The last thing you’d think firefighters would be instructed to do is to “let the building burn,” as it’s their job to put out fires. However, that’s sadly what the fire department of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, was told by the local Water Authority. In a statement responding to firefighters being denied use of the town’s fire hydrants, the MMP&W Volunteer Fire & Ambulance Company said that what the Mercersburg Water Authority wanted was “deeply concerning and wholly unacceptable.”
It’s challenging enough for firefighters to rush to a scene of emergency and attempt to use their own frozen equipment in the cold weather to put out fires. But to be told not to use local fire hydrants because of allegedly poor management by the Mercersburg Water Authority is disturbing and rather inhumane. It goes without saying that people’s and animals’ lives can be at stake, and denial of the use of a hydrant could result in severe injury or worse. Logistics aside, many online users collectively agree: This Water Authority needs to get its act together.
“Aren’t hydrants put there IN THE FIRST PLACE to be a water source for fire departments?” exclaims a Redditor reacting to the news about Mercersburg Water Authority’s disturbing instructions for MMP&W. “I suspect the author of the ‘just let the building burn’ email would be singing a different tune if it were their property burning down. Absolutely disgusting,” remarks another. Criticism of the water company aside, the whole water supply dilemma with hydrants stems from a bigger issue with the town’s infrastructure, as several Reddit users point out.
One commenter puts it quite eloquently: “If the reasoning is ‘The system can’t support firefighting operations,’ they’ve got much bigger issues to tend to. The entire town of Mercersburg is in danger if their hydrants cannot support firefighting efforts. Someone within Mercersburg’s council needs to start asking questions of the water authority.”
Others add that the town is in danger due to the serious issues with its water system. “They have a large number of critical alerts, boil water advisories, and emergency use restrictions, and are importing water,” explains a commenter. All that said, hopefully, the water company finds a way to resolve the problem soon so the firefighters can get back to using hydrants to save lives and property like they’re supposed to.
