Hydrants freeze up on firefighters

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The recent cold snap is creating problems for area firefighters. Crews from Indianapolis Fire Department and Pike Township Fire Department had to deal with frozen hydrants while fighting two separate fires.

On Sunday, Pike Township firefighters responded to a call at a home on Apache Drive near 52nd Street and High School Road. When they arrived, crews hooked up a hose to a hydrant located on the property of the burning home. It didn’t work. The hydrant was frozen. Crews ended up having to use a hydrant 500 feet away.

On Monday, Indianapolis firefighters battling an apartment fire near 38th Street and High School Road experienced the same thing. In this case, the frozen hydrant was located on private property and is the responsibility of the company that manages the property.

Citizens Water is in charge of maintaining 37,000 hydrants not on private property located across the city. The utility inspects each hydrant once a year. The utility says underground leaks cause hydrants to freeze.

“Citizens tries to respond as soon as possible to get that fire hydrant unfrozen. That process can take as little as 15-20 minutes when we get on scene,” said Citizens spokeswoman Sarah Holsapple.

Firefighters report frozen or faulty hydrants to the utility whenever a problem arises. That’s what Pike Township did during Sunday’s fire.

“We notify them … We report that to them and that's put on their schedule,” said Pike Township Division Chief Rob Saunders.

Citizens says there is no way to know if a hydrant is frozen just by looking at it. The utility says the key to ensuring hydrants remain operable is to ensure they are properly closed every time they are used.