Syracuse Fire Chief Mickey Scott provided an update on a lake hydrant on Pickwick Park Drive to the Turkey Creek Fire Territory Board during its regular monthly meeting last week. Last month it was reported water could not be drawn from the hydrant.

Scott told the board a large catfish had been pulled up into the pipe and against the screen causing a problem. The force of the pumper, when it attempted to pull water through the hydrant, was so strong it partially skinned the catfish, but the fish was too big to pull through the screen.

Board member Brian Woody asked if there was a way to back flow the hydrant as it was being used to fill the pumper, but Scott said there was not. He suggested a heavy spring that would pull the flap of the hydrant back in place after it was used. He plans on checking with other departments that use lake hydrants as to what they do to prevent fish from clogging the hydrants.

Scott noted in his report the department has had problems with catfish in lake hydrants in the past. The catfish also like to swim up the pipe since it creates a perfect habitat for them.

The screens on the hydrants have a flap on the end of them in the lake that is necessary so the hydrants can be back flushed or debris removed from the hydrant by scuba divers. Department scuba divers routinely remove zebra mussels from the lake hydrants.

The renovations on station one are ongoing. The fire territory recently received its CDR permit and a building permit has been obtained from the Kosciusko Area Planning Commission. Weather permitting the walls will be put in place sometime next week. Scott explained the walls have been pre-constructed on the ground and will be lifted into place by a crane. After the walls are installed, the trusses will be done and the entire area enclosed. Scott asked the crane work be done on a Monday to utilize the eye doctor’s parking lot next door without disrupting its business.

More than 100 sprinklers have been installed in the station already and a dry system will be installed in the attic area.

During the recent snowstorm, Scott reported the department was able to answer all its calls. Kosciusko County Highway Department had a snowplow and driver staged at station one to assist the department in reaching its calls. Scott had high praise for the assistance the county highway department provided.

In old business, Woody asked why there was a half million dollar decrease in property damage. Scott said it was due to a number of factors such as there are not as many fires, when the call comes in for help and firefighting teams responding to calls faster. Scott said he would love to report on the amount of money saved as opposed to the amount of damage a fire caused.

It was noted there were no fire injuries to either citizens or fire personnel during 2013.

(For a more in-depth account of the meeting, see Wednesday’s issue of The Mail-Journal.)