There are 620 fire hydrants in Roanoke Rapids and the fire department is testing and flushing everyone.

It is a yearly project and the state of the hydrants in the city are part of determining what its fire rating will be, a rating which figures how much a homeowner’s insurance will be.

The testing also rids the hydrants of sediment and firefighters take readings from the rushing waters to determine whether there is sufficient pressure for fighting fires, Assistant Chief Ricky Dickens said.

The fire department gives its findings to the Roanoke Rapids Sanitary District because the hydrants tie in to its water lines. The district will repair the hydrants.

“We’re about a fourth of the way through,” Dickens said. “On a good day we can get 50 a day.”

Chief Gary Corbet said between 10 to 12 hydrants have been found to have low flows. Some of them have already been repaired by the district.

As the low pressures wait to be repaired Corbet said the fire department has requested tankers from Gaston or Davie accompany Roanoke Rapids on its fire calls from Fifth Street north. That request will be lifted when the problem hydrants are fixed.

Many things contribute to the low pressure, Corbet said. “Older pipes get sediment and rust. It’s no one’s fault. It’s an older system.”

Hydrants also factor into new construction, Dickens said. “When the planning department gets a set of plans, before any construction, they require a flow test of the hydrants to make sure there is enough flow to battle a fire when fully involved.”

Should the hydrants not be sufficient the business must put in bigger water lines or face not building.

Besides testing the pressure, firefighters also perform simple maintenance on the hydrants such as lubing them so they open easily, Dickens said.

There is another reason for the flushing, said Corbet — getting firefighters familiar with different parts of the city and helping them locate hydrants.

Not all hydrants are easily located because many homeowners with a hydrant in their yard plant flowers around them. Some plant bushes and one was nearly hidden by weeds. The fire code says property owners with hydrants in their yards must maintain the area where they are located. “We ask please make sure firefighters have access to them,” Corbet said. “They may be unsightly but they’re a beautiful thing when there’s a fire.”