Fire Hydrants & Landscaping

Edwardsville has over 1,400 fire hydrants and the number increases each year. Needless to say it’s impossible for our firefighters to know the location of every fire hydrant. This is why it is so important to make sure fire hydrants are clearly visible from the street and not obscured by landscaping or decorations.

When responding to a fire the first vehicle in looks for the closest hydrant and relays the information to the second responding unit so they can hook hoses to the hydrant and fill the truck that is pumping water to fight the fire. If the fire hydrant is not clearly visible firefighters could miss the closest hydrant and waste precious time laying hose to a more distant fire hydrant. This can cause an interruption in water supply that can allow the fire to grow and do more damage. When charged with water fire hoses are very stiff and cannot easily bend around obstacles. So it is also important to leave enough room around fire hydrants to hook up large firefighting hoses and operate the hydrant valve.

House & Building Address Numbers

It is important for emergency services to be able to quickly find your home or business, so the size and location of your building address numbers are governed by municipal codes.

Fire Extinguishers

We get a lot of questions about how to service and/or how to dispose of old fire extinguishers. Fire extinguishers located at commercial and rental properties must be inspected and tagged annually by an approved inspector. There are several nearby companies that provide this service.

Recommendations:

• Home fire extinguishers can be inspected by the home owner.
• Check the outside of the extinguisher for signs of damage including chipped paint, rust and dents. If there is any damage the extinguisher should be replaced.
• Verify the gage is in the green area. Too much pressure or to little pressure means your extinguisher will not function properly.
• Turn your extinguisher upside down a few times to loosen the powder inside.
• After they have been depressurized old fire extinguishers can be thrown away or recycled. To depressurize an old extinguisher take it outside to a location where the contents of the extinguisher can be emptied without safely expelled. Alternately, bring your old extinguisher to one of our fire stations and we can dispose of it for you.

Smoke Detector Information

Smoke Detectors have proven to save lives and property. They are so effective that they are required across the country in new homes and apartments and hotels. But they must be installed correctly and maintained in order to work when you need them. Here are some important facts about smoke detectors.

Carbon Monoxide Detector Information

If you have any appliances in your home that use gas or propane, or if you have an attached garage then you should have a carbon monoxide (CO) detector. Follow this FAQs link to learn more about CO detectors.