Officials upgrade facilities to improve fire protection

All the work should be completed by the end of the year.
BROOKFIELD -- Residents in the West Hill area here will have better protection against fire by the end of the year.
Brookfield Township officials, in conjunction with Aqua Ohio, are in the process of upgrading a pumping station and adding six new fire hydrants to the West Hill area.
The project will cost about 180,000 and will be completed by the end of the year. Fire Chief Keith Barrett said the project will be funded through Aqua Ohio's capital improvement fund, but residents do pay a hydrant fee included in their water bills.
Albert J. Sauline, Aqua Ohio and division manager, via press release, said the project has been a long time coming with township officials first exploring the possibility in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
About the project
Phase one of the project will include upgrading the pump station on Lincoln Avenue that serves the West Hill area. The new pump, according to information supplied by Aqua Ohio, will provide increased capacity to meet peak demands. The new pump will deliver 250 to 500 gallons of water per minute to more than 800 residents in the township.
The new fire hydrants are being installed in the second phase of the project.
Barrett said installation of the new hydrants will make the job of firefighters a little easier and increase safety for those living in the West Hill area.
"Before we had to make sure we had tankers to carry water to that area, but with these new hydrants we will no longer have to do that," he said. "Installing fire hydrants in an area where there were previously none makes this project unique, and will ultimately simplify and enhance fire protection in Brookfield Township."
Barrett said the additional fire hydrants will also save homeowners in the area some money.
People in that area should see a reduction in their homeowner's insurance because it will go from a class 8A to a class 5 [in risk assessment]," he said. "That change should amount to about a 20-to-30-percent decrease."