TROY IT RESIDENTS REACTED AFTER OUR INVESTIGATION SIX WEEKS AGO EXPOSED 1300 BROKEN FIRE
HYDRANTS IN THE CITY OF DETROIT
CITY, TOLD OUR KAREN DREW
PROBLEMS SHOULD BE FIXED IN A
MONTH. THOSE PROBLEMS HAVE NOT
BEEN FIXED, OFFICIALS SAID. IN
TWO WEEKS, THE ISSUE WOULD BE
SOLVED. SO AS YOU CAN EXPECT,
KAREN WENT BACK TO CHECK GOT
SOME STARTLING INFORMATION ABOUT
HOW THIS PROBLEM COULD HAVE
AFFECTED PUTTING OUT A DEADLY
FIRE. IN FACT, THIS INFORMATION
JUST CAME TO ME IN A COUPLE OF
THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS. JUST
THIS AFTERNOON, MY FIREFIGHTERS
SOURCES SENT ME SOME DISPATCH
NOTE. ON THIS FIRE RUN. IT’S
RIGHT HERE. IF WE CAN ZOOM IN
AND TAKE A CLOSER LOOK, I WANT
YOU TO READ IT. TAKE A LOOK.
THIS HAPPENED ON FEBRUARY 17TH.
FIREFIGHTERS CALLED TO A FIRE ON
KING STREET. LOOK AT THAT
CIRCLED PART RIGHT THERE. IT’S
NOTED THERE WAS A QUOTE BAD
HYDRANT. FIREFIGHTERS HAD A
QUOTE STRETCHED TO THE NEXT
HYDRANT. WE COVER THIS FIRE.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE FLAMES.
FIREFIGHTERS HAD TO DEAL WITH
ONE PERSON ACTUALLY DIED. TWO
OTHERS WERE TAKEN TO THE
HOSPITAL. OBVIOUSLY WE’RE ASKING
WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE IF
CRUZ DIDN’T HAVE TO STRETCH
THEIR LINES TO THE NEXT FIRE
HYDRANT THAT WAS ACTUALLY
WORKING. TELL YOU WHAT THE CITY
HAD TO SAY ABOUT THAT SITUATION
ON KING STREET IN A MOMENT, BUT
REALIZED THIS IS ONE BROKEN
FIRE. HYDRANT. I FOUND OUT TODAY
TONIGHT RIGHT NOW, MORE THAN 300
BROKEN HYDRANTS IN THE CITY. HE
TOLD ME THEY’D HAVE THIS PROBLEM
FIXED BY TODAY. REMEMBER? WE
EXPOSED THIS SIX WEEKS AGO. IT
WAS A SHOCKER WHEN WE STARTED
UNCOVERING HOW BAD THE SITUATION
REALLY WAS, HOW IN THE WORLD
COULD THE CITY OF DETROIT HAD
MORE THAN 1300 BROKEN FIRE
HYDRANTS? GARY BROWN, THAT SAME
QUESTION BACK IN JANUARY. HE IS
THE HEAD OF DETROIT’S WATER AND
SEWAGE DEPARTMENT. BUT YOU HAVE
TO UNDERSTAND WHEN I’M SITTING
HERE TALKING WITH MY
FIREFIGHTERS, SOURCES, THEY’RE
TELLING ME WE’RE OUT THERE
FIGHTING FIRES. WE PULL UP TO A
HYDRANT. WE CAN’T GET WATER.
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO SAY TO
THEM AND WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO
SAY TO THE FAMILIES WHO ARE
EXPECTING THESE FIREFIGHTERS TO
HAVE WATER? WHAT WE SAY TO THEM
IS WE GIVE THEM TABLETS. AND THE
TABLETS ON THE WAY TO THE FIRE
HAS THE OPERABLE FIRE HYDRANTS
AND THE ONES THAT ARE WORKING?
AND SO YOU KNOW WHICH ONE ISN’T
WORKING WHEN YOU SHOW UP AT THAT
FIRE CONNECT TO ONE THAT IS AT
THAT TIME. BROWN TOLD ME HE
WOULD GET THE 1300 BROKEN
HYDRANTS FIXED IN A MONTH. SO WE
WAITED A MONTH AND CHECK BACK
AND FOUND THERE WERE NEARLY 700
BROKEN HYDRANTS. THIS ONE, FOR
EXAMPLE, IS SHOOTING WATER INTO
THE STREET FOR DAYS. THAT IS,
UNTIL WE CALL THE CITY. THEY
TURNED THE WATER OFF CITY, THEN
SAID IT NEEDED TWO MORE WEEKS.
SO WE WAITED. AND NOW WE’RE BACK
AGAIN TO CHECK. A FEW WEEKS AGO
WE WERE IN THIS EAST SIDE
NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR EAST GRAND AND
GRATIOT. THERE WAS A STRING OF
BROKEN FIRE HYDRANTS. WE CAME
BACK AND CHECKED AND IT LOOKS
LIKE THE CITY HAS MADE THE
REPAIRS IN THIS AREA. WE CAUGHT
UP WITH MR WALKER. HE LIVES IN
THIS EAST SIDE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THEY’RE DOING A GOOD JOB IN THIS
AREA. NOW THEY REALLY HIT IT
HARD AND THEY DON’T GET THAT ONE
DOWN THERE NOW. THEY DIDN’T DID
FIELD STREET YET, BUT THEY’RE
GETTING THERE. WE ALSO CAME TO
THE CITY SOUTHWEST SIDE A FEW
WEEKS AGO SHOWING THE BROKEN
FIRE HYDRANTS. WE CAME BACK TO
CHECK AND LOOK, IT’S STILL
BROKEN. NOW REMEMBER, WE DIDN’T
GET THE CITY THE DEADLINE. THEY
TOLD US THEY GET THINGS FIXED IN
A MONTH. THEY DIDN’T. THEN THEY
SAID THEY GET THINGS DONE IN TWO
WEEKS. THEY DIDN’T TAKE A LOOK
AT THIS MAP OF THE SOUTHWEST
AREA OF DETROIT. ALL OF THOSE
GREEN HYDRANTS ARE INOPERABLE.
THE MAP SHOWS 43 BROKEN HYDRANTS
JUST IN THIS AREA AND TAKE A
LOOK AT THIS. THERE ARE STILL
MORE THAN 300 BROKEN HYDRANTS IN
THE CITY TODAY. AFTER OUR FIRST
INTERVIEW, HOW CAN HYDRANTS BE
BROKEN FOR MONTHS? BECAUSE YOU
ARE ON YOUR RADAR? IT IS ON OUR
RADAR. BROWN IS NOT TALKING TO
US ANY MORE ABOUT THE ISSUE,
INSTEAD ISSUING A STATEMENT THAT
READS IN PART WITH 12 CREWS, DWS
D. GOT THROUGH THE BACKLOG OF
REPAIRS FOLLOWING THE DFD
INSPECTIONS THAT ENDED IN EARLY
FEBRUARY. CREWS HAVE BEEN
REPAIRING MORE THAN 300 HYDRANTS
PER WEEK, WORKING SIX DAYS A
WEEK SINCE LATE JANUARY.
CURRENTLY THERE ARE 382
INOPERABLE. HYDRANTS OUT OF
29,910. THAT MEANS 98.7% OF ALL
HYDRANTS IN THE CITY OF DETROIT
ARE FULLY FUNCTIONING. WHAT WERE
YOUR THOUGHTS WHEN ALL OF THESE
WERE BROKEN? AND WHAT DO YOU
THINK? NOW THAT THEY’RE FACING
OUT? I CAN’T SAY IT ON TV, BUT
IT’S A BEAUTIFUL JOB NOW YOU’RE
HAPPY THERE FIXED NOW. HMM OKAY
. RIGHT MR WALKER. DO YOU LIKE
THEM REPAIRS BEING MADE, OF
COURSE, BUT STILL AN ISSUE FOR
SO MANY DETROITERS. NOW TO THAT
BROKEN FIRE HYDRANT AND KING
STREET AND THE DEADLY FIRE JUST
A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, I JUST
RECEIVED A STATEMENT FROM THE
MAYOR’S OFFICE. THEY’RE
ADDRESSING THIS STATING OUR
RECORDS SHOW THAT THE HYDRANT IN
QUESTION WAS INSPECTED BY LATTER
SEVEN ON JANUARY 27TH, AND IT
WAS DETERMINED TO BE OPERABLE AT
THAT TIME. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
WILL BE GOING OUT TO REINSPECT
THIS HYDRANT TO DETERMINE ITS
CURRENT OPERATIONAL STATUS.
TELLING THAT YOU YOU KEEP
FIREFIGHTERS KEEP REACHING OUT
TO YOU. YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DO? I
MEAN, MY NUMBER HAS BEEN SHARED
. AND NOW I’M GETTING, YOU KNOW
INFORMATION ABOUT BROKEN
HYDRANTS. I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT
THAT DEADLY FIRE BECAUSE THEY
KNOW IF THEY SPEAK UP, THEY
DON’T FEEL LIKE THEY CAN. SO
WE’RE KIND OF TRYING TO BE THE
SPOKESPERSON FOR THEM FOR
RESIDENTS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS
WERE DETROITERS. WE PAY TAXES.
WE SHOULDN’T HAVE TO ASK FOR A
FIRE HYDRANTS TO WORK. TOOLS
LIKE THE CITY THERE AT LEAST
PRIORITIZING THEM BY THE BUSIEST
AREAS. BUT LIKE YOU SAID, WHAT
HAPPENS IF YOUR HOUSE IS ON ONE
OF THE STREETS WHERE IT’S? YEAH,
YOU’RE JUST AS IMPORTANT IF