A common question we are asked is, “Why are we driving through neighborhoods turning on fire hydrants?” Answer: We are checking hydrants for a number of reasons, all of which are closely guarded Fire Department secrets. Okay----that's not true! We are checking hydrants to ensure they function properly, to flush out any obstructions, and inspect for damage.

We inspect and test all of the hydrants in our fire district on an annual basis. Missouri American Water (our local water company) also performs hydrant tests on an annual basis. Occasionally, on fire calls, we come across a broken hydrant. In that case we will use water carried on our trucks. Depending on the truck, we only carry enough water for approximately 5-10 minutes of fire suppression.

There are things as residents of our district you can do to help us (and yourselves).

1. Do not block or park in front of fire hydrants. A parked car can cause a delay in acquiring water from the hydrant or the inability for us to use the hydrant at all. This will result in the owner of the vehicle being issued a ticket.

2. Do not plant shrubbery in front, or in the immediate vicinity of hydrants. If we can't locate the hydrant somebody's house or business may burn down. When shrubbery is blocking a hydrant we have to hack it down and waist valuable time that could be spent saving life or property.

3. Do not paint the hydrant. The hydrants originally were painted a particular color to tell firefighters how many gallons per minute they can flow. When the hydrants are painted to match a house or somebody's favorite team's colors, we do not know how many gallons per minute we can flow. This causes a problem with our water calculations in regards to how many lines we can flow at one time.

    4.   Do not open hydrants. When a hydrant is open in one area it may reduce the available pressure in another hydrant.            Needless to say, not enough water, the greater the chance of total property loss of to fire.

5. DO report damaged hydrants, hydrants missing caps, or any of the above-mentioned conditions to either the Monarch Fire Protection District or Missouri American Water. If you should see a car parked in front of a hydrant please notify the police. As in the movie “Backdraft”, if a car is parked in front of a hydrant, we may have to break the windows and run a supply line through. We value life over property and we are fierce about saving and protecting lives.