Council: Could Pittsburgh's fire hydrants be used for sprinklers? Fire Chief: 'No'
Jul. 1—With a lifeguard shortage and other issues keeping 10 of Pittsburgh's 18 pools closed this summer, city council members are brainstorming ways to keep youth cool and give them something to do.
They're trying to "be creative," council President Theresa Kail-Smith said Wednesday.
Among the ideas: using special sprinkler heads for fire hydrants so people could create spray parks in their neighborhoods.
The practice is done in other areas, including Middletown, Conn., where hydrants were turned into spray areas during this week's heat wave.
"The first day we opened them, there were tons of kids there. When it should have been shut off (at 3 p.m.), we kept it on," Middletown Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Robert Kronenberger told The Middletown Press. "The kids were dying."
But Pittsburgh fire Chief Daryl Jones put a damper on the idea when asked about it by the Tribune-Review.
"I'm going to say 'no' for several reasons," Jones said. "We may need that water."
An open hydrant decreases water pressure and if there were a fire nearby it could become a problem.
There's also a cost to the water and Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority and other water companies charge for it.
"My guess is, it's not going to work," Jones said.
It's illegal for people to open hydrants on their own.
Kail-Smth and Councilwoman Deb Gross remain committed to finding ways to keep people cool and give kids something to do this summer. Councilman Anthony Coghill said the city also needs to evaluate and come up plan to improve all of its pools so they're more efficient and can be used.
Council members are willing to provide more than $380,000 in extra funding for the parks and recreation department, but the pay rate of between $11 and $14 per hour is only one of the reasons the city find people to staff the pools, Parks and Recreation Director Ross Chapman said.
The pools were closed last year because of the coronavirus pandemic so the staffing pool of returning life guards isn't available. As pandemic restrictions lift, people also want to do things like take vacations that limit their availability this year, he said.
"It's been a struggle," Kail-Smith said.
They're meeting with private groups, city philanthropies and others to find ways to offer more in the city this summer, she said.
"If we can find a magic source of lifeguards, we can open every pool," Gross said.
Tom Davidson is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tom at 724-226-4715, tdavidson@triblive.com or via Twitter .
