New Hydrant Installed In Mohawk Community

Completed installation of new fire hydrant.

Edmonson Voice Staff
photos courtesy of CVFD
Many residents of the Mohawk/Oak Grove Community are happier now that a new fire hydrant has been installed on the corner of Mohawk and Reed Road, with another one to be installed on Oak Grove Church Road in the very near future.

The new additions come after an October 2015 fire in the community caused fire trucks to have to travel to Brownsville and Chalybeate to refill the trucks, costing valuable time. Chalybeate Fire Chief Daniel Johnson began looking into possibilities of installing hydrants in the much needed area.

According to fiscal court, the county does not provide hydrants, and Edmonson County Water doesn't install them at the water department's expense. Johnson was told it was each community fire department's responsibility to provide hydrants where they were deemed necessary. Currently, most all hydrants in the county were funded through grant money, however, Johnson said no grant money was immediately available.

Chief Johnson called on the community to help, and that's exactly what the people of Mohawk and Oak Grove did. Funding was raised for not only one hydrant, but two. "This would have never happened without the support and help of this community," Johnson said. "We started out with plans for one and raised enough money for two hydrants. That's really saying something about the community's support."

The hydrant was installed by the Edmonson County Water District crew members.

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Construction site of hydrant on Reed and Mohawk Road.

Johnson said the other hydrant has been ordered and is on it's way. It's scheduled to be installed upon arrival, pending good weather conditions.

"We want to thank the residents of Mohawk, Oak Hill, and Oak Grove for supporting this project," he said. "It's truly amazing what can happen when a community comes together."

He said it's always better to have fire hydrants and not use them rather than to need them and not have them available. "Now, we won't have to go back to the fire department or Brownsville to fill up. This will save lots of time to and from any fires in this area."