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A Wrenching Story

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A Tool Commentary

We've all heard it…especially around my part of the country where so many items are manufactured. " That company is shipping jobs to China," and "We can't compete with China, " etc.  This problem even became a major topic in the presidential election with numerous attempts to link Mitt Romney & Bain Capital with the decline and fall of American industry. ( be sure to read the very last line in this post!)

Many of us complain about the situation….but many of us still reach for the cheaper product to save a few dollars without even thinking about who made it, where it was made and whose pocket the profit is going into….except when it comes to those tools with blue handles. That's simple…you buy Channel Lock.

But another tool maker is locked into a major legal battle with another historically American tool name, Craftsman.

Loggerhead Tools is alleging that Sears first bought and then pirated the basic design of a great tool they make, The Bionic Wrench. Sears placed orders for a year or so but demanded that Loggerhead give it some exclusivity, barring sales to other big box stores such as Home Depot. Sales went extremely well for a year or so, but then Sears failed to place their order for the Christmas sales period. It was about that time the maker of the tool got an email from a tool enthusiast asking about a similar tool now being marketed under the Craftsman brand.

Sears had come out with a very similar wrench, priced about the same but made in China by cheap labor. Admittedly, the new wrench had very minor differences but the basic design was the same. Craftsman has traditionally been thought of as "Made in America". That concept has apparently been discarded by Sears in its struggle to stay relevant in today's American market.

The Real Bionic Wrench

So Loggerhead is about to launch into a major legal battle to save its product and its 100% American work force. That's where YOU come in!

Have tools on your Christmas shopping list? Buy em a Bionic Wrench directly from Loggerhead! Make a political statement Christmas morning by backing a small American company that was doing well until Sears screwed them!

This is NOT the first time Sears has been accused of this kind of action and I'm sure not the last but you can send them a message by refusing to buy the cheap Chinese made version and insist on a LOGGERHEAD BIONIC TOOL and buy it directly through Loggerhead's website:  http://loggerheadtools.com/?main_page=index .

The back story:  The Chinese company that makes the cheap Sears version is being acquired by Bain Capital, who has made a practice of exporting American jobs.

Sez the Gnome Handler, Steve Marshal.

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Loggerhead also makes the Bionic Hydrant Wrench for those poorly maintained fire hydrants with worn fittings.

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Posted by on November 13, 2012 • Filed under: commentary, hydrants, News • Tagged: ,

Bizarre Crash Sequence Kills 2 Good Samaritans

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Downed Power Lines Electrocute Would-Be Rescuers

TWO WOMEN WERE ELECTROCUTED WEDNESDAY night in Los Angeles when they tried to help a car crash victim. 

The unusual series of events started around 8:30 pm Pacific when a car went out of control while trying to make a right turn in the North Hollywood area of the city.  The car sheared off a wet-barrel fire hydrant and then crashed into a utility pole.  The electric wires were knocked down and landed in the water gushing from the hydrant and effectively charging it.  KABC-TV describes what happened next:

A woman who lived in a nearby residence rushed out to help the driver, was shocked by water energized by the power line and later died. A husband and wife passing by in a vehicle stopped to help. That woman also was electrocuted.

As more people approached the scene to help, more of them were shocked. Witnesses said they heard people screaming.

"There was some gentleman going, "Don't touch her! Don't touch her!' Then there was somebody else going, 'Somebody help her! Somebody pull her out!'" said witness Everett Hernandez. "I saw people. It looked like they were wrestling…but what they were really doing is they were pulling people from getting electrocuted because there was a live wire under the water."

Investigators said that eight people in total were injured, including a police officer. Five people were taken to a hospital and one was treated at the scene. The driver sustained minor injuries.

KABC-TV

A neighbor who heard the skid and crash outside his house told KNBC-TV reporters:  "I run outside and across the street I see two women laying on the sidewalk. I see two or three young gentlemen keep trying to rescue them and pull them to safety and each time they would try to pull them they were getting shocked."

Besides the driver and the two fatalities, five other people were transported after being shocked while trying to help the victims.

KNBC-TV has this extended video report:

 

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

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Posted by on August 23, 2012 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, hydrants, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Broken Hydrant Brings Down Gas Station Canopy

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Red Light Runner Triggers Chain Reaction

IN PANORAMA CITY, CALIFORNIA, a dolt drove his car through a red light and then collided with a delivery van and a third vehicle.  The van in turn, sheared off a fire hydrant in front of a gasoline station and sent a gusher about 90 ft. into the air. 

KABC-TV

The water mostly came down onto the canopy over the pumps and before the city crews could get it shut off, the canopy collapsed.

KABC-TV

No word on the total damage costs, but it will be substantial.

KABC-TV posted this video from the scene that includes surveillance video of the collapse:

 

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Posted by on May 15, 2012 • Filed under: current events, hydrants, News • Tagged: ,

“Catching the Hydrant” Takes a Little Longer in Miami Beach Now

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Common Sense No Longer Required to Work There

LAST WEEK A MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, WOMAN heard some noise in her front yard and checked to see what it was.  She found a construction crew working late at 8 pm to install new water lines and drains in her neighborhood.  They were also installing a fire hydrant …… 15 ft. from the road in the middle of her yard.  The Miami Herald continues:

When she asked what possessed the city to place the hydrant there, Miller, who lives in her home of 42 years with her husband, says she was told that it was what the city’s plans called for — even if planners now agree common sense called for it to go somewhere else.

Extra layout required in this Miami Beach neighborhood.
(Miami Herald / Brock photo)

But while dogs in the neighborhood might be excited about Miller’s new lawn ornament, she just wants it removed, or at least moved to the edge of the lot.  "It’s a joke," she said.

City spokeswoman Maria Palacios said Miller won’t have to throw a Marlins cap and T-shirt on her hydrant to pass it off as a grandson. Due to Miller’s repeated complaints, the city plans to move the hydrant as close to the road as possible on Friday.

"I’ll believe it when I see it," Miller said Thursday.

Unsaid was why she had to lodge "repeated" complaints to get it moved.

Read the entire article HERE.

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Posted by on March 2, 2012 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, hydrants

San Diego Hydrant Testing

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"Okay, so you got good pressure.  But what's the flow?"

A CAR WENT OUT OF CONTROL around 3 am Tuesday morning in San Diego, California,  and sheared off a fire hydrant.  Unfortunately for the the driver, San Diego has a wet-hydrant system that immediately went into car-control-mode and kept the vehicle under control until the authorities arrived.

KGTV

Neighbors said that they saw people running away from the car and nobody was there when the FD arrived on the scene.  The car remained airborne for about an hour until the water department was able to shut down the water  main and bring the vehicle back to earth for a safe landing.

Fox News supplied the video:

 

KGTV has the STORY.

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"Only you can prevent first responder"

Posted by on November 3, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, hydrants, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Apartment Fire in Ohio Complicated by Dry Hydrants

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Contractor Had Shut Down Fire Mains, Never Restored Service

A FIRE IN A WOODLAWN, OHIO, APARTMENT COMPLEX went unchecked Sunday night when the fire department discovered that the hydrants had all been shut off.  As the firefighters attempted to hold back the fire spread utilizing booster tanks of assisting engines, a supply line was finally established from a hydrant located a half-mile away from the fire.

Cincinnati Enquirer

The 3-alarm fire started around 9 pm Sunday and about 80 firefighters from a dozen departments were able to knock the fire down after an hour.  At least 22 units were damaged or destroyed in the brief blaze.

Cincinnati Enquirer

The fire mains that serve the hydrants and the fire sprinklers are owned and maintained by the apartment complex.  Woodlawn Fire Chief Rick Mynatt said that the mains were shut off about a month ago to repair a break, and it appears at first that the contractor failed to turn them back on properly.

The Cincinnati Community Press has the details HERE.

WLWT-TV Ch. 5 covered the fire in this video report:

 

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Posted by on February 21, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Fires, hydrants • Tagged: , ,

Frigid Water Supplies

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Arctic Weather Challenges Northeastern Firefighters

THE WAVE OF SUB-FREEZING WEATHER THAT swept across New England and the Mid-Atlantic states Monday set up some real challenges for firefighters as hydrants froze and working areas iced over.  We are bringing just two examples of the many challenging fires that confronted fire and rescue departments yesterday.

photo by Nate Arnold

SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, FIREFIGHTERS were called out at 3:30 am for a house fire that was spreading to the home next to it with temperatures sitting at Minus-12 F. on Benton Street.  It was the third of four working fires that they had in a 24-hr. span.

Nate Arnold photo

The Republican REPORTS that the house was vacant and the fast-growing fire started burning the next house over that was about 20 ft. away.  Flying embers landed on the roof of a third house and burned through the shingles.  The first units in were confronted with frozen hydrants and rapidly deteriorating conditions.  A second alarm was dispatched ten minutes into the operation.

Nate Arnold photo

The Republican also filed this video report from the scene:

 

Fire photographer Nate Arnold has an 81-image photo gallery HERE.

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MONROE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, FIRE DEPARTMENTS responded to a working apartment fire where they found every hydrant in the complex was frozen.  With the outside temperature sitting at 0º F., they had to rely on a drafting operation from an ice-covered creek.

WNEP-TV Ch. 16 Scranton posted this good video report on how they met the weather challenges:

 

They struck a total of 7 alarms to bring in enough equipment and manpower to handle the operation and they successfully contained the fire to two units in the center of the affected building.  (Firegeezer calls it a “good stop”).

WFMZ-TV Allentown also covered the fire and posted this video on the fire itself:

 

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IN SHAMOKIN, PENNSYLVANIA, THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT IN COAL TOWNSHIP started up their unique reserve engine and fought this large house fire Monday afternoon:

News Item photo

The News Item, under the headline Police Officer Rescues Dog, reports on this special firetruck that must have been made before 1940:

Firefighters, first dispatched about 1:30 p.m. Monday, were having trouble containing the blaze and at 2:20 p.m. were ordered out of the building.

They’re now working with hoses from outside the house and with a cannon truck, which was trained at the third floor of the home.

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Posted by on January 25, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, hydrants, Videos, weather

Who Cares What the FD Thinks?

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TWO MEMBERS OF THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL have introduced companion bills that they claim will save the citizens money and at the same time create more than 109,000 new parking spaces.  One bill proposes painting the curbstone in front of a fire hydrant to delineate the distance that a car must keep from the hydrant.  That is not being done now and supposedly many people get parking tickets because they are unaware that they are too close to the hydrant by a few inches.  If the curbs are painted to show the  no-parking limit, they could avoid the parking ticket (and save the citizens money!).

The other bill calls for reducing the distance to be maintained from the hydrant from 15 feet down to 10 feet, i.e.: five feet closer on each side, effectively reducing the area for the hydrant hook-up from 30 ft. to 20 ft., a 33% reduction.  The councilman who introduced this bill is a fire protection expert because he states:  “The law requiring 15 feet of free space on each side of a fire hydrant was adopted to allow fire trucks to park directly in front of hydrants.   However, fire trucks rarely take the time to parallel-park when responding to an emergency.  An engine company will simply double-park in front of a hydrant and run a hose, making the 15 foot rule obsolete. Allowing for a 10 foot no parking zone on either side of the hydrant will ensure that first responders have adequate space for maneuvering their equipment, while allowing New York City more space to meet ever-growing demand for street-side parking.” 

And it is there that the truth comes out….more street-side parking.  Those 109,000 new parking spaces will be sported by 109,000 new parking meters with a revenue potential of nearly a half-million dollars a day.

And they figured this out without even bothering to get any input from the fire department.  After all, who cares what the FD thinks, anyway?

Well, they are finding out that the FD cares.  Once the word got out about this bill, the fire expert on the city council started catching an earful from the FDNY.  YourNabe.com reported:

“Our trucks are 30 feet long, so we need all that space to park and operate,” said Fire Department spokesman Frank Dwyer.  The Fire Department also bristled at Greenfield’s suggestion that whoever is responsible for inspecting the hydrants be responsible for painting the “no parking” zone.

“Do you think fire fighters have enough time to paint curbs?” Dwyer said. “It just isn’t practical for us to go out and paint after we inspect and test out the hydrants.”

Read more from Vos Iz Neias HERE.

WABC-TV paid a visit to the fire expert councilman and filed this report:

 

Since this all broke out, another councilman says that he “would like to survey firehouses to see if their trucks really need at least 30 feet of space.”

Posted by on December 26, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, hydrants, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Just Throw Dirt On It

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IN BELFAIR, WASHINGTON, THE LOCAL WATER DISTRICT  is in a snit because the Belfair Fire Department doesn’t pay for the water it uses.  So the water district has padlocked all the fire hydrants and refuses to give the FD a key.  In fact, they didn’t even inform the FD that they were doing it.

The Belfair Water District says it loses a million gallons of water a year to water thieves and contractors, etc., and they are just trying to control the water usage.  But when Fire Chief Beau Bakken asked them for a key, they wouldn’t give them one.  Even the hydrant in front of the firehouse is locked.

Even the hydrant in front of the firehouse is locked.

 Chief Bakken said, “We immediately called the Belfair Water District and asked for a key. And we were refused by the water manager to get a key, and were just told that, ‘Hey, in the event of a fire, just cut these locks if you need to get into the fire hydrants.”‘

Despite their claim of water thievery, the dispute goes back more than two years when the water district asked the FD to pay for any water they use in training exercises and the fire department naturally refused.  Belfair Water District Manager Dave Tipton told tv station KOMO,  ”They will not pay for the water. We’ve asked them for 2½ years. They refuse to pay us for any water, for anything.”  When asked about the delay in firefighting caused by the need to cut the lock off the hydrant first, Tipton responded that he doesn’t think locking fire hydrants will have any direct effect on firefighting.

The fire chief is taking the actions of the water district to the county prosecutor to see if he can get any relief.  KOMO-TV ran this video report that includes an interview with one of the most muddle-brained bureaucrats you’ll ever come across:

Hat tip:  Larry D.

Posted by on August 5, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, hydrants, Videos

Laws Are For the “Little People”

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WHEN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, MAYOR MIKE McGINN traveled to a P.R. event downtown Tuesday, parking was a little sparse for the mayoral SUV.  But fortunately, the citizens all thoughtfully left the space in front of a fire hydrant clear for hizzoner.  Whereupon, his driver, a plain-clothes police officer, pulled in and parked just far enough forward that the car door wouldn’t bang into the hydrant.

A news team from KIRO-TV was passing on their way to the presser and captured a video of the reserved parking space.  When they called city hall for an explanation, they were referred to the police department.  A spokesman for the SPD replied that while Mayor McGinn spoke to reporters at a podium further up the street, the driver could still see the SUV in case it needed to be moved.  Seattle police do not think this was a matter of public safety, but one of public perception.

So keep that in mind whenever you’re visiting Seattle.  Parking in front of the hydrant is allowed as long as you can still see the car from wherever you are.  Unless you are one of the “little people.”

Read the story on KIRO-TV’s webpage HERE.

Posted by on June 24, 2010 • Filed under: hydrants, News • Tagged: ,

Downtown Fire in Iowa – No Water

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“THE WATER SITUATION IS ABSOLUTELY DISMAL.” Those were the words of Waukee FD Fire Chief Clint Robinson in the small community of Booneville, Iowa, Sunday evening.  The town has no municipal water supply and therefore no hydrants, the only water serving the residents comes from wells.  When the alarm sounded at 7:30 pm, he knew about the  lack of resources and immediately called for additional help to establish a tanker relay.

WHO-TV

The fire was located in an “antique” shop that fortunately was a free-standing building without any close exposures.  By the time water supply was begun, the fire had engulfed the entire building and all efforts went to containing it.  The 80-yr.-old building burned completely down and collapsed.  However, no other structures including several homes were affected.

Des Moines Register

The Des Moines Register filed this video report that gives good coverage to the tanker relay:

The Des Moines Register has the STORY.

Posted by on June 7, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, hydrants, Videos • Tagged: , ,

U-Haul Hits Hydrant

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SOME TOWNHOME RESIDENTS IN CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, got that sinking feeling Monday after a U-Haul truck hit a fire hydrant and broke the water main.  Within a short time, half the city block was flooded and the broken main caused a sinkhole where it undermined the area around the hydrant.

WBTV

The repairs were completed about 15 hours later.  The driver of the rental truck left the scene and has not been located.

WCNC-TV has this video report:

d

Posted by on June 1, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, hydrants, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Now THAT’s a Water Main Break!

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A TEN-FOOT DIAMETER WATER PIPE THAT CARRIES all of Boston’s drinking water to the city sprung a leak Saturday and had to be shut down.  The pipe carries water from the Quabbin Reservoir in central Massachusetts to the Boston area  and serves about 2 dozen of the suburban cities as well as all of Boston.  The incident described as a “catastrophic leak” by the Governor, Deval Patrick instituted a state of emergency for the area.

The break occurred in a section of pipe that carries the supply through a valve distribution chamber that sends the water into the various supply mains.

boston a graphic

The steel pipe is only 6 or 7 years old and should not have had this problem.  At one point, the leak was sending 8 million gallons per hour into the ground and washing into the Charles River.  The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority was able to draw emergency water supplies from various reservoirs for bathing, flushing and fire protection. The state issued a boil-water order, however, because the water isn’t treated for drinking.

Later yesterday the source of the leak was identified as a failure in a steel collar that joins two sections of pipe together.  The Boston Globe continues:

Public health officials said any illnesses from drinking contaminated water would not show up for about a week.

The leak was in a steel coupling, or collar, linking two pipes. The area has been excavated and last night, a new collar was brought to the scene in two pieces that looks like a ring. The bottom half was being welded this morning and the second half will be welded on later today (Sunday).

If the patch works, there will still need to be several days of tests to make sure the water is safe to drink, said Frederick A. Laskey, executive director of the MWRA.

The Boston Herald filed this video report that shows the break and the repairs in progress:

About 265 million gallons were lost before the pipe was successfully shut down.  Now the search is on for the broken collar which washed away into the Charles.  The authorities want to find it so that they can get some clues on what caused it to fail.

Officials initially said a repair might take weeks, but diverted parts from a nearby project and welders modified them in a matter of hours.  They installed the bottom half by noon, then began attaching the top half. They then planned pressure and water quality tests, aiming to finish the work by Monday.

The backup supplies that have been diverted into the domestic mains  contain what is described as “untreated pond water” are suitable only for bathing, flushing toilets and fire protection.

The Provincetown Banner has MORE.

Posted by on May 2, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, hydrants, News, Videos • Tagged: , ,

California Hydrant Thief Nabbed

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A CALIFORNIA MAN WHO TOOK FIRE HYDRANT THIEVERY to new heights was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of stealing dozens of fire hydrants in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.  Brian Burian, 45, was stealing them and then cutting them up before taking the brass fittings to sell to scrap yards. 

burian a

Brian Burian

 The Los Angeles Times reports:

He had the look. The man wore an orange vest, drove around in a white pickup truck with cones in the back and carried a foot-long “key” for the purpose at hand.

That’s how Inland Empire investigators allege 45-year-old Brian Burian stole dozens of fire hydrants, cutting them into pieces and then selling them as scrap metal.

Police said his luck ran out this week, when Mike Hurst, an 11-year veteran of the West Valley Water District, saw Burian driving on a south Rialto street. Hurst had been looking for the vehicle after an encounter weeks before, and saw holes where hydrants had been. This time, the 34-year-old Hurst decided to conduct a stakeout, following the pickup to a parking lot gas station and then to a home in Rubidoux, west of Riverside. He called a deputy who specialized in scrap metal theft.

hurst a KTLA

The next morning, on Wednesday, San Bernardino County deputies arrested Burian on suspicion of shutting off the water from fire hydrants using a large “valve key” and hauling away the 80- to 100-pound fixtures in Riverside and San Bernardino neighborhoods.

In California, scrap yards can be charged with a felony if they purchase purloined metals from fire hydrants, but Burian was cutting them up prior to peddling them so that they were unrecognizable as hydrant parts.  He was profiting by about $50 per hydrant.

KTLA-TV has filed this video report that includes an interview with Mr. Hurst:
 

Burian already has a criminal history that includes convictions for receiving stolen property, drug possession and burglary.

Read the full story in the Los Angeles Times HERE.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise has MORE.

Posted by on April 24, 2010 • Filed under: crime, Fire Rescue Topics, hydrants, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Hose & Hydrant Art

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A NEW YORK ARTIST IS VISITING DETROIT, MICHIGAN, THIS WEEK with the purpose of creating an imaginative street sculpture using an abandoned house, a fire hydrant, and a fire hose.

art a

WJBK image

His ultmate aim is to direct public attention to his proposed project to salvage building materials instead of just tearing them down and discarding them.  Gregory Holm explains all about it in this video report from WJBK-TV:

Posted by on January 29, 2010 • Filed under: culture, hydrants, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , ,

Hydrants in the News

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hydrant tigerTHIS LOVELY, COLOR-COORDINATED, MINT GREEN AND SILVER FIRE HYDRANT located just outside of Tiger Woods’ home isn’t the only hydrant making news this week.

 

 

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The Houston (Texas) Chronicle is reporting this morning that:

Houston city workers mistakenly thought a fake fire hydrant was the real thing, painted it blue and gave it a serial number.  Brian Smith bought the surplus fire hydrant at a garage sale three years ago, painted it red and plopped it next to his palm trees in his yard.  His girlfriend, Debbie Vogelsang said that she was concerned that painting the old hydrant in the city’s colors could cause dangerous confusion during a fire.

But a Houston maintenance worker last week repainted it yellow and blue and added a serial number.

Executive Assistant Fire Chief Rick Flanagan says the city will remove the serial number and a reflector wrongly indicating the fire hydrant was the real thing.

Firegeezer wonders if the maintenance man’s job description calls for him to test the hydrants before he does any maintenance on them?

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Two weeks ago a Connecticut Power & Light truck was positioning to repair a utility pole when it brushed/struck a fire hydrant.  The slight movement of the hydrant created a crack in the 16-inch main just below and a vigorous underground leak started up.  As the truck was sitting there, the ground was rapidly being undermined right beneath it.   This video report from WTNH-TV picks up the story from here:

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Hydrants and sinkholes were common companions last month.  Just a week prior to the power company’s misadventure, a woman driving through East Hartford has to swerve to avoid hitting a deer.  Unfortunately, her swerve sent her right over a fire hydrant and she also broke the underlying water main sending up a geyser that caught the neighborhood’s attention.

hydrant sinkhole

NBC

The driver was unable to get out of her car due to the force of the water so she called 9-1-1 for help.  When the FD arrived, they realized that she was trapped in the car and began a 5-minute extrication.  Within seconds after removing her, the sinkhole opened up and swallowed the just-vacated car.  A local NBC news videographer caught the conclusion of the event:

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/video.

Posted by on December 8, 2009 • Filed under: hydrants, Videos

Hydrant – 1, Woods – 0

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Updated.  Scroll down.

CHAMPION GOLFER TIGER WOODS WAS INJURED EARLY THIS MORNING at his home in Orlando, Florida, when his SUV that he was driving struck a fire hydrant and then careened into a tree.  The accident took place around 2:25 am, but the Floriday Highway Patrol did not release the information until 2 pm this afternoon.

The FHP says:

Woods, 33, had pulled out of the driveway at his residence in the 6000 block of Deacon Circle. Woods was driving in a 2009 Cadillac SUV. ”As he began to drive on Deacon Circle, (Woods’) struck a fire hydrant,” FHP reported. The front of Wood’s vehicle “then struck a tree” located at a neighboring property.  

They are also reporting the crash remains under investigation and that charges are pending.  The FHP report indicates alcohol was not a factor in the crash. It also indicates “unknown” on whether a seat belt was used.  The airbags in Woods’ Cadillac Escalade did not deploy, which means the vehicle was traveling under 33 mph, according to FHP.

Orange County Fire Rescue received the call for aid at 2:28 a.m. Woods was transported from his Windermere-area neighborhood by the hospital’s own ambulance.

It is also being reported that Woods was treated for facial lacerations and then released from Health Central Hospital in Ocoee.  The hospital is expected to issue a press release at 4 pm this afternoon.

WESH-TV Ch. 2 Orlando has this early video report:

Update, 4 pm:
A statement from Woods’ publicist and Health Central Hospital called the accident “minor” and said Woods was “admitted, treated and released today in good condition.”  Windermere Mayor Gary Bruhn told CNN that local police arrived within two minutes of being notified. The golfer was taken to Health Central Hospital, where he was treated for facial lacerations and released, Bruhn said.

Posted by on November 27, 2009 • Filed under: current events, hydrants, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Hydrant at the Ready

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, IS NOT BEING CREDITED lately as having a well-functioning city government.  Their finances are a mess and the only solution they seem to be able to come up with is to lay off more and more city workers.

It looks like they’ve laid off one worker too many in the water department, though, because they can’t seem to get anybody to come out and shut off a fire hydrant that has been running for more than a month.  WTXF-TV Ch. 29 reported on it yesterday:

Posted by on September 9, 2009 • Filed under: hydrants

Paint Doesn't Come Cheap These Days

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THE CITY OF OCONOMOWOC, WISCONSIN, (the only place in America where every 2nd letter is an “o”) needs to have its 900 fire hydrants re-painted.  And like a good, responsible city they choose to hire somebody to do it, instead of ordering their firefighters to leave their checker games and go out and paint the hydrants themselves.

hydrant-paint

With the slack economy, they expected several bids on the job from firms needing work.  They got them alright, but most of the companies bidding were trying to turn their own economy around in one bid.

One construction company bid $549 per hydrant.  They were underbid by another firm who offered to do it for $465 per hydrant.

Fortunately for the good folks of Oconomowoc they have an “experienced hydrant painter” who stepped in with a bid to paint them for $95 each.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel fills us in on the STORY.

Posted by on May 8, 2009 • Filed under: hydrants

Today's "Play In The Water" Story

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IN SANTA MARIA, CALIFORNIA, out there where they have wet-barrel hydrants, a school bus hit one of them yesterday.

Nothing really newsworthy there, but it’s always fun to watch the big water.  KCOY Channel 12 brings us today’s video:

Posted by on October 4, 2008 • Filed under: hydrants

Metal Thieves Pick Up The Pace

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METAL THIEVES HAVE BEEN vandalizing fire hydrants nationwide in brazen attempts to steal brass parts for resale.  But in Long Beach, Californina, they have taken it a step farther.  In the past month, seven complete fire hydrants have been stolen from city streets.

The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports:

The 60- to 80-pound hydrants made from brass were shut off with a special tool, unbolted and removed from their foundations, according to an advisory from Ryan Alsop of the Long Beach Water Department.

Reinstalling the hydrants would cost the city $1,500 to $1,800, Alsop said in an e-mail.

Each hydrant was taken from the northwest section of the city, where nearly 100 manhole covers have been stolen since March.

You can read the full story HERE.

Posted by on August 23, 2008 • Filed under: crime, hydrants

Where's The Street Valve?

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DON’T ASK THE PUBLIC WORKS CREW IN SAN DIEGO.  An errant automobile struck a wet-barrel hydrant and knocked it off its base Wednesday night.

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KGTV

The repair crews that were sent to shut off the water and secure the break couldn’t find any valves or gates to isolate the affected main for 5 hours.  The water just kept on coming and coming, eventually spilling over 4 million gallons across the neighborhood before they finally got it shut down.

KGTV Ch. 10 has the video:

Posted by on August 22, 2008 • Filed under: hydrants

Whoops !!

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SIBERIA IS NOT KNOWN FOR HEAT WAVES.  In fact, they have so little hot weather that air conditioning is unheard of.

So when an unusually hot day struck the city of Omsk yesterday, the apartment dwellers had all their windows open for ventilation.  Unfortunately for some of them, when a careless driver clonked into a fire hydrant they got an unexpected housecleaning.

Posted by on July 30, 2008 • Filed under: hydrants

Rent-A-Hydrant

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GARY, INDIANA, HAS LONG AGO SLIPPED INTO AN ECONOMIC ABYSS.  Constantly struggling to fund their basic governmental services, the City Council is considering two new ordinances to squeeze the citizen’s wallets even further.

One measure that will be voted on next month proposes charging everybody who pays a water bill an additional $2.64 a month for fire hydrant rental. 

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Terry L. Atherton, an Indiana American Water operations manager, said residential customers can expect to see the increase on their bill two or three months after the ordinance is passed. Customers with larger meters (businesses) can expect a bigger increase, he said.

The City Controller expects to raise $1.1 million a year by renting out their fire hydrants.  This comes on top of an 85% increase of homeowners’ sewer bills.

The other proposed ordinance would allow the Gary Fire Department to charge for services rendered at the scene of an accident other than ambulance service.

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GFD photo

Half of the money collected from those services would go into a fund to support the Gary Fire Department. The rest would be considered “miscellaneous revenue.”

The Gary Post-Tribune has the STORY.
Gary Fire Department WEBSITE.

Posted by on April 25, 2008 • Filed under: hydrants

Do You Have One This Big?

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THIS MUST BE THE CHAMPION OF ALL FIRE HYDRANTS.  It’s located in Hong Kong and it looks like it has at least a 12-inch barrel on it.

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photo by Steve Webel

By the way, this one doesn’t count….it’s just a sculpture (in Columbia, South Carolina) :

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(What did you think I meant?)

Posted by on January 13, 2008 • Filed under: hydrants