TEMPS AND HOW IT ALL AFFECTS THE PRECINCT MOVING INTO METRO DETROIT COMING UP. IN A FEW
MINUTES. REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED
A MONTH AGO WHEN WE CONFRONTED
THE DIRECTOR OF THE DETROIT
WATERBOARD AFTER DISCOVERING
1300 BROKEN FIRE HYDRANTS
TELLING ME IN 30 DAYS YOU’RE
GOING TO GET OVER 1000 FIRE
HYDRANTS FIXED. THAT’S MY GOAL.
THE CITY REACH ITS GOAL. I JUST
DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW IT CAN BE
BROKEN IN THE WATER IS COMING
OUT ON THE STREET FOR FOUR DAYS.
THAT’S NOT A PRIORITY. WE SAID
WE WERE GOING TO FOLLOW UP BUT
DID NOT EXPECT TO FIND THIS. OF
COURSE, IT WAS A TALL ORDER TO
GET 1300 BROKEN FIRE HYDRANTS
FIXED, BUT THAT’S WHAT THE CITY
SAID IT WAS GOING TO TRY TO DO
AND THEY WERE GOING TO TRY TO DO
IT. AS YOU HEARD IN A MONTH
AFTER MY INVESTIGATION AIRED,
THE CITY APPROVED A $7 MILLION
CONTRACT TO REPAIR HYDRANTS. IN
ADDITION TO PAY FOR CRUZ, NOW AT
FIRST, THE CITY SAID, WE COULD
FOLLOW THOSE CREWS OUT AND SHOW
THEM MAKING REPAIRS. BUT THEN,
AFTER MY STORY AIRED EXPOSING
THE ISSUE, I WAS TOLD THEY
DIDN’T LIKE THE WAY MY STORY
TURNED OUT SO THEY WOULD NOT
WORK WITH US AND GETTING VIDEO
OF CREWS GETTING BROKEN HYDRANTS
FIXED. WE STAYED ON THE STORY.
ALL STARTED WITH A TIP FROM A
FIREFIGHTER TOLD ME BROKEN FIRE
HYDRANTS IN THE CITY OF DETROIT
WERE A BIG ISSUE, SO I STARTED
CHECKING OUT NEIGHBORHOODS AND
FOUND OUT 1300 WERE BROKEN. SO
ONE MONTH AGO, I TALKED TO GARY
BROWN, THE DIRECTOR OF THE WATER
BOARD IN CHARGE OF MAINTAINING
HYDRANTS. 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. OKAY IT’S BEEN A
MONTH, SO WE HIT THE STREETS AND
SAW SOME HYDRANTS HAVE BEEN
FIXED, BUT OTHERS REMAIN BROKEN
. LOOK AT THIS. AND INSIDER
WITHIN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
SHARED THIS WITH ME. IT IS A
RECORD OF HYDRANTS INSPECTED AND
BROKEN. AS OF YESTERDAY. THERE
ARE MORE THAN 700 HYDRANTS IN
OUR CITY LISTED AS AN OPERABLE.
HOW CAN THAT BE ACCEPTABLE? I’M
GONNA COME BACK IN 30 DAYS AND
WE’LL SEE IF THE 1.21 POINT 3000
FIRE HYDRANTS ARE FIXED. THIS
NOT ONLY ARE HYDRANTS BROKEN,
SOME ARE JUST SHOOTING WATER.
THIS ONE OFF OF ROSA PARKS. MY
SOURCE TOLD ME WAS RUNNING FOR
FOUR DAYS. SO I CALLED THE
DETROIT WATER BOARD AGAIN. WORK
ORDER SYSTEM SO HE COULD JUST
REFERRED TO THE WRITTEN
STATEMENT THAT WE PROVIDED.
UNDERSTAND YOU GAVE THE WRITTEN
STATEMENT BUT I LITERALLY
STANDING BY A FIRE HYDRANT RIGHT
NOW, WITH WATER JUST GOING INTO
THE STREET. YES WE ARE
PRIORITIZING MAGGOTS WERE
REPAIRING ABOUT 80 A DAY. I JUST
DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW IT CAN BE
BROKEN IN THE WATER IS COMING
OUT ON THE STREET FOR FOUR DAYS.
THAT’S NOT A PRIORITY. YES, IT’S
NOT. ALL RIGHT. WELL IF YOU GUYS
WANT TO CHANGE YOUR MIND AND DO
AN ON CAMERA INTERVIEW, I’M
WILLING TO TALK TO YOU.
OTHERWISE I GUESS I’LL JUST SAY
YOU SENT ME A STATEMENT, THE
STATEMENT READS. IN PART, THE
WSSD STARTS WITH PRIORITY ONE
REPAIRS, WHICH ARE IN CRITICAL
AREAS, SUCH AS NEAR HOSPITALS,
NURSING HOMES AND SCHOOLS, AS
WELL AS CLUSTERS OF HYDRANTS IN
NEED OF REPAIR. TO MAKE SURE
THERE IS A WORKING HYDRANT
AVAILABLE FOR EMERGENCIES. THE
STATEMENT GOES ON TO SAY DETROIT
HYDRANTS ARE 300 FT APART. DFD
RIGS HAVE 1500 FT OF FIRE HOSE.
THEREFORE IF A HYDRANT IS OUT OF
SERVICE FOR REPAIR, THEY CAN
QUICKLY HOOK UP TO THE NEXT
AVAILABLE HYDRANTS. BACK TO THE
CITY’S WESTSIDE AND THAT BROKEN
FIRE HYDRANTS SPEWING WATER INTO
THE STREET. SO IT’S OKAY TO LET
THIS WATER JUST GO INTO THE
STREET AND HAVE PEOPLE PAY FOR
IT. WELL PEOPLE DON’T PAY FOR IT
BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT CHARGED
CHARGED BASED ON THE MEDIA USAGE
IN THEIR HOUSE. WELL, I
UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT IN THE END
AT THE END OF THE DAY, TAKING
WATER AND JUST SPEWING IT INTO
THE STREET IS A WASTE. THE CITY
WOULDN’T BUDGE KEPT TELLING ME
THE HYDRANT WAS NOT A PRIORITY,
BUT I WILL SAY AFTER WE HUNG UP,
OFFICIALS DID ASK FOR THE
ADDRESS OF THE HYDRANT SHOOTING
WATER. AND THEY FINALLY SENT A
CREW TO SHUT THE WATER OFF NOT
TO FIX THE HYDRANT, BUT AT LEAST
THEY DID SHUT THE WATER OFF.
WELL OUR STORY IS GETTING THE
ATTENTION OF THE MAYOR’S OFFICE
TONIGHT. THIS AFTERNOON, A
SPOKESPERSON ISSUED A STATEMENT
READING IN PART IN DECEMBER, THE
MAYOR SAT DOWN WITH JERRY BROWN
AND TOLD HIM HE WANTED A PLAN TO
SPEED UP FIRE HYDRANT REPAIRS.
HE INDICATED THAT OF 30,000 FIRE
HYDRANTS IN THE CITY MORE THAN
29,000 ARE OPERABLE. TODAY WE
EXPECT THE ENTIRE BACKLOG TO BE
COMPLETED IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.
AND FROM THEN GOING FORWARD, WE
EXPECT HYDRANTS TO BE REPAIRED
TIMELY ON AN ONGOING BASIS, AND
WE POSTED THAT TO OUR WEBSITE.
THE FULL STATEMENT FROM THE
MAYOR’S OFFICE ALSO BEEN TALKING
WITH FIREFIGHTERS OFF CAMERA.
WHAT DO THEY TELL YOU? IT’S OFF
CAMERA BECAUSE THEY’RE AFRAID TO
TALK ON CAMERA. THEY’RE
CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR JOBS. THEY
DO. TELL ME THIS IS A REAL
ISSUE. IT TAKES TIME TO PASS A
BROKEN HYDRANT, THEN HOOK UP TO
A WORKING HYDRANT. YOU KNOW, A
FIRE CAN DOUBLE IN SIZE IN 30
SECONDS EVERY SECOND COUNTS.
MEANTIME IF YOU TALK TO BUSINESS
OWNERS, THEY’RE UPSET. RESIDENTS
ARE UPSET THEY EXPECT MORE FROM