Fire safety first
Baddeck planning fire hydrant testing program
The Village of Baddeck is planning a maintenance schedule for its fire hydrants that will see at least 10 hydrants tested per week, according to documents filed with the provincial regulator.
The information is contained in a response by the village to information requests from the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board as it looks into a complaint filed with it over a hydrant that did not function during a fire at the Inverary Resort.
The document filed by the village states that at least 10 hydrants will be selected per week and tested to see “that the caps open and that the hydrant opens and closes easily with the wrench.”
Water will run for no more than two minutes to see that they work, then the caps will be greased and put back in place. The work is to begin in mid-August and will continue until the village’s 56 hydrants have been inspected.
It also notes that there will be no flushing this year as there has been a major fire and water break which has deleted an already low water supply.
The board had also asked for information on past maintenance and inspections of hydrants, and the village replied that, over the past five years, the amount spent on hydrant maintenance ranged from a low of $7.72 in 2017-18 to a high of $19,220.58 in 2016-17.
The board has also asked about any hydrant flow tests conducted over the past five years. The village provided results from 2012 and indicated the tests were due to take place last year but there had been “complete changeover in staff” that year.
The village indicated that as of 2012 the system provides the designed fire flows. However, due to dry conditions over the past two years, well levels are too low to sustain extended hydrant usage.
In response to questions from the UARB, the village indicated that hose connection fittings are compatible with standard Nova Scotia hose connections, but that the Baddeck Volunteer Fire Department hadn’t responded to inquiries regarding its hose connections.
There is one hydrant at the corner of Queen and Grant streets that is currently out of
service because the water line is due to be upgraded, which will require a different size hydrant.
In a document dated July 6, the UARB’s chief clerk Bruce Kiley had listed 10 information requests of the commission, ranging
from a request for a map of the water utility’s distribution system, including hydrant locations, whether the hydrant in question is a public or private hydrant, documented procedures for hydrant maintenance and inspection.
The Baddeck Village Commission had issued a news release stating that the hydrant near the Inverary Resort was opened and tested by public works employees on July 4 and was “fully operational.” The release stated that workers were able to access the hydrant within seven minutes and it provided a good flow of water. It also noted the village has invited fire department officials to meet and is continuing to test each of its hydrants, accelerating a planned maintenance schedule.
The provincial regulator received a complaint last month from the Baddeck Volunteer Fire Department that the hydrant did not function during the fire that broke out at the Baddeck resort’s main lodge in the early morning hours of June 7. The fire destroyed the main lodge at the entrance to the 11-acre property.
A department official had noted that when attempts to access the initial hydrant were unsuccessful, firefighters were able to access another hydrant within about five minutes of discovering the first one was not working. He also noted that it had no impact on the outcome of the fire.