Kansas City Streamlines Fire Hydrant Inspection

By using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software the city has overhauled a time-consuming process to save time and money while making the city safer.

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Fire hydrant inspection takes place annually in cities across the country and can be a time-intensive process to complete. In an effort to streamline the process, the Water Services Department (WSD) and the Kansas City Fire Department (KCFD) have completed a pilot series of inspections using an iPad equiped with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. The device allowed inspection crews to easily locate hydrants, complete and send any necessary forms electronically. The use of the iPad also allowed inspectors to take and attach photographs of maintenance issues with their reports. In 2013 the electronic system will be used by all 50 of the KCFD's trucks to inspect their 23,000 hydrants, saving the city $20,000. In the future the department will be looking into syncing the inspection data with their dispatch unit so that crews responding to emergencies will have access to the data.

 

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Brian Peteritas is a GOVERNING contributor.
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