What’s hiding your street’s fire hydrant?

BLOCKED, buried and sometimes parked over, fire hydrants across the Surf Coast are being left inaccessible, prompting a warning from the shire and emergency services.

The Surf Coast Shire and local fire agencies are urging residents to check the condition of hydrants on their nature strips, amid concerns some are being obscured by overgrown grass and dirt or blocked by vehicles.

Cr Paul Barker said the issue could have serious consequences in an emergency.

“If there’s a fire in your neighbourhood, you’re going to want firefighting units to be able to connect with water quickly,” he said.

“That means being able to find hydrants easily and tap into them without having to waste precious time searching, digging around or knocking on doors asking for vehicles to be shifted.”

While the shire is responsible for maintaining hydrants, he said, residents play a critical role in keeping them accessible.

Simple steps – such as keeping grass trimmed, avoiding covering hydrants with soil, mulch or rocks, and not parking over them – ensure hydrants remain visible and ready for use.

 

 

Torquay Fire Brigade captain Murray Middleton said every second lost searching for or getting access to a hydrant could be the difference between saving a house or a life.

“Access to the hydrant plugs is critical to our response times and how effective we can be in an emergency,” he said.

“We’d really love our communities to recognise when they have a hydrant in front of their house and to help us maintain them.”

Residential fire hydrants are typically located on nature strips and marked by a white post, with additional indicators such as blue reflectors and white painted diamonds on sealed roads to help crews locate them at night.

Cr Barker said the council had also received reports of poor behaviour towards maintenance crews.

“We have been disappointed to hear of some aggressive behaviour by residents towards our hydrant contractor,” he said.

“We acknowledge that some residents might have a particular sense of ownership for their nature strips and care for their appearance, but we ask everyone to please respect the important maintenance being carried out by keeping hydrants clear and accessible.”