fire hydrants in a residents yard

Started by CarolK10 • 6 replies • 394 views

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CarolK10 (California)
Posts: 7

Posted:

We have a resident who has a fire hydrant in her front yard that is covered in brush, flowers., et. My question is can a board member tell a resident they must cut the brush around their fire hydrant to meet the city fire code. There is nothing in our CCRs that states the Board has authority to cite her if she does not comply. We live in California in an area prone to fires. How do you suggest we deal with this issue. CarolK10

BarbaraT1 (Texas)
Posts: 821

Posted:

I would suggest "Hi neighbor! I noticed the fire hydrant in your yard is getting covered up by brush. Do you need help getting that trimmed?"

CarolK10 (California)
Posts: 7

Posted:

We tried that and it didn't work so we sent her an letter of violation for corrective action. She said it was not the Board preview to do that.

BillH10 (Texas)
Posts: 1,217

Posted:

What does the fire department have to say about the matter?

You should always look to a higher authority to address an issue before expending Association time and resources.

MelissaP1 (Alabama)
Posts: 13,836

Posted:

This doesn't sound like an HOA issue. It sounds like the extent of it being an HOA issue is that the HOA calls the fire Marshall. That is what I would do to settle the matter. To be honest they may not care as long as they can get their hoses plugged in. I believe they are not even responsible for any damages they do if they do connect. So this person is just setting themselves up to have their property damaged.

There are pictures of people parking in front of hydrants and hoses going through them. The fireman will bash the windows out and pull the hose through. Which from what I understand they don't have to pay the car's owner for the damages. Fire Hydrants are kind of like mail boxes. They have their own set of laws of enforcement. Which isn't on the HOA.

Former HOA President

CarolK10 (California)
Posts: 7

Posted:

thanks, I agree the best action is to call the fire marshall.

ND (PA)
Posts: 792

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By BillH10 on 05/18/2021 2:21 PM
What does the fire department have to say about the matter?

You should always look to a higher authority to address an issue before expending Association time and resources.

This is good advice. . .

Contact the fire dept, city codes office/er, etc. in regard to a fire hydrant area/easement that is potentially being improperly maintained. Let them investigate and then reach out to the homeowner for fixing the situation. It is in everyone's best interest that fire hydrants and surrounding areas are maintained properly.

I also found this online quickly that links to an National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Fire Code. I'm sure there are plenty of other references to similar situations:

https://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/publications-and-media/blogs-landing-page/nfpa-today/blog-posts/2017/01/13/nfpa-1-clearance-around-fire-hydrants-firecodefridays

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