Fire chief advocates universal fire hydrants
By Jeff Gallatin
Bay Village
Published Jan. 17, 2007

City Fire Chief Jim Sammon believes his proposal to have uniform fire hydrants throughout Cuyahoga County would make safety work flow more smoothly during fires.

Sammon will be conducting a survey among his fellow members of the Cuyahoga County Fire Chief’s Association about the feasibility of having all the communities in the county eventually switch over to a universal fire hydrant being used by all of them instead of different ones in different cities. Sammon said it would make firefighting easier when departments go to other cities on mutual aid assistance calls where they have to hook up their hoses to fire hydrants in a different city.

“We have different hydrants than our neighboring city Westlake,” Sammon said. “When we go over there on a mutual aid call, we have to use an adapter to use one of their hydrants. That takes extra time, which could be crucial in putting down a fire or getting someone out of there. We always take an adapter with us, but if everybody in the county had the same one, then you wouldn’t have to take that extra time.”

Sammon said his department, along with several others, recently responded to Westlake on mutual aid calls for the double fatality fire on Hilliard Boulevard Jan. 7, the Columbia Road Taco Bell burning to the ground Jan. 10 and others.

“We came over on the major fires as well as other departments, and many of us have to take time to switch over to the Westlake hydrants if we’re setting up hoses,” Sammon said. “That can make a difference. Plus, we responded to several mutual aid fires for Westlake in which we were the first department on the scene because the Westlake firefighters were busy with the major fires, so we had to take extra time to put the adapters on so we could set up. Those other fires weren’t major, but what if they had been and the extra time could have kept a fire from spreading further or something from burning down?

“Just in the Westshore alone, we all respond to mutual aid calls for each other regularly. The most basic thing we do is fight fires, so wouldn’t it make sense for ultimately all of us to have the same type of hydrant so we could do our jobs that much faster and better?” Sammon asked. “It would benefit all of us.”

Sammon said his plan isn’t original, just unique to the Cuyahoga County area at this point.

“Other areas of the country have already done something like this and made it work successfully,” Sammon said “People actually talked about something like this about a 100 years ago with the great Baltimore fire. But nothing really came of it for years.

“Of course, the best case scenario would be for all the fire departments in the country or at least regions of the country to have the same kind. But, realistically, the best way for us to try and start would be for something like all of us in Cuyahoga County.”

David Mohr, chief of the Mayfield Village department and president of the Cuyahoga County chiefs group, said Sammon’s plan is worth considering.

“Overall, it’s a great idea,” Mohr said. “The technology is certainly there to have one size fits all for the hydrants.”

Mohr said he’s certainly willing to have his group discuss it further and circulate the survey to get additional input.

“It’s one of those ideas that seems like common sense and you wonder why it hasn’t been done before,” Mohr said.

Sammon said he’s aware that there are many political and economic variables because his proposal would affect a large number of cities in Cuyahoga County alone.

“Changing everybody’s hydrants is not something you can do overnight,” Sammon said. “The governments have to approve it and the fire and water departments have to change them, all of which takes time and a lot of money.”

Sammon advocates making the change gradually.

“As cities go about replacing old hydrants when they wear out or need major maintenance, then they could replace them then,” Sammon said. “And when they put it new ones, they all would have the same design. It ultimately could save money in the region as well as you get closer to having regionalism and common safety equipment.”

Sammon also has brought the idea up to city of Cleveland water officials during discussion between Bay Village and Cleveland officials about Bay taking part in new water department and economic development agreements between Cleveland and other county communities.

“We’re encouraged because (Cleveland) Mayor Frank Jackson and his administration have been so open to working with other communities,” Sammon said. “His water commissioner (Chris Neilsen) also seemed open to the idea. It’s logical to have this start with Cleveland because it’s the big city in the county.”

Sammon’s idea is drawing support from other officials as well.

“It’s something which makes perfect sense,” said Bay Village Mayor Debbie Sutherland. “It would make it much easier for the fire and water departments both for dealing with fires and with the equipment. You just wonder why this hasn’t been pursued before.”

North Olmsted Fire Chief Tom Klecan, whose department sometimes trains with their Bay Village counterparts as well as responds to each other’s mutual aid calls, sees it as a practical move.

“It makes sense in the right ways,” Klecan said. “It would make things faster and safer. And having the same kind of hydrants makes it easier in education and training as well.”

For Sammon, ultimately it comes down to making things safer for everybody.

“That’s what we’re supposed to do,” Sammon said. “This is just one way to do that.”