HOUSTON, Texas – One day after the city revealed two fire hydrants were not working during a fire at a warehouse in northwest Houston, 2 Investigates learned from Mayor John Whitmire that two departments will conduct a “complete review.”
Whitmire was fired up on Thursday.
“If we don’t make this city safe and have workable fire hydrants, nothing else matters.”
A complete review will be conducted by Public Works and the Houston Fire Department to ensure that fire hydrants are operating properly.
“Obviously, I will leave here, go back to City Hall, and hold Public Works and other city employees accountable,” said Whitmire.
HFD said 320 fire hydrants are currently out of service, and according to a spokesperson, hundreds more need maintenance.
“Fire hydrants should be and are our highest priority,” said Whitmire, who campaigned and won with a platform of public safety.
The mayor added that previous administrations have not addressed the well-documented aging infrastructure of the city, which has resulted in neglect taking a toll on valuable resources.
“Previous administrations, they just declared success... ‘Everything is fine.’ Well, when you get on the scene, you’ll find things are not fine,” Whitmire said.
The city is now forced to address the challenges at a time when it finds itself in a budget crisis.
Attorney Joe Vinas says documented non-working fire hydrants that jeopardize the safety of the public and HFD personnel may open the city up for potential litigation if there is injury or death.
“I’m sure the city attorney’s office is nervous about hearing that number, the 320 fire hydrants throughout the city are not functioning properly,” said Houston attorney Joe Vinas.
HFD says the 320 that are not working make up less than 1% of the hydrants in the city. They also add that there are hundreds more that require maintenance, meaning they have vegetation around them, or they might even be missing a cap.
