[Added by Ord. No. 13-112]
The following article is promulgated in order to regulate the
inspection, testing, maintenance, correction, and repair of fire hydrants
located on private property in the City of Augusta and those fire
hydrants located in the rights-of-way of public highways of the City
of Augusta that the Greater Augusta Utility District does not own.
The purposes of this article are to:
A.
Provide standards and requirements for the inspection, testing, maintenance,
correction, and repair of fire hydrants located on private property
of the City of Augusta, as well as fire hydrants located in the rights-of-way
of public highways in the City of Augusta that are not owned by the
Greater Augusta Utility District.
B.
Ensure that every private fire hydrant to which the Fire Department
of the City of Augusta or other municipal fire department connects
in the event of a fire or other emergency will function as designed
to produce the water necessary to respond appropriately to the fire
or other emergency.
C.
Protect the public health, safety and general welfare of the City
of Augusta.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
A condition where a private fire hydrant is out of service
due to an unexpected occurrence, such as frozen or ruptured hydrant
components or an interruption of the water supply to the system.
The Fire Department of the City of Augusta.
A private fire hydrant as defined below.
A private fire hydrant which is not operational due to an
emergency impairment or a preplanned impairment.
A shutdown of a private fire hydrant which renders the hydrant
nonoperational and therefore out of service.
A tag affixed to a private fire hydrant to indicate that
the hydrant is out of service. The Fire Department may determine the
requirements of an impairment tag and the means and location of its
attachment to a hydrant.
An examination of a private fire hydrant to verify that it
appears to be in operating condition and is free from physical damage.
Work performed to keep a private fire hydrant operable or
to make repairs.
Publication 25 of the National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA), titled "Standard for the Inspection, Testing and Maintenance
of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems," 2002, and any subsequent
amendments or revisions thereto.
The person that holds record title to the property upon which
a private fire hydrant is located. For fire hydrants located in the
right-of-way of a public highway in the City of Augusta that are not
owned by the Greater Augusta Utility District, the owner is the person
that owns the fire hydrant itself.
Where the owner is not the occupant of the premises upon
which a private fire hydrant is located, the occupant, management
firm, or managing individual designated by the owner through specific
provisions in the lease, written use agreement, or management contract
to assume the responsibility to inspect, test, and maintain, correct
and repair a private fire hydrant located on the owner's property.
Any institution, public or private corporation, individual,
partnership, or other entity.
A condition where a private fire hydrant is out of service
due to work that has been planned in advance.
A valved connection to a water main for the purpose of supplying
water to a fire hose or other fire protection apparatus and that is
not located within the right-of-way of a public highway of the City
of Augusta. A private fire hydrant also includes any fire hydrant
located in a right-of-way of a public highway in the City of Augusta
that is owned by any person other than the Greater Augusta Utility
District.
Having knowledge of the installation, construction, operation,
maintenance, correction or repair of a fire hydrant and the hazards
involved.
Written documentation of the inspection, testing, maintenance,
correction, or repair of a private fire hydrant.
Indicates a mandatory requirement.
A procedure of periodic physical and operational checks used
to determine whether a private fire hydrant is capable of being operated
as intended and will perform as intended, e.g. water-flow tests. These
tests follow up on the original tests at intervals specified in this
article.
A.
Responsibility for properly maintaining a private fire hydrant shall
be that of the owner of the property or the owner's designee.
Where the owner of a private fire hydrant has designated an occupant,
management firm, or managing individual, through specific provisions
in the lease, written use agreement, or management contract, to be
responsible for the inspection, testing and maintenance of a private
fire hydrant in accordance with this article, the owner's designee
shall comply with the requirements of this article and shall be subject
to enforcement of this article in the event of a failure to so comply.
B.
By means of periodic inspections, tests, maintenance, correction,
and repair, every private fire hydrant shall be maintained in proper
working condition, consistent with this article, the NFPA standard,
and the manufacturer's specifications or recommendations.
C.
Inspection, testing, maintenance, correction and repair shall be
implemented with the procedures meeting or exceeding those established
in this article and the NFPA standard, and shall be in accordance
with the manufacturer's specifications or recommendations. This
article shall control in the event of a conflict among any of the
aforementioned applicable standards. Inspection, testing, maintenance,
correction, and repair shall be performed by qualified maintenance
personnel or a qualified contractor.
D.
The owner or owner's designee shall notify the Fire Department
of the City of Augusta and the Greater Augusta Utility District before
testing or shutting down a private fire hydrant or its water supply.
This notification shall include the purpose for the shutdown, the
private fire hydrant involved, and the estimated time that the hydrant
will be impaired.
E.
The owner or owner's designee shall notify the Fire Department
and the Greater Augusta Utility District when the private fire hydrant
is returned to service.
F.
The owner or owner's designee shall, within 30 days, correct
or repair any deficiencies, damaged parts, or impairments found while
performing the inspection, testing, and maintenance requirements of
this article.
G.
The owner or owner's designee shall promptly correct or repair
any deficiencies, damaged parts, or impairments of any private fire
hydrant of which the owner or owner's designee has knowledge
or, in the exercise of reasonable care, ought to have knowledge.
This section provides the minimum requirements for the routine
inspection, testing, maintenance, correction, and repair of private
fire hydrants. These functions shall be permitted to be carried out
simultaneously.
A.
On or before November 1 of each year, the owner or the owner's designee shall inspect, test, maintain and, if necessary, correct and repair each private fire hydrant to ensure proper functioning, with the necessary repair or corrective action taken as shown in Table 1. Records of these actions will be recorded pursuant to § 148-23 of this article. The owner or owner's designee shall also conduct an inspection of a private fire hydrant after each operation of the hydrant.
B.
Opening and closing hydrants too fast can have the potential of causing
some major problems as well as stir up discolored water. Designees
acting or testing a hydrant on behalf of the hydrant owner shall register
with the Greater Augusta Utility District. Testing of any private
fire hydrant as outlined in this article requires twenty-four-hour
notification to the Greater Augusta Utility District.
C.
When conducting a test of a private fire hydrant, the hydrant shall
be opened fully and water flowed until all foreign material has cleared.
Flow shall be maintained for not less than one minute.
D.
Private fire hydrants shall be lubricated annually to ensure that
all stems, caps, plugs, and threads are in proper operating condition.
E.
Private fire hydrants shall be kept free of snow, ice, or other materials
and protected against mechanical damage so that free access is ensured.
F.
Repairs.
(1)
The
owner or the owner's designee shall repair as soon as possible
a private fire hydrant which is impaired or otherwise does not function
as required by this article, the NFPA standard, or the manufacturer's
specifications.
(2)
After completing all necessary repairs to a private fire hydrant,
the owner or the owner's designee shall inspect and test the
hydrant as necessary consistent with the standards of this article,
including without limitation Table 1, to ensure that the hydrant is
operational.
|
Table 1
Fire Hydrant Inspection, Maintenance and Repair
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
Condition
|
Remedy
| |
|
Hydrant is inaccessible
|
Make accessible
| |
|
Barrel contains water or ice (presence of either could indicate
a faulty drain, a leaky hydrant valve, or a high groundwater table)
|
Repair and drain; for high groundwater, it could be necessary
to plug the drain and pump out the barrel after each use
| |
|
Improper drainage from barrel
|
Repair drain
| |
|
Leaks at outlets or at top of hydrant
|
Repair or replace gaskets, packing, or parts as necessary
| |
|
Cracks observed in hydrant barrel
|
Repair cracks or replace barrel
| |
|
Tightness of outlets
|
Lubricate if necessary; tighten if necessary
| |
|
Worn nozzle threads
|
Repair or replace worn hydrant operating nut
| |
|
Availability of operating wrench
|
Make sure wrench is available
| |
|
Cracked or peeled paint; exposed rust; unpainted metal
|
Remove rust; paint hydrant as necessary
| |
A.
The owner or owner's designee shall notify the Augusta Fire
Department and the Greater Augusta Utility District in advance of
a preplanned impairment of a private fire hydrant.
B.
The owner or the owner's designee shall notify the Fire Department
immediately of an emergency impairment of a private fire hydrant.
C.
The owner or owner's designee shall affix an impairment tag
approved by the Augusta Fire Department to an impaired hydrant at
the commencement of a preplanned impairment and at the time of discovery
of an emergency impairment.
D.
Once the necessary inspection and testing confirm that repairs have
restored a private fire hydrant to operational status, the owner or
the owner's designee shall remove the impairment tag and shall
notify the Augusta Fire Department and the Greater Augusta Utility
District that the hydrant is operational.
A.
Records shall indicate the procedure performed to inspect, test,
maintain, correct, and repair a private hydrant. Such records shall
include the organization that performed the work, the results, the
date work was performed, and other pertinent information as the Fire
Department shall require.
B.
Records shall be maintained by the owner or the owner's designee.
C.
By December 31 of each calendar year, the owner or owner's designee
shall submit to the Fire Chief of the City of Augusta a record documenting
the annual inspection, test, maintenance, correction and repair of
each private fire hydrant and its components.
D.
The owner shall retain the original purchase, installation and maintenance
records of a private fire hydrant for the life of the private fire
hydrant.
E.
Inspection records shall be retained for a period of one year after
the subsequent annual inspection required by this article.
A.
A civil penalty of not more than $100 may be imposed for a violation
of this article. Each week that the violation continues shall constitute
a separate violation of this article.
B.
Corporation Counsel may file a complaint to recover civil penalties
for violations of this article.
C.
Other relief. In addition to the enforcement procedures available,
the City of Augusta may pursue any remedy authorized by law, including,
without limitation, the maintenance of a civil action in Superior
Court to obtain injunctive and other appropriate relief.
