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With uncharacteristic swiftness, the city delivered on its pledge to put more than 200 fire hydrants back in service.
The work began Feb. 25, and Mayor Jim Connors said the final hydrant was installed Friday afternoon. The effort shows what happens when people work together, he said.
It also shows what public pressure can accomplish. After four homes were destroyed in the 300 block of North Garfield Avenue last month, a series of stories in The Scranton Times and The Tribune revealed that firefighters were hampered by nonworking hydrants there and at other recent fires.
The public outcry led to the signing of an emergency declaration on Feb. 19. The action allowed the city to hire Linde Enterprises to install new hydrants.
Mr. Connors said Linde installed 147 hydrants, Pennsylvania-American Water Co. installed 45, and the city hydrant inspector fixed an additional 45 for a total of 237.
We have a tip-top system, the mayor bragged.
Insurance companies consider a city safe if there are fire hydrants every 1,000 feet, he said. Scranton has hydrants every 350 feet.
Conceding that the city lost track of which hydrants were out of service, Mr. Connors said hes been talking to Pennsylvania-American for two years about maintaining the citys hydrants.
Company president Bob Ross made a commitment to me that they would take over the hydrants, the mayor said. When he talked to Mr. Ross about two weeks ago, Mr. Ross told him they were working on a proposal, he said.
Assistant Fire Chief Terry Osborne was also pleased to have the repair and replacement work done. The system is now 100 percent up to grade, he said, and that allows firefighters as well as city residents to breathe easier.
Mr. Connors said the houses destroyed on North Garfield Avenue were victimized by a criminal. When firefighters arrived, he noted, those homes were fully involved. It was an arson. There was no way to save those homes.
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