Bomberos Hoping For
Quick Approval Of Fire
Hydrant Law
The proposal is fully
supported by all the
political parties of the
Legislature, however,
the approval of the law
that would regulate the
operation and
maintenance of fire
hydrants is slow in
coming, stuck rather,
notwithstanding the
pleas of fire officials.
The proposal would make
fire hydrants a public
service and would end
the lack of maintenance
and control of the
10.000 fire hydrants
that only one quarter or
2.500 are estimated to
be working.
The hydrant network is
some 50 years old and
discussions and disputes
as to who is responsible
for their maintenance
has meant that a large
number of hydrants are
inoperable.
Héctor Chaves, director
of the Cuerpo de
Bomberos (firefighters),
is continuing his
insistence that the law
should be approved
quickly, making his
renewed call as the
Christmas season
approaches.
Chaves points out that
during the holiday
period many homes and
businesses light up
their Christmas tree and
decorating lights,
causing problems as
short circuits, over
heating of electrical
lines and poor or
deficient electrical
installations, that are
responsible for a large
number of fires.
The proposed law would
place the responsibility
of maintaining fire
hydrants in the hands of
the Instituto
Costarricense de
Acueductos y
Alcantarillados (AyA) -
water and sewer utility,
the municipalities and
community associations.
The proposal would also
allow for the financing
of purchases of fire
hydrants and would name
the Cuerpo de Bomberos
the technical body to
evaluate the proper
functioning of the
equipment.
Currently, there is no
one institution
responsible for the fire
hydrants. Once
installed, their
maintenance and working
order are in the hands
of no one.
In some areas, local
municipalities have
taken the initiative to
maintain the fire
hydrants, but mainly in
areas near schools, old
buildings and where
there is a large
gathering of people.
Firefighters never know
if the closest fire
hydrant is working and
must rely on pumper
trucks for the supply of
water to their hoses. In
some cases, large tanker
trucks are brought in to
battle blazes, wasting
precious minutes,
minutes that can mean
life or death, as the
tankers make their way
to the scene of the
fire.
The proposed law also
asks that the Autoridad
Reguladora de los
Servicios Públicos (Aresep)
- regulator of public
prices and services - to
allot a percentage of
the water bill to cover
the costs of maintaining
the fire hydrant network
and make necessary
investments in the
infrastructure.
The Cuerop de Bomberos,
under the proposal,
would determine the
locations with the most
urgency.
Chaves said that he has
high hopes that the
Poder Ejecutivo
(government) makes the
proposal a priority for
December so that
legislators can vote on
it.
Currently there area
number of types of fire
hydrants, though they
all function in the same
manner. The more modern
ones have three valves
making them more
efficient, however, the
hydrants in use in Costa
Rica only have two
valves and their
deterioration due to
lack of maintenance mean
low water pressures,
making difficult the
work of firefighters at
the scene of a fire.
The Cuerop de Bomberos
has identified the
following areas as high
risk areas due to lack
of working fire
hydrants: San Juan de
Dios, Santa Bárbara de
Heredia, Turrubares,
Talamanca, where there
are no fire hydrants in
the entire area; Los
Chiles; Coto Brus;
Garabito, that includes
Playa Jacó, where there
are only five hydrants;
and, Central de San
José, where only 289 of
the 616 hydrants
actually work. |
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