WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. – In the City of Winter Springs, more than a thousand fire hydrants have not been inspected in almost three years and the city can’t guarantee they’ll work when needed.
State statute requires all municipalities to inspect all fire hydrants at least once per year.
Last week, Winter Springs city leaders agreed to hire an engineering firm at a cost of $153,000 to inspect all 1,200 city hydrants over the next five months.
Two weeks ago, firefighters responded to a dryer fire in Winter Springs and tried to connect to a hydrant but the shutoff valve was broken. Fortunately, the failed hydrant did not impact firefighting at the home, according to the fire department.
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It was the third failed hydrant in the city in the last few weeks.
But until all hydrants are inspected, the Seminole County Fire Department, which services the city, will send three water tanker fire trucks equipped with portable water tanks to all fires within the city, as a precaution.
Why weren’t the hydrants inspected in the past 2.5 years?
Winter Springs Public Information Officer Matt Reeser blamed it on “employee turnover” and “inconsistent plans previously.”
In the last several years, the city has lost its public works director, finance director, city manager and police chief. Both the state and Seminole County have audited the city for its spending.
“You know, I can’t speak to what happened previously to my coming here or to Mr. Iftikhar [current Public Works Director], his tenure here,” Reeser said. “But what I can say is there is there are a number of new staff and there is a job that needs to be done and we’re going to make sure it gets done.”
Emails from the Seminole County Fire Marshal show the fire department tried to contact the City of Winter Springs as far back as 2021 for a status update on hydrant inspections. The fire marshal did not receive a response until last year.
Should Winter Springs residents be concerned?
“I don’t think they should,” Reeser said. “I think what they should understand is this is an issue we’re dealing with and we’re doing our best to make sure that we fix the problems that we encounter.”
The Seminole County Fire Department sends tanker trucks to all fires in rural areas that do not have fire hydrants, per standard procedure. One tanker truck deploys a portable tank and fills it so the other responding tanker trucks can fight the fire at the same time.
The three responding tanker trucks then rotate continuously filling the portable tank so water never runs out.
SCFD spokesperson Doreen Overstreet said the tankers do not delay response time.
Overstreet said adding tanker trucks to Winter Springs calls will not add additional cost and Winter Springs taxpayers will not be responsible for paying for the tankers.
When asked if the Seminole County Fire Department will hold Winter Springs accountable for not regularly inspecting hydrants according to state law, Overstreet said that is not in the fire department’s interest. The fire department wants Winter Springs to inspect and, if necessary, repair hydrants for the safety of all residents, Overstreet said.
[READ: Emails between Winter Springs, Seminole County Fire Department]
Hydrant Correspondence - City by Christie Zizo on Scribd
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