From the Saginaw NewsHot crowd pelts city firefightersTuesday, June 28, 2005
LaNIA COLEMAN
THE SAGINAW NEWS
Saginaw firefighters had to wriggle away from an angry mob Monday.
About 200 people threw dirt clods and mud balls at firefighters trying to shut off two fire hydrants that someone had opened and broken just before 7 p.m. in Birch Park Apartments, said Fire Department Battalion Chief Lathel Wise.
Firefighters had to maneuver their truck around vehicles after residents blocked in the crew's rig at Birch Park on Hess in Saginaw's southeast section.
Police arrived to settle the crowd and escort firefighters back into the complex to stop the water flow, Wise said.
"They had a lot of water out there," he said.
Firefighters had to hose down their vehicle before heading out to shut off another open hydrant. In all, they closed 28 Monday.
"We were running from one to another all night long," Wise said. "(Shutting off open hydrants) is something we have to do. We understand that people are hot and uncomfortable. We sympathize with the kids, but we can't have those hydrants open like that."
Open hydrants compromise the system by lowering the water pressure, which can interfere with the Fire Department's ability to put out a blaze, Wise said.
Hydrants also pour a lot of water into the street and can cause neighboring basements to flood, he said. Plus, water pooling in roadways can cause cars to go out of control.
"There's a lot of pressure when that water comes out, and sometimes toddlers want to play in it, too," he said. "That water pressure can knock them to the curb or push them into the path of a car.
"Also, if someone loosens one of the caps but leaves the others on, the pressure behind it can cause a cap to fly off and hit somebody."
Hydrants that have not been flushed in a while can spew contaminated water, Wise said
