DETROIT – There's a long history of problems regarding the fire hydrants in Detroit.
When one hydrant doesn't work properly, firefighters waste precious time while trying to find one that functions, but new technology is helping the city fix its infrastructure in an efficient way.
Local 4 has reported on Detroit's fire hydrants before.
There are approximately 30,000 hydrants in Detroit -- some of which are 100 years old.
Residents of Indian Village and West Village are concerned after a recent fire had to be extinguished using a hydrant down the street. There was a hydrant in front of the home that technically worked but had a valve issue that restricted the flow.
"This is the second house in less than a year, within a half mile of here, where the fire has gone on longer than it had to because the first hydrant that the fire department hooked up to didn't work," said resident Mac Farr.
"We have families that are moving in. Young people from all over the country are moving here," Carol Rhoades said. "They should feel safe."
Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has teams on the streets looking for, and replacing, faulty fire hydrants. It's been going on for the last year and a half.
"We found out that the fire department was doing one thing to do its inspections and when that data was coming over to us, it wasn't translating in a way where we were able to properly fix the hydrant," said Palencia Mobley with the DWSD.
That system was streamlined.
"When the firefighters do their inspection, they're able to come right up to that particular hydrant and record the information associated with the hydrant's operability," Mobley said.
Right now the city estimates that 29,856 hydrants are working -- 29 have small repair issues and 37 are broken and need to be replaced.
Some are skeptical of that number, but everyone agrees the new technology is making a difference already. The new system allows workers to access when hydrants were last serviced or if it's damaged. It is planned to be expanded so homeowners can access the information too.
Detroit is encouraging residents who see leaking or damaged fire hydrants to send a photo of the damage to the city through the Improve Detroit app.