Falls Water Board completes hydrant study

Local News

December 17, 2010

Staff Reports Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Fri Dec 17, 2010, 12:03 AM EST

NIAGARA FALLS — More than 2,260 fire hydrants in the city were analyzed recently during a Niagara Falls Water Board funded full-scale field study.

The study, performed by Don Gallo Consulting, a Buffalo based professional engineering firm, thoroughly analyzed hydrants in the NFWB’s existing inventory, and was designed to assess each hydrant’s current condition, determine exact water pressure and fire flow levels and help with planning future infrastructure upgrades.

The engineering firm concluded that the water board’s hydrant system is in good condition and fire protection services are sufficiently provided.

“Based on the age of our system infrastructure, we were very pleased with the study’s results,” said Michael Kessler, the Water Board’s director of infrastructure operations. “Our hydrant system is performing well operationally and we are well above industry standards compared to ratings of hydrant systems throughout the country.”

According to Kessler, the Insurance Services Office (ISO), an independent, national organization that rates municipal fire systems for the insurance industry, has rated 48,324 systems in the United States. The rating system is based on a “class scale” of 1 to 10, with the highest attainable rating being a 1 and the lowest rating a 10. The NFWB is rated a Class 3. Only 647 systems in the country, or 1 percent, are rated higher than the city and 95 percent of systems are rated lower.

“Although we’re ahead of the industry curve, we want to use the results of this study to further improve our hydrant system and fire protection service capabilities,” said NFWB Chairman Michael McNally. “We look forward to working with the city and the fire department to develop a plan that even better protects the public health and safety of Niagara Falls and its residents.”

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