Tempe lays out its emergency plan, says it won’t run out of water

TEMPE, AZ (AZFamily) — As wildfires burn out of control in Los Angeles County and critics point fingers at government failures, the city of Tempe wants to reassure people that it is ready for any emergency.

One problem was fire hydrants ran dry while firefighters battled the Palisades and Eaton Fires. Some crews could only watch as houses went up in flames because of a lack of water.

Tempe issued a statement on Friday saying that Tempe Water Utilities keeps millions of gallons of water through its system at all times for firefighters to use.

“This water is in reserve – it is not used unless absolutely necessary, and it is never wasted,” officials said.

Tempe has about 10,000 fire hydrants that cover the city’s 40 square miles.

Crews do preventative maintenance on each hydrant at least once every three years and inspect often-used hydrants more frequently, leaders said.

Officials said the Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department has the highest possible Insurance Service Office rating, which rates fire departments and communities on how well they can handle fires.

In 1997, the department became the first internationally accredited fire department, and they have kept that accreditation ever since.

As of 2019, TFMR has an ISO rating of 1, the best rating in the system, meaning lower home insurance premiums.

The Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department also has weekly training to make sure crews are prepared for any emergency, from hazardous materials response to water rescues.

The city is also part of the Regional Automatic Aid System, a partnership among the 23 fire departments in the Valley. So that means the closest firefighters respond to an emergency, no matter which city it’s in.

County and state-level officials are ready to help if there’s a large-scale disaster.

“While no one can expect tragedies such as what is happening in California, the City of Tempe has taken action to be ready and reactive,” officials said.

FULL COVERAGE: Wildfires rage across Los Angeles County

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