Communication is the key to making any partnership work, whether the involved parties are a quarreling couple or two city agencies. Last week, a major fire in Adams Morgan brought the communication problems between the D.C. Fire Department and the Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) to light. Fortunately, no one was injured in the blaze, but millions of dollars worth of property damage was sustained after firefighters had to snake over a mile of hose from far-off hydrants because those near the scene provided insufficient water pressure. The District’s residents are entitled to the basic public service of fire protection. WASA and the Fire Department must work together to ensure that this incident does not repeat itself.
Even after the fire, WASA insisted that their tests demonstrated that the hydrants should have been able to deliver water. But Kenneth Crosswhite, a Battalion Chief for the D.C. Fire Department, cited interdepartmental confusion as the heart of the problem.
“We definitely need to have a communication flow,” he said. “We need WASA to retain the water flow, [and] if we need to redirect the water, to be able to communicate on the scene.”
WASA must ensure that the city’s water mains and hydrants are properly maintained. The current replacement schedule for the city’s pipes is once every twenty years, but rusting, broken pipes should not hinder firefighters in their hour of need. WASA should test the pipes regularly and replace any that are malfunctioning.
The fact that the Fire Department was not aware of the conditions of basic fire-prevention equipment is even more unacceptable. WASA and the Fire Department must take steps to streamline communication, ensuring quick reactions and accurate information in the case of an emergency. Even in a city with as many problems as D.C., protection in case of fire should not be too much for citizens to ask.
