IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – Last week, the Iron Mountain Fire Department faced a critical issue when responding to an emergency call. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered that they were unable to remove the cap from a fire hydrant, rendering it inoperable. The incident prompted notification of the police.
“We had a call in the city and when the crew arrived, they found that the fire hydrant had been painted, and they couldn’t get all the caps broke free from the hydrant, so it made the hydrant inoperable,” said Jeff Friedenstab, Deputy Director of Fire Services.
Firefighters observed that the hydrant was not painted in the correct color, which is essential for their operation since all the city’s hydrants are color-coded. The police investigation revealed that the hydrant had been painted black by someone since October 2023. Friedenstab emphasized the importance of the color-coding system and the legal implications of tampering with fire hydrants.
“The key is the fire hydrants in the city are part of the public safety system,” Friedenstab noted.
He further explained the significance of the color-coding: “It means gallons per minute, it means out of service, you know if you see a hydrant that’s got a black ring or is painted black. It’s either part of DPW [Department of Public Works] system, or it’s completely out of service. You’ll see rings, some are red, some are blue. They all mean different things with the hydrants as well.”
Friedenstab also highlighted the broader safety concerns and legal issues related to tampering with sprinkler systems.
“It is illegal to mess with the fire hydrants. We have people call here fairly frequently wanting to paint them or do something to beautify their yard, or. And it’s just, you can’t. We need to be able to rely on them as best we can. And the color-coding of the hydrants means something,” he stated.
Additionally, he warned against tampering with sprinkler systems, citing serious safety risks: “Schools, stores, they all have sprinkler systems and sprinkler connections. Again, it’s very dangerous. People pop the caps off, and then they stuff them with paper or other objects and then if we have to use them, it could make the system inoperable, which is very detrimental to the building itself and the fire suppression capabilities.”
“You shouldn’t mess with the sprinkler system connections or any service connection,” Friedenstab concluded.
This incident serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining the integrity of public safety systems and the legal ramifications of unauthorized modifications.
