3 FIRE HYDRANTS FAILED
NEAR MOHICAN FLOWERS
Wa
By JIM KEVLIN • allotsego.com
COOPERSTOWN – The three fire hydrants closest to Mohican Flowers failed as firefighters battled a “ball of fire” that consumed the greenhouse last evening.
Each hydrant was a different situation:
• Main-Nelson: A fire truck drove over the fire hose once it was under pressure, causing the flange at the base to snap, disabling the hydrant, according to a written report Mayor Jeff Katz received overnight.
- Railroad-Leatherstocking: The operating nut at the top of the hydrant next to Spurbeck’s Grocery, which opens the flow of water, snapped, according to the report Katz received. Examined this morning, it appeared to be rusted.
- Bruce Hall lot: Katz said the report he received didn’t mention that hydrant. (Bruce Hall, in addition to a hardware store, is a lumber yard.)
As described by Bill Waller, whose wife, former Mayor Carol B. Waller, operates Mohican Flowers, at first water was simply dripping out of the hoses.
The fire department set up inflatable pools, and used them as the water source. A large pumper from Hartwick Seminary was a help, said Katz, who was at the scene. One former firefighter said he never remembers the fire department having to resort to inflatable pools within the village.
Katz said he had been in consultation this morning with Trustee Bruce Maxson, who chairs the Village Board’s fire committee, and DPW Superintendent Brian Clancy on the matter. Both are volunteer firefighters; Clancy is a former chief.
“Making sure we know what’s out there right now is crucial,” said Katz. “I see us moving toward trying to figure that out.”
He said hydrants are supposed to be inspected every six months, and he thought the hydrants were examined at that time to make sure they were in working order.