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8 September, 2016 11:00
Update: Queensland Urban Utilities' response to Paddington fire
Preliminary hydrant testing in Warmington Street, Paddington on Tuesday appears to rule out hydrant performance as a factor in water flow issues on Sunday morning.
Initial testing undertaken by Queensland Urban Utilities confirmed the fire hydrants and water mains in the immediate area of the Warmington Street fire were performing in accordance with the Department of Energy and Water Supply’s Planning Guidelines for water supply and sewerage.
There has been some speculation referencing the age of the pipes, suggesting this may have played a role in the initial low water flow experienced. The water main in question was re-lined with cement in the 1960s to prevent mineral deposit build up, so the age of the pipes is not believed to be a factor in this response.
It is also important to note the water pressure and flow in Paddington is well above our guidelines.
Queensland Urban Utilities is taking this matter very seriously and is working to fully understand the situation faced by the fire crews.
Our investigation is ongoing and we are cooperating with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) to get to the bottom of this matter.
In the event of a fire emergency, we work closely with QFES to ensure we do everything possible to increase the volume of water available to fire fighters.
We have a QFES 24-hour hotline to actively manage the network in the event of a fire emergency. One of our crews was on-site in Paddington within 21 minutes of receiving a call, however QFES had already accessed adequate water supply by this time.
We have a dedicated hotline to our control centre so the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) can call us if they need assistance.
We work closely with them on the ground and do what we can to increase the volume of water available to fire fighters.
At around 6 o’clock yesterday morning, we received a call to assist fire fighters in Warmington St, Paddington.
Our crew arrived at the scene within 20 minutes and were advised by the QFES that they had accessed adequate water supply and did not require assistance.
QFES crews accessed water through hydrants and a nearby fire booster in Latrobe Terrace, after initially fighting fire with water on board their truck.
All three hydrants in Warmington St met fire fighting standards when they were tested in March 2015.
The hydrants will be retested following yesterday’s fire. We’ll also be meeting with QFES to review the incident.
Preliminary hydrant testing in Warmington Street, Paddington on Tuesday appears to rule out hydrant performance as a factor in water flow issues on Sunday morning.
Initial testing undertaken by Queensland Urban Utilities confirmed the fire hydrants and water mains in the immediate area of the Warmington Street fire were performing in accordance with the Department of Energy and Water Supply’s Planning Guidelines for water supply and sewerage.
There has been some speculation referencing the age of the pipes, suggesting this may have played a role in the initial low water flow experienced. The water main in question was re-lined with cement in the 1960s to prevent mineral deposit build up, so the age of the pipes is not believed to be a factor in this response.
It is also important to note the water pressure and flow in Paddington is well above our guidelines.
Queensland Urban Utilities is taking this matter very seriously and is working to fully understand the situation faced by the fire crews.
Our investigation is ongoing and we are cooperating with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) to get to the bottom of this matter.
In the event of a fire emergency, we work closely with QFES to ensure we do everything possible to increase the volume of water available to fire fighters.
We have a QFES 24-hour hotline to actively manage the network in the event of a fire emergency. One of our crews was on-site in Paddington within 21 minutes of receiving a call, however QFES had already accessed adequate water supply by this time.
05 September, 2016 11:02
Queensland Urban Utilities invests around $7 million a year maintaining, testing and renewing fire hydrants.We have a dedicated hotline to our control centre so the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service (QFES) can call us if they need assistance.
We work closely with them on the ground and do what we can to increase the volume of water available to fire fighters.
At around 6 o’clock yesterday morning, we received a call to assist fire fighters in Warmington St, Paddington.
Our crew arrived at the scene within 20 minutes and were advised by the QFES that they had accessed adequate water supply and did not require assistance.
QFES crews accessed water through hydrants and a nearby fire booster in Latrobe Terrace, after initially fighting fire with water on board their truck.
All three hydrants in Warmington St met fire fighting standards when they were tested in March 2015.
The hydrants will be retested following yesterday’s fire. We’ll also be meeting with QFES to review the incident.