MORE. THAN 1000 FIRE HYDRANTS IN THE CITY. DON’T WORK RIGHT NOW. PAYING TAXES. I WOULD EXPECT MY
YOU KNOW FIREFIGHTERS AND THINGS
TO BE BETTER TONIGHT LOCAL 4
EXPOSING A PROBLEM PUTTING
DETROITERS AND THEIR HOMES AT
RISK. BUT I HAVE TO ASK YOU, MR
BROWN. THERE’S MORE THAN 1000
THAT ARE NOT WORKING THAT CAN’T
BE ACCEPTABLE. GOOD EVENING,
EVERYBODY. I’M KIMBERLY GILL
DEVIN SCILLIAN. IT STARTED AS A
TIP FROM AN INSIDER WITHIN THE
FIRE DEPARTMENT ABOUT SOME
BROKEN FIRE HYDRANTS IN ONE
DETROIT NEIGHBORHOOD, AND ONCE
OUR INVESTIGATIVE TEAM STARTED
DIGGING, THEY FOUND MORE THAN
1000 BROKEN HYDRANTS CITYWIDE,
SO LET’S BRING IN KAREN DREW.
SHE’S BREAKING THIS STORY FOR US
RIGHT NOW. KAREN ALRIGHT KIM AND
DEVIN, I HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS
EVEN SHOCKED ME. I KNEW THERE
WAS SOME BROKEN FIRE HYDRANTS.
THEY WERE SCATTERED AROUND. BUT
TODAY I WAS ABLE TO ACCESS SOME
CITY RECORDS THAT ARE NOT SHARED
WITH THE PUBLIC AND FOUND OUT
THERE ARE 1.3000 BROKEN HYDRANTS
IN DETROIT RIGHT NOW, MEANING
DETROIT RESIDENTS, THEIR HOMES
AND THEIR BUSINESSES COULD BE AT
RISK. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
BROKEN FIRE HYDRANTS ALL OVER
THIS NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR GRATIOT
AND WARREN NEIGHBORHOOD TO BE
SAVED ON MY FIRE HIDING, STUDY
WORKING. YOU EXPECT YOUR FIRE
HYDRANTS TO WORK, BUT WE GOT A
TIP. THERE WERE MANY THAT WERE
NOT WORKING BECAUSE OF VANDALS.
SO I WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT THE
THIEVES ARE AFTER THEIR THESE
BRASS THREADS THAT ARE RIGHT IN
HERE THAT THEY ACTUALLY TAKE OUT
OF THE HYDRANT. BRING TO THE
SCRAPYARD. THE CITY DOESN’T
REALLY WANT US TO EXPOSE THIS
ISSUE, BUT WE HAVE TO BECAUSE
FIREFIGHTERS ARE FRUSTRATED.
SOME OF THESE HYDRANTS AREN’T
WORKING, AND THAT MEANS PEOPLE
WHO LIVE IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS.
HAVE THEIR LIVES AT RISK. OH,
THAT’S NOT ALL. ONCE I STARTED
DIGGING SOME INSIDERS WITHIN THE
FIRE DEPARTMENT SHARED THIS WITH
ME. TAKE A LOOK. THIS IS TODAY’S
COUNT OF WORKING AND NON WORKING
FIRE HYDRANTS IN THE CITY OF THE
MORE THAN 29,000 HYDRANTS. THERE
ARE 1.3000 HYDRANTS INOPERABLE.
WE TRACKED DOWN GARY BROWN, THE
DIRECTOR OF DETROIT’S WATER AND
SEWAGE BOARD. HOW CAN HYDRANTS
BE BROKEN FOR MONTHS? BECAUSE
YOU ARE, IT’S ON YOUR RADAR. IT
IS ON OUR RADAR, SO WE WANT TO
PRIORITIZE THEM AND GO DO THE
BLOCKS IN WHICH THEY HAVE MORE
THAN TWO INOPERABLE. 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 THE
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, BUT I HAVE TO ASK YOU,
MR BROWN. THERE’S MORE THAN 1000
THAT ARE NOT WORKING. THAT CAN’T
BE ACCEPTABLE. IT’S AND IT’S
ACCEPTABLE THAT WITHIN 30 DAYS
WE GOT 100 AND 68 FIXED JUST
LAST WEEK, AND SO BY TELLING ME
IN 30 DAYS YOU’RE GOING TO GET
OVER 1000 FIRE HYDRANTS FIXED.
THAT’S MY GOAL. I’M GOING TO ADD
A CONTRACT AT MY BOARD OF
DIRECTORS TOMORROW. I’M
ANTICIPATING THAT WILL GET 300
DONE. A WEEK, AND IN 30 DAYS, WE
SHOULD HAVE ITS MID JANUARY I’M
GOING TO COME BACK IN 30 DAYS
AND WE’LL SEE IF THE 1.21 POINT
3000 FIRE HYDRANTS ARE FIXED.
GUARANTEE YOU MY MAYOR IS GOING
TO BE POUNDING ON ME A LOT
HARDER THAN YOU ARE TODAY. HMM
OKAY, SO HERE’S THE DEAL
TOMORROW ONE O’CLOCK. GARY BROWN
WILL GO TO HIS BOARD ASKED FOR
FUNDS TO GET MORE CREWS OUT
THERE TO GET THE BROKEN FIRE
HYDRANTS FIXED. OF COURSE, WE’RE
GOING TO BE THERE. WELL YOU KNOW
WHAT HAPPENS MOVING TARGET IS,
HE SAYS THEY’RE REPAIRING SOME.
BUT DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG
THESE HAVE BEEN BROKEN? WHAT WAS
FUNNY? BECAUSE ONE OF MY
INSIDERS THAT ACTUALLY LET ME GO
THROUGH THIS LOG WHERE I SAW IT
WAS BROKEN. AND THEN MONTHS
LATER, IT WAS STILL BROKEN, SO
THEY’RE NOT RESPONDING AS QUICK
AND WE GET IT. THEY’RE TALKING
ABOUT PRIORITY. WE UNDERSTAND IF
THERE’S A NEIGHBORHOOD AND
THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE,
YOU’RE GOING TO ADDRESS THAT
FIRST, BUT YEAH, THE RESIDENTS
SAY THEY EXPECT THEIR HYDRANTS
TO WORK AND LIKE, LITERALLY,
THEY HAVE TO GRAB AN IPAD BEFORE
THEY GET TO A FIRE AND CHECK IF
IT’S WORKING. I MEAN, THESE
FIREFIGHTERS ARE CALLING ME
THEY’RE UPSET. THEY’RE WORRIED
STORIES WHEN THEY CAN GET UP TO
A STAIN AND THE TIME THAT IS
LOST FINDING A WORKING HYDRANT
BEFORE THEY CAN GET WATER TO IT.