Boy Scouts to Paint Town's Fire Hydrants

Alan McKinnon III has been working for a year to win town approval for his fire hydrant painting project. It is his community service project to become an Eagle Scout.

McKinnon cleared the last hurdle recently as the town's water and sewer commission gave the thumbs up to his plans to organize about 30 Scouts and adult volunteers to paint the hydrants on June 29 and 30.

He had already secured approval from the Fire Department and the Yankee Clipper Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He hopes to paint more than 200 of the town's 849 hydrants, during that weekend, he said.

The paint job will color code the hydrants to tell firefighters the size water line that is feeding the hydrant.

"It is nice to know the size main you are hooking into," said John Doane, a member of the water and sewer commission and former firefighter. "You often don't have time (while fighting a fire) to look it up in the book."

The scouts will focus on painting the hydrants on secondary streets largely because the firefighters already know the size line that feeds hydrants on the major streets. The scouts will not be painting hydrants on the causeway, the "neck," Old Town or Atlantic Avenue, McKinnon said.

The fire department is providing the paint, Chief Jason Gilliland said.

"I have done this as chief for the last four years," he said. "This year it is nothing less than impressive."

Water and sewer superintendent Amy McHugh will provide the hydraulic information to the scouts so they know what color to paint on the hydrants.

One of the key steps for a scout to earn the status of Eagle Scout is to create a service project that will help a church, school, organization or the community. The scout must win the approval from the community or organization as well as a Scoutmaster, troop committee and the council before you begin your Eagle Scout service project.

Working with McKinnon is scout leader Andy Barnett.