Installation of new fire hydrants in West Deer continues to be delayed

The installation of new fire hydrants in West Deer continues to be delayed, but township officials insist the holdup is not because of inaction on their part.

Township Manager Daniel Mator said the township has budgeted $140,000 this year for 10 hydrants in the area as fire officials express concerns about a lack of access to water. The Oakmont Water Authority is responsible for installing the hydrants.

Mator said supply-chain issues stemming from the pandemic are part of the problem.

“A few years ago, the fire companies in West Deer — in conjunction with our police, code and public works personnel — generated a list of locations in the township where hydrants were lacking,” Mator said in an email. “So these are not replacements. They are new hydrants intended to provide better fire protection to the community.

“The board has since budgeted a sizeable amount of funding to have hydrants installed in those locations. Oakmont Water has been working with us in getting those installed, but the covid pandemic impeded the implementation. First, it was the virus itself, then it was logistics. Hydrants simply weren’t available to be installed.”

A representative of the Oakmont Water Authority declined to comment.

Josh Wiegand, chief of West Deer Fire Company No. 3, said the installation of fire hydrants has been an issue for three years.

“If we don’t have fire hydrants in some of our areas, we have to use tankers for fire protection,” Wiegand said. “So that’s a huge benefit to us if we have a hydrant within close proximity we can use to fight a fire.

“It takes more manpower, and it takes longer to get adequate water (using tankers) because instead of just hooking up to a hydrant, we have to truck that water from the closest water source, whether that be a pond or a hydrant in a different area.”

Mator also emphasized the importance of the hydrants.

“These hydrant installations are not only important for public safety, but they also lower the cost of resident homeowners insurance policies,” Mator said. “It is therefore a concerted effort of the fire companies, the Oakmont Water Authority and West Deer Township to make it happen.”

While two hydrants have been installed over the years on Bairford Road, three still need to be installed on that road, Wiegand added.

Mator said one aspect of the issue is that, as a rural township, the municipality has to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of adding hydrants, which cost about $14,000, including installation.