EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — El Paso County is working to address fire hydrants in outlying areas that are not being maintained, inspected and may not have water pressure to be used to put out fires.
County Commissioner Sergio Coronado said that the County’s Emergency Service Districts are not responsible for maintaining and inspecting fire hydrants, that they don’t have the manpower.
Coronado said that he has spoken to County Judge Ricardo Samaniego and they have directed the County’s Administration to do a report on fire hydrants and who is responsible for maintaining them.
Coronado said there have been several fires in El Paso County where emergency crews have pulled up and the first hydrant they hooked up to didn’t have any water pressure.
“The (County) judge and I have asked the County Administration to prepare a report on all the fire hydrants in the outlying area of the County, including inside the smaller municipalities, to see who is responsible for water hydrants, to see if they are being inspected yearly and what the issues are if they are not,” Coronado said.
Coronado said that the County’s ESDs do not have the manpower to do the inspections and maintenance themselves.
Coronado and Samaniego have met with the state fire marshal, Coronado said.
“This is not just a problem here in El Paso County,” Coronado said. “It is a statewide problem. This poses a potential risk to property and lives. We really need to address this.”
Coronado also said that when insurance companies find out fire hydrants are not being maintained, that can lead to them raising rates for everyone.
The County has reached out to the local state delegation about getting funding to address this problem, Coronado said. They have also reached out to the Governor’s Office, he said.
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