All of the 100 dry (non-pressurized) hydrants used for fire suppression by Puslinch Fire and Rescue Service within Puslinch Township will now be identified from the roadway.
A reflective standardized hydrant sign will be displayed with each civic address sign that has a fire reservoir on its property.
The 6”x10” white reflective background with a blue fire hydrant symbol will be highly visible to fire crews from Puslinch and its fire service mutual aid partners.
A dry hydrant is an unpressurized, permanently installed pipe, used by a fire department pumper or pumper/tanker to draft water from reservoirs in rural areas where municipal pressurized water systems are unavailable.
The township’s fire dispatch provider is also updating its GIS mapping system with the location of these properties.
Fire Chief Luis Gomes notes that “in the event Puslinch Fire and Rescue Services needs to respond to an emergency, retrieving water from the closest source is an essential component of firefighting operations. GIS mapping and standard hydrant identification will assist our crews when seconds count.”
Gomes presented the program to the Wellington County Fire Chiefs in June who in turn approved the concept and design, and will be implementing this standardized dry hydrant identification in neighboring Wellington County communities. Gomes stated, “this concept will now be proposed as a provincial standard to the Ontario Fire Chiefs Association and as an international standard with the National Fire Protection Association.”
Property owners in Puslinch with water tanks have been advised by mail that they will have Puslinch Fire and Rescue Services provide and install their sign.
Gomes adds, “we are committed to having a safe community. Having these valuable resources available at all times will allow Puslinch Fire and Rescue to combat fires more efficiently and effectively”.
