Over 15,000 damaged fire hydrants nationwide need to be replaced
KUANTAN: A total of 15,724, out of 422,472 fire hydrants nationwide were found to be damaged, and need to be replaced, said Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director-general, Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad.
He said that based on last year’s inspection report, among the damage that has occurred are fire hydrants paved with either tar, soil or sand, leaks due to broken or blocked pipes and broken, tight or non-functioning valve spindles.
“These are four main types of damage which require high maintenance provision, namely, maintenance work involving fire hydrant chambers, valves, outlet threads and poles, and also upgrading underground fire hydrants to above-ground fire hydrants.
“For small fire hydrant damage such as the chamber being filled with sand, soil or rubbish, firemen who conduct inspections and tests will continue to clean the hydrants, to ensure they are clean and good for use at any time,” he said.
Nor Hisham said this to reporters after officiating the 2023 Pahang JBPM Excellent Service Award (APC) ceremony, at state JBPM headquarters here Monday which saw a total of 78 personnel received APCs, while five others received awards for having served the department for 30 years.
He said that the cost of maintenance for a damaged fire hydrant unit is estimated to be between RM1,000 and RM5,000, depending on the location.
He added that the department now inspects fire hydrants three times a year, especially within a radius of seven kilometres from the city centre, because the fire hydrants involved cannot fail to function in the event of a fire.
In another development, Nor Hisham said that JBPM had made preliminary preparations to prevent forest fires, especially in peatland, due to the continuous hot and dry weather currently hitting the country.
“We are now expected to face dry weather, and open burning activities can also cause big problems, namely forest fires. We have asked all the state JBPM to cooperate with relevant parties, including plantation owners, not to do open burning,” he said.