Fayette County firefighters say Monarch's hydrants don't work
DUNBAR TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) -- Residents and firefighters rely on hydrants in any fire emergency, but what if they don't work?
In January, a house caught on fire in Monarch, Dunbar Township where residents told KDKA none of the fire hydrants were pumping out water.
"They have not been working for, I want to say 20-some years," a resident said. "There's been multiple fires that burned clear to the ground because they had to go to the water company to fill up with water or another fire department."
"We have hydrants on every corner of Monarch and none of them work," Monarch Fire Department Lieutenant Kyle Keilbach said.
"No water at all?" a KDKA reporter asked.
"Nope. If we do, it only fills up halfway to the truck. That's nothing," Keilbach said.
As a result, Keilbach said they had to bring in tankers and bring in water from nearby fill-ups in order to fight the fire.
"Our fill site for our tankers was roughly a mile away and then we ran out of that one, so they went down Ranch Road and tried to fill up and that hydrant was unfortunately not working either," Keilbach said. "The closest site to fill up was the Fayette County Fairgrounds."
Keilbach said multiple firefighters were injured in the fire and the home was a total loss.
"In reality, if we would have more water, I do believe it would have made a big difference and it wouldn't have been as bad as it was," Keilbach said.
Residents told KDKA they have growing concerns about their safety, knowing the fire hydrants don't work.
"Say your fire alarm doesn't work and you're up in bed. You're probably going to burn to death. It's really scary," a resident said.
KDKA went straight to the North Fayette Water Authority for answers. The water authority is in charge of inspecting and maintaining the hydrants.
General Manager Ken Martray told KDKA the hydrants in Monarch were inspected late last year and were all working. But he admits there is low water pressure in Monarch because of high elevation, which could cause multiple hydrants to run dry. Dunbar Township supervisors said it's been that way for years.
"If you open two hydrants up, you wouldn't have water pressure. The one is just too much for it to handle," said Dunbar Township Supervisor Keith Fordyce.
"It's very scary. What if we have a fire? It's scary," said resident Jody Mangus.
Mangus said the problem goes beyond the fire hydrants, telling KDKA she's dealt with low water pressure in her home for 17 years.
"In my house, my daughter can't shower upstairs if the water is on downstairs. So, I can't do clothes. I can't run the dishwasher," Mangus said. "It's very inconvenient because you can't do two things at once."
To greatly improve the water pressure in the area, Martray said the water authority would need to install a booster system in the area. However, he said that isn't necessary. Martray said the water authority re-inspected the hydrants in Monarch recently and told KDKA they were all working.
"Two had slow draining, but all had pressure and had water coming out," Martray told KDKA over the phone. "They were all above minimum pressure for fire flow."
KDKA reached out to Fayette County Commissioner Scott Dunn about the issue, who said it was the first he had heard about the hydrants not working.
After looking into it, he told KDKA, "We're at the beginning phase of exploring all the options. Public safety is a priority as a Fayette County commissioner. That's part of my job to make sure we have public safety in place. We're taking a look at it. If it's a matter of money, we will go out and try to make it happen."
Dunn said in order to install a booster system, it would cost approximately $200,000.
"I'm hoping there's something they can do about it because I mean, it's not something that we can keep dealing with and losing people's homes because of it. I mean, we're out there fighting for them but if we can get water, then it's a very big thing," Keilbach said.
"It's just very worrisome that your life is in the hands of these people that just don't care," a Monarch resident said.