the first sweep includes a check of the taps or connections on the hydrant and a test to determine if the hydrant functions. Then, he said, all hydrants are getting a fresh coat of yellow paint -- the accepted firefighting industry color to designate a functioning hydrant.

Future plans call for flow-testing each hydrant and painting domes and caps to designate the available flow of water at each hydrant, Larson said. Some hydrants in the system are already painted with red, orange, green or blue, Larson said. Those hydrants will be left with the color-markings in place until tests are done.

Larson said each color indicates a different available flow.

"This has nothing to do with pressure," Larson said. "It's all about the flow, how much (water) you can get out of the hydrant."

He said red indicates a flow of 1-500 gallons per minute, orange translates to 501-999 gpm, green is 1,000-1,500 gpm and blue designates a flow in excess of 1,501 gpm.

While the water authority's hydrants come in all flow ranges, Larson said most exceed 1,000 gpm.

"That's what we strive for," he said. "It's the result of all the (water system) construction we've done over the past 15 years."

Major recent system upgrades include miles of replacement water mains on Roxbury and Mainsville roads and Orange and Burd streets, construction of a 3 million-gallon storage tank on the outskirts of Shippensburg and addition of a third deep-water well just outside town.

According to Chief O'Donnell, the maintenance program has been an objective for a few years.

"We just had to find the right time and get the available manpower," he said this week. "I'm really pleased with the work they've done in a short time. This will be of great value to the fire department and our citizens. When the hydrants are all maintained and flow-tested, the result will be good records that could improve our next (Insurance Services Office) rating and mean lower insurance rates for citizens."

He said the maintenance program is especially important in rural areas of the system where housing is less dense.

"From time to time we've run into a hydrant, usually in a rural area, that hasn't been used often and it's more difficult to turn those on. In town, where houses are more densely clustered, the hydrants get more use."

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