Fire Protection
Did You Know?
The original reason for building community water systems wasn’t to deliver safe drinking water – it was to fight fires!
San Francisco inferno showed value of reliable water system
- A 1906 earthquake resulted in a massive inferno.
- Twenty-five thousand buildings burned – 80 percent of the entire property value of the city.
- The city developed, designed and constructed a guaranteed water supply system solely for fighting fires.
- Over the years the system has been improved as the city has grown and rebuilt.
- Today the Auxiliary Water Supply System has over 150 miles of water mains with 1,550 special hydrants – for a city of 47 square miles.
A well-maintained water system is critical in protecting our communities from the ever-present threat of fire.
- In most communities, water flowing to fire hydrants and home faucets is transported by the same system of water mains, pumps and storage tanks.
- A water system that provides reliable water at a high pressure and volume can be the difference between a manageable fire and an urban inferno.
- The ability to provide water for fire protection heavily influences:
- new home construction
- business location decisions
- insurance rates
- Firefighters are the primary operators of fire hydrants, but your water utility is usually responsible for maintaining the hydrants. That maintenance is supported through our water bills.
- In 2004 alone, U.S. fire departments responded to 1.55 million fires across the country.
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