Fire Hydrants Undergo Safety Inspections Across Howard County

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — More than 10,000 fire hydrants scattered across the county will be inspected by county crews in the coming days to make sure they're in good working condition.

The county's public works department began inspecting fire hydrants in 2012 to find which ones were in low pressure areas, not working correctly and couldn't be counted on when needed.

“Fire hydrants are perhaps the most popular and iconic piece of public infrastructure and our mission is to keep them in a constant state of readiness given their impact on our community’s safety and well-being. It is estimated that there are over 10 million hydrants in the U.S., with new ones being added everyday as municipalities expand,” said Howard County Bureau of Utilities Chief Art Shapiro.

Another factor affecting the functionality of fire hydrants happens to be their age.

“This program is vital to ensuring our system is at its peak efficiency and our fire personnel can effectively do their jobs to protect life and property,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “This annual program has resulted in tremendous improvement in the overall readiness of these critical assets.”