Michael D'Onofrio

mcdonofrio@lohud.com

SPRING VALLEY — How reliable are the village’s fire hydrants and residential sprinklers? The Spring Valley volunteer fire department isn’t so sure.

Justin Schwartz, captain of the Spring Valley fire police, is raising red flags over the state of the village's water supply, and criticizing the water company Suez for denying the department critical information about how it could handle an emergency.

Schwartz said Suez has rejected the fire department’s request for the location of all fire hydrants in the village, and the most recent pressure and flow readings for them.

It’s all about safety, Schwartz said, because when firefighters tap a hydrant, they are not sure what will come out.

“We don’t know if those pumps are going to pump out the water, which makes firefighting sketchy at best,” Schwartz said.

Deborah Rizzi, spokesperson for Suez, cited water security issues for not releasing the information.

“There is some information we can provide to them … but some information is specific and is sensitive to the operations of the water system,” Rizzi said.

"We consider all water infrastructure information to be highly sensitive due to concerns ranging from theft of service to deliberate attempts to cause damage," Rizzi added in an email.

RELATED: Spring Valley passes $6.4M bond to update fire gear, repair roads

Editorial: Stop fire risks in Ramapo, Spring Valley

Rizzi said Suez has a regular fire hydrant maintenance schedule, which includes inspections and making sure they operate properly. About one-third of the hydrants are inspected annually, and the water company winterizes every hydrant every year, which also provides an opportunity to determine if a hydrant may need attention, Rizzi said.

“We maintain the hydrants in accordance with our regular schedule," Rizzi said. "Making sure our hydrants are operating is a top priority for us.”

But markings on many village hydrants are inconsistent and not clear, said Katherine Tolf, a Spring Valley resident who holds a degree in fire safety engineering technology. It's also unclear whether the pressure readings on the hydrants were current, said Tolf.

SPRING VALLEY: Building inspector indicted

SPRING VALLEY: Mayor accused of infidelity at meeting

Without pressure and flow readings for each hydrant, firefighters could inadvertently collapse the pipes or not draw enough water out at a time when each moment is critical, Schwartz said.

In addition, Schwartz said Suez has denied the fire department information about the size and locations of the water mains in the village. The information, said Schwartz, is needed so officials can better understand how housing developments and other structures are affecting the village's water infrastructure.

"It's a strain on resources," Schwartz said. "They haven’t updated the infrastructure."

Additional developments that receive variances to be built closer together increase the chances that fires can quickly spread to other structures, Tolf said. While these developments may be required to have residential sprinklers, Tolf said, “They only work when you have the water to back them up.”

In a letter dated May 16, Jeffrey Trezza, Suez's manager of operations for transmission and distribution, wrote to Schwartz that information he requested “represents critical infrastructure information which cannot be released as a matter of security. Additionally, Suez cannot address the land use and zoning concerns included in your letter and the emails referenced therein.”

Tom Buckley, chairman of Rockland County Fire Chief's Association's utility committee, said he didn't believe Spring Valley was asking for anything out of the ordinary.

“It’s important for the fire department to know what kind of water flow they have from their hydrants," Buckley said. “I think it’s important for the fire department to have that information."

Buckley, who was recently rehired for a stint as a fire inspector in Ramapo, said he did not believe similar issues involving the release of information from Suez have been experienced elsewhere in the county. However, he said there have been instances where hydrants were discovered that were not marked properly. “We hope that it's only a few, but we don’t know," Buckley said.

A meeting between Suez and representatives of the fire chief's association to address these issues has been scheduled for Friday.

Twitter: @mikedonofrio_