Photo: Broken hydrant in front of occupied houses at Stahelin and Eaton. Steve Neavling/MCM
Detroit has a big problem when it comes to broken fire hydrants.
Steve Neavling of the Motor City Muckraker writes that his two-month investigation has found that the city routinely neglects hundreds – if not thousands – of inoperable hydrants, endangering the lives of countless residents by leaving entire blocks of neighborhoods, downtown and Midtown without reasonable access to water.
He goes on to write:
The hydrants, which are the primary weapons against a fire, are out of service in front of occupied houses, apartment high-rises, libraries, senior homes, historic buildings, a hospital, banks, restaurants, factories, religious institutions and even three fire stations.
More than 15 downtown hydrants are broken, including ones that protect the GM Renaissance Center, Ford Field, the stately Old Wayne County Building, the YMCA, Cliff Bell’s jazz club, new businesses and one of the city’s oldest churches, the Central Methodist Church, which was built in 1866.
In some areas, including Midtown and historic Rosedale Park, two or more consecutive blocks have no functioning hydrants, which is a violation of federal law and an extreme hazard to residents and property. The National Fire Protection Association requires hydrants to be within 500 feet of a house or building so hoses can reach the blaze.
