Published: April 24, 2008 11:04 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.
 

Published: May 01, 2008 08:51 pm            

Hydrant upgrade — 05/03/08

Improvements in Greenup may lower insurance rates

A long delayed plan to upgrade hydrants throughout the city of Greenup is about to get underway. And if all goes as hoped, the improved hydrants should result in an improvement in the city’s rating by the Insurance Service Organization. A lower rating will mean Greenup residents will be paying less for fire insurance.

The Greenup Volunteer Fire Department currently is testing hydrants throughout the city to identify problem areas. Once identified, the fire department will ask the Greenup City Council to make improvements.

Assistant fire chief Neil Wright said some hydrants will have to be replaced at a cost of about $2,500 each and new hydrants will have to be added at a cost of about $4,000 each. Some water lines also may have to be improved to service the hydrants.

The goal, of course, is to improve the first department’s ability to fight blazes in the city. Some hydrants date back to the 1940s, Wright said, and areas like Applegate Plaza do not have enough hydrants.

A few years ago, Greenup improved its rating from the ISO from 6 to 5. Replacing existing hydrants and adding others should combine with the addition of a ladder truck three years ago to lower the rating to 4, Wright said.

Even more important than the impact the improved hydrants will have on the city’s insurance rating is the improvement in the city’s ability to effectively battle blazes. Indeed, having the equipment and water pressure needed to douse fires is the greatest benefit of upgrading the hydrants.

The city may have to budget the improvements in its hydrants over a period of several years, but that can be achieved by placing the highest priority on correcting the most serious shortcomings first.