Chicago Fire Department Warns Not To Open Hydrants To Beat The Heat
(CBS) -- The Chicago Fire Department is concerned about people opening fire hydrants as they seek relief from the heat.
"When it gets hot it seems to be some kind of tradition to open a hydrant up. It's a dangerous tradition. We don't like it," says department spokesman Larry Langford.
He says a loss of pressure can be an issue, if there's a fire in the area, but of more concern, he says, is the potential danger to kids playing in the spray and the fact that people sometimes damage the hydrants while opening them illegally.
Some years ago, he says, a child was hit by a car and killed while playing in the street in the spray of an open hydrant.
"The spray was loud. It was large. The child was in it. Car approached. The car went in. the child didn't know the car was there. The car didn't know the child was there and the child was run over and killed," Langford said.
If a hydrant is open and is needed for a fire, Langford says, it has to be shut down before hoses can be attached. And if its damaged, the water department has to be called out to make repairs before it can be used.
It is the Water Department's responsibility for shutting down illegally opened hydrants, but firefighters will do it, as well.
There have been situations in the past when Water Department crews have needed police escorts to do that, fearing for their safety.
The Fire Department asks that people call 911 if they see someone tampering with a hydrant. If a hydrant is already open, they're asked to call 311.
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