Who would put a "fake" hydrant in their yard? To answer that question for the "redneck" conspiracy crowd, I have one, it is in my back yard where I have a family friend (dalmation) burried. You guessed it, I am a firefighter. It is not uncommon for firefighters, both current and retired to put one in their yard because they are proud of their profession. Was this home owner one of us, or was he committing insurance fraud? Who knows. If it was the latter he or she should be reprimanded or punished. But a better question is why doesn't Payson Fire Department know where their hydrants are? In my jurisdiction we service (lube threads, replace gaskets, flow water and paint if needed) every hydrant every year. In addition, each one gets pressure tested on a 5 year rotation. All of this is done for ISO, an agency that determines insurance rates. Another thing that we do is mark each and every hydrant with a GPS so that they are accurately represented on our maps. When one of the local water companies put in new hydrants, they contact us. We then send a representative out to test and approve it. It gets GPS'd and it is entered into a data base for the purpose of keeping track of its service history. Payson Fire may not want to hear this but they are just as responsible for this goof as the fake hydrant owner. From time to time a contractor may put in a new hydrant that they forget to tell us about. When one of us sees it, it is tested and put into the system. I guess it is possible that a citizen could put a hydrant in a yard near the road but I am pretty confident that if it doesn't show up on our map pages, there will be no need for one of our crews to stop and try to use it. Hopefully PFD will wipe the egg off of their faces and keep better track of the hydrants in the jurisdiction that they are held responsible for.

I doubt it in all cases, as the subdivision next to ours has hydrants but little to no pressure. I do not see an isurance company sending someone out in the boonies to see where the hydrants are and if they work. They might go as far as calling the fire dept and asking about them. Having the fire dept with a specific # of water trucks (Engines) nearby was all the requirement there was for the lower rates.

SuperDave, Actually they also ask where the nearest hydrant is. Mine is about 1 1/2 miles away.So it did not count.

I think it was yard art gone bad. Premiums in our area went down a lotc also, when they put in a volunteer station in our area between Winslow and Payson. I think the insurance company checks the fire district you are in comapred to your address, not the presense of hydrants.

I think it was insurance. I have a cabin in the National Forest, pretty remote. When they put in a Volunteer Fire Station and water tanks near my place, my inusrance rating went down.

Any how.......you might be a hillbilly,if you have a fake fire hydrant in your yard for insurance purposes!I like guns and beer and bare feet as much as the next guy,I have been known to keep a car or two up on blocks and I like to blast Metallica and Iron Maiden at odd hours,but JEEZ!Just take a step back and think about how that sounds.However much money I could save on my premium woud not be enough to have to explain that to anyone,let alone my neighbors house that burned down for lost time looking for a working hydrant!

Who besides a vet (so animals can do their business) would want a fake hydrant in their yard? This was a costly mistake.

Is it because you have such low self esteem, "you like to see the big man stumble" to make yourselves feel better? Why so much hatred towards the Payson Fire Dept. To call them lazy and hicks is pretty mean. Call them hicks when they save your life while it is ebbing away on the B-line Highway. Or staving of a wild fire on the Rim. The Payson Area has City land, County land, Forest Service land (Federal) and Indian Resrvation land all intersecting at various points. Much of it is in is very rural forest land, scattered in little neighborhood communites and developments. Houses,cabins,mobile homes. What difference does the color of the fire hydrant make? The fire hydrant was a real one and it was at the curb. Most likely put there by someone to lower insurance rates. Cactus Jumper, why would you call these people clowns. They are a very Professional Fire Dept. It was a human mistake, a mistake taken during a rush to extinguis a fire. I wonder how all of the detractors would do? Nope, they could not hold a candle to any fire fighter. PS, I do not know any firefighters there or any where.

Don't these idiots ever get off their lazy *asses long enough to INSPECT ALL the hydrants in the city at least once a year? Hell NO they don't! They're too busy watching 'Let's Make a Deal or some porno on the tube to be taking care of RESPONSIBILITIES. And then, when they get caught with egg on their face, they throw blame at the citizen. PFD-get off your faces long enough to do what you're getting PAID to do. You're a bunch of clowns that remind me of the Keystone Bucket Briggade.

What do you expect from a department (department??) that would arrest someone for setting their house on fire when that person was 114 miles away having coffee? They ended up with egg on the face over that one, and if this homeowner is smart they will be REINSTALLING this HYDRANT!