This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
02/23/2021 02:10 PMIn order to improve the ability of the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department to fight fires in some parts of town the department will install new water storage tanks. The Town Council authorized the department to begin the process this month,
While most parts of Clinton are serviced by fire hydrants, Clinton Volunteer Fire Department Chief Brian Manware said there are about 30 areas around town that are not serviced by hydrants. In order to improve the fire safety of those areas, the department is planning on installing underground tanks that can store water. In the event of an emergency water can be pumped from the tank via hose to the fire location, or from the tank into a truck and hauled to the location.
“The goal is to have year-round accessible water supply for the sole purpose of fire protection for those residences and businesses located on roads that do not have fire hydrants. The hope is to reduce property owners’ fire insurance rates as these installations are completed,” Manware said.
In 2019, voters approved a bonding package in which $1,205,000 was earmarked for the installation of eight water storage tank around town. Each tank costs roughly $150,000.
To start, the department has identified three locations it wishes to place tanks this year. One location is behind the Little Red School House property located at the intersection of Airline Road and Cow Hill Road. Another location will be done at Heser’s Pond, and a third location is at the end of Cream Pot Road.
“These three sites were selected as none of them are located on private property, therefore the engineering and bidding process will be simplified and create a template for moving forward with future installations,” Manware explained.
The Town Council unanimously approved the installation to begin on the Little Red School House property and the Heser’s pond property. Those two sites are on property owned by the town, while the Clinton Land Trust owns the land on Cream Pot Road. More information will need to be submitted first for the installation on Cream Pot Road to be approved. Manware told the council that the installation of the tank would have no effect on the Little Red School House building.
With these three installation completes, the department will then turn its attention to identifying more potential sites for the additional tanks to be installed. Those tanks may be installed on private property, which can add another layer of bureaucracy.
With the approvals granted, there will be tests done on the sites and then a mapping of the area. With that done, the project will go out to bid before the work can begin. Manware said he had no formal timeline for the process since there are many factors that could affect the timeline, but he was optimistic that the three tanks would be installed in the 2021 calendar year.
Getting the tanks installed has been a multi-year long process for the department.
“When the [department] submitted for water supply upgrade funding, the town requested that a study be conducted in order to third party validate the funding amount being requested, that study was completed in 2015,” Manware explained.
The project was expected to start in 2020 after the bonding package was approved, but the project was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, starting this year, the installation process will be good to go.
In the meantime, the department has been working to ensure that Clinton’s fire safety is well maintained.
“These are the first three new tank installations, since 2015 the fire department has worked hard installing what we call ‘dry hydrants.’ It’s a PVC piping system with a strainer on one end [in a body of water] and a hose connection on the other that a fire truck can pump water from. There have been nearly 10 new sites installed and improvements made to existing locations as well,” Manware said.