By Andy Sevilla
Following a state directive this summer, Monarch Utilities will paint its fire hydrants in Kyle and Buda red, a move expected to calm the fire flow worries of the water company’s customers – but Kyle city officials have not been quick to join in the utility’s fanfare.
“We do not feel that Monarch Water is not repainting the fire hydrants out of any since (sic) or community or corporate responsibility, but only because you are herby (sic) compelled to by the State of Texas,” said Kyle Mayor Lucy Johnson in an Aug. 28 letter addressed to Southwest Water Company Vice President Charles Profilet, the parent company of Monarch.
According to Johnson’s letter, Monarch’s decision to repaint their black fire hydrants in the Amberwood and Indian Paintbrush neighborhoods red “was the result of thousands of dollars spent on legal assistance and many hours of City of Kyle staff time in presenting our case to the State Legislature that the hydrants should have never been painted black in the first place.”
A 2007 state law called for utilities with fire hydrants lacking sufficient fire flow to fight a blaze to paint them black in an effort to alert first responders of a hydrant’s capability. That law, however, opened the flood gates for utility companies, not wanting to face financial responsibility over hydrants that might fail during a fire, to paint all their hydrants black.
Monarch painted all of their fire hydrants in Kyle and Buda black in 2007.
“It was the prudent thing to do, because otherwise there was a potential of an uncapped lawsuit if there was a fire and a house burned down, or God forbid somebody was hurt or even killed,” said Gary Rose, Kyle area Monarch operations director.
Despite the black paint, Monarch’s fire hydrants have always been capable of adequately fighting fires, according to Rose, who said the water company’s hydrants can provide 250 gallons of fire flow per minute at pressure levels of 20 pounds per square-inch – the thresholds red fire hydrants must meet.
And Rose’s adequate fire flow assertion is what fuels Johnson’s frustration – why paint the fire hydrants black if they can provide sufficient water flow to fight a blaze?
“Through Monarch Water’s act of painting the hydrants black, (the utility) placed your customers and our citizens in peril and financial risk due to a perceived lack of fire protection,” Johnson wrote in the letter.
And protection is what Monarch sought, as well.
Rose said the state’s 2007 law caused them to paint their hydrants black in an effort to protect themselves from uncapped lawsuits.
But now, he said, Senate Bill 1086 – the 2013 state law giving municipalities power to write ordinances demanding all the fire hydrants of public utilities within their cities and extra-territorial jurisdictions provide fire flow of at least 250 gallons per minute for at least two hours and water pressure of 20 pounds psi and to be painted red – offers water companies liability protection at the same cap levels as cities and other governmental entities.
SB 1086 was authored by Texas Senator Donna Campbell, co-authored by Texas Senator Judith Zaffirini and sponsored in the Texas House of Representatives by Rep. Jason Isaac.
All in all, Monarch will paint 80 fire hydrants red – 72 in Kyle and eight in Buda.
“We’re happy to get this done. We think it’s a win for the city, we think it’s a win for the customers and the citizens out here. I think this is a very good day for the residents of this subdivision and it is something to be celebrated and we’re proud to be part of it,” Rose said.
