Date posted: February 11, 2020
Dear Chapman's Peak residents,
During the recent fires in the wetlands, the Fire Services struggled to find and access many hydrants.
This is clearly not an ideal situation - in some cases they were delayed, in others, they weren't able to connect to the hydrant at all.
A real wake-up call to residents!
Check your Hydrant!
Please go into your street now and find your hydrants and check that they're easily seen and accessible. You should be able to lift the lid and see that the coupling is clean and clear of debris. If your hydrant isn't in good condition, your home could be endangered while the firefighters waste time digging it out.
Here are some examples:
Hydrant coupling blocked by soil/roots. Get in there and clear it out! The coupling pipe needs to be clean and clear of the surrounding soil.
This is a serious one! A tree is blocking access completely - report this immediately.
The road marking is in good condition, but the hydrant itself is completely hidden. Dig up those plants and make sure the yellow hydrant cover is clear and visible. Lift the lid and make sure that the coupling is accessible.
Uh oh - another hidden hydrant! All hydrants should be marked both with the FH inside a circle marking on the road, AND with a concrete pillar painted white and yellow with a red H marking. In front of the pillar you should find a yellow manhole cover - make sure it's visible, accessible and that the hydrant coupling inside is clear of dirt.
Another serious problem: the homeowner has paved over the hydrant. This needs to be rectified immediately.
Send us an Email!
We ask that if you have any issues, to please send an email to coord@fynbosfire.org.za, with a photo, description of the problem and the exact location of the hydrant, so that we can collate all the issues and ask the relevant authorities to fix the problems.
Note that fire hydrants are on municipal land and if residents have rendered them unusable due to landscaping etc, many insurance companies will not pay for damages incurred in the event of a fire.
Kind regards,
CPNW committee
Leave a Reply