Firefighters in Falfurrias are now required to have a city employee present before opening any fire hydrant following a dispute over a malfunctioning hydrant.
The restriction came after firefighters conducting routine maintenance on April 15 discovered a hydrant malfunction at South St. Mary's and Flack Street.
"I honestly thought it was a joke. I mean, I didn't think, and then - you know - all types of thoughts keep going through my head. Is it political? Is it a vendetta? Is it personal?" said Arnold Mireles, a Falfurrias resident who learned about the incident on social media.
"It's a sad thing for the citizens. I mean, at the end of the day, the city fire department - the ones that suffer are the public," said Mireles.
Falfurrias Fire Chief Ruben Ramirez told KRIS 6 News the city's utility director filed a police report claiming tampering of the fire hydrant after firefighters reported the malfunction.
"We're not tampering. We have no malicious intent to break a hydrant," said Ramirez. “If it’s gonna take us getting arrested to put out a fire, then so be it. We have a community behind us. And our community - we care about our community. So, the safety of our community comes first.”
The situation has raised concerns about public safety in emergency situations.
According to Fire Chief Ramirez, more than half of the city's 300 fire hydrants are not functioning properly, and waiting for a city employee to address each one is impractical.
The firefighter who reported the broken hydrant, Joaquin Ramirez III, expressed concern about potential repercussions.
"At that point, I was like, honestly, I was scared because you know what if it comes back to the point. Hey this guy - we're gonna get him for criminal mischief," said Joaquin Ramirez.
Despite the fear of consequences, he remains committed to his duty.
"I'm still going to do what I need to do. If I get in trouble I get in trouble," he said. "We'll worry about the consequences later."
KRIS 6 News Neighborhood News Reporter Melissa Trevino visited the Falfurrias City Hall to speak with Ramon Rodriguez, the city's utility director, he acknowledged communication issues.
"There was an internal communication breakdown here at the city. We were not notified that it was the fire department," Rodriguez said.
He clarified that the fire department can open hydrants as long as the person doing so is licensed.
City officials stated that a grant is in progress to replace several broken fire hydrants.
San Juanita Olivarez, City Councilwoman at-large, has reached out to state and federal agencies about the issue and is awaiting responses.
Meanwhile, Falfurrias firefighters maintain that their priority remains the safety of community residents, regardless of the challenges they face.
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