Published: April 24, 2008 11:00 pm      

Better fire rating goal in Greenup

City to test hydrants to pinpoint problem areas

GREENUP — The Greenup Volunteer Fire Department plans to test hydrants around the city to pinpoint problem areas.

Then the department will ask the city to fix the problems. Once that happens, Greenup will have a chance to earn a better fire insurance rating.

Some of the hydrants in older parts of town date back to the 1940s and need to be replaced, said assistant fire chief Neil Wright. Also the lines feeding them are too small.

Areas like the Applegate Plaza don’t have enough hydrants, he said. A major fire could place too much demand on the existing hydrants.

“This is nobody’s fault. It’s been overlooked for years,” Wright said.

The department wants to test all the hydrants for pressure. “We want data to show what we know as firefighters,” Wright said.

With the data in hand the department can ask the city for upgrades.

The upgrades will help in the next inspection by the Insurance Service Organization, which sets ratings for insurance purposes.

Ratings go from one to 10, with one being best. The better the rating, the lower on average are insurance rates.

Greenup moved up from six to five several years ago, Wright said. Addition of a ladder truck almost three years ago was one requirement for bumping the rating up to four. Remedying the flow problems is the other.

New hydrants cost about $4,000 while replacement hydrants are about $2,500 because the connection to the water line already exists.

Depending on how many hydrants are needed, the city might have to phase in installation, Mayor Donna Hewlett said.

Budget talks start today and the council will discuss adding hydrants to the spending plan, she said.

Greenup’s investment in sophisticated water meters read by radio will ease the burden, because the installation will be done by water distribution workers who previously would have been busy reading meters, Hewlett said.