The Atlanta Fire Department is making changes after an audit found no recent inspection records for nearly 10 percent of the city’s fire hydrants.
“We are pretty confident that the hydrants that are not indicated on there were not missed,” fire department spokesman Cortez Stafford said. “They were inspected, but just didn’t make it back to the database.”
The fire department is responsible for checking every hydrant in the city twice a year. The Department of Watershed Management then makes any repairs deemed necessary. Officials say better technology and coordination between the departments will ensure inspection records are up to date.
“It’s critical for the databases to be aligned, so that in the event of a fire we can be ensured that the hydrants are functioning as intended for safety reasons,” deputy city auditor Stephanie Jackson told Channel 2 Action News.
Work is underway to address concerns noted in the audit, and residents should feel confident in firefighters’ ability to do their jobs, Stafford said.
“There is no concern for us getting adequate water supply to the City of Atlanta if we have an emergency or if we have a fire,” he said.
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