Old Hydrants Cause Concern

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32036, 10 July 1969, Page 18

Old Hydrants Cause Concern

The Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Board is very concerned about the inadequacy of 5000 hydrants in the city area. Of these 180 in the Sydenham area are classed as most inadequate for fire fighting.

The board will convey its concern to the City Council when a special deputation discusses the matter with the City Engineer and the chairman of the works committee. The Chief Fire Officer (Mr F. A. Hardy) said at least

evening’s meeting of the board that there were three types of hydrant in Christchurch. Those in Sydenham were the first installed and were therefore the most obsolete. A later model of the ball type was also highly inefficient by comparison with the third type, the screwdown hydrant Because of the three types of hydrant firemen had to carry three distinct connections. Choosing the correct one in the middle of the night was not easy and could result in a serious loss of time. The board recently wrote to the City Council asking for the speedy replacement of the ball-type hydrant The council had a definite programme of replacement within a defined period, the Town Clerk (Mr M. B. Hayes) told the board in reply. "Christchurch has by far the highest backlog of ball hydrants in any town in New Zealand and there are still about 5000 to be replaced,” he said. “Of this number 180 are of the Sydenham pattern which are your main concern and all of these should be replaced within the next five years. “Because of the difficulties of shut-down resulting in risks to health from contamination, the council has always undertaken this work with its own forces rather than by contract “During the last year 268 screw-down type hydrants were fitted, including 135 conversions from the ball type. The cost of each replacement is about $5O and there is a financial limit to the number which the council is able to do each year,” said Mr Hayes.