Amador County – Upcountry Community Council’s subcommittee on fire safety discussed fire issues for what is considered the most hazardous area of the county, the Pioneer, Volcano and Buckhorn areas.

Fire Safe Council Executive Director Cathy Koos-Breazeal and consultant Jim Simmons discussed the newly released draft of a Pioneer and Volcano Community Conservation and Wildfire Protection Plan, primarily written by Simmons.

Co-chair of the UCC committee, Rich Farrington said an executive summary of a 1991 Bartholomew Engineering study of the Upcountry water system where he found “the system cannot maintain a 20 (pounds per square inch pressure) residual in all areas during high flow periods and cannot meet the fire flow criteria in most areas.”

Farrington said: “I believe that Gene Mancebo,” general manager of the Amador Water Agency “said that none of the recommended improvements have been made to this Upcountry system.”

Farrington said he thought it was “important to address this as an issue in the Pioneer-Volcano Wildfire Protection Plan, and should “be addressed by the appropriate government agencies” such as the Amador County Board of Supervisors, AFPA, AFPD, AWA, Mace Meadow Water Agency, Rabb Park CSD, Pine Grove CSD, and the public.

He said: “The goal should be to develop a plan to bring the fire hydrants in CAWP up to current standards. I realize this will be expensive and it could take 50 years to make it affordable, but a plan is needed.”

He said Jackson Valley Fire District had found a number of hydrants where when a valve is turned, “nothing comes out.” He said he has heard two or three have been found, but even as many as 13.

He said Upcountry has a lot of old “standpipes put in 30 years ago,” with 2-inch diameter, as compared to the 4-inch hoses used by fire departments. Some are also situated within existing roadways. Farrington said during the meeting, Ray Blankenheim, chief of fire volunteers, said it was “possible that some of the valves in the roads have been paved over and are not accessible.”

Farrington said there is a “need for better coordination over hydrant maintenance inspections, and if a1991 study said virtually none of AWA’s hydrants met standards, with nothing done, the problems are compounded.

He hoped to have some kind of written policy within a month which would allow “fire staff to turn on and check to see that water comes out of the hydrants, and check the threads.” Mancebo said he was working closely on the issue and expected to have guidelines soon, and possibly in writing.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.