In the summer of 2017, CBS 6 and WRVA
AM-1140 aired a story concerning fire hydrants and the City of Richmond
Department of Public Utilities maintenance and repair of them. What each
story failed to mention was that the availability of fire hydrants in the areas
of the reported fires that were featured were not a factor in fire
suppression. This was confirmed by the Richmond Fire Department in both
cases and stated publicly at a public meeting to discuss the matter.
DPU maintains close to
6,500 fire hydrants throughout our service area, and if a fire hydrant is out
of service we want to know about it. At the time of both stories, less than 1 percent of those fire hydrants were out of service. When customers
call to report a fire hydrant that is out of service, be sure to get a
reference number so that if the hydrant is not repaired within a reasonable
time frame, you can call back and receive the status right away.
DPU is in the process of
implementing an automated fire hydrant inspection program that will make
tracking and inspection easier. Under this new system, once fully
implemented, every fire hydrant will be inspected at a rate of once per
year.
DPU is always working hard
to improve and streamline our systems in order to provide the best possible
service to all of the customers we serve.
