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Corrales Fire Chief Anthony Martinez said Tuesday his long-term goal is hydrant coverage for the entire village.
“The limitation is budget, but the imagination and the planning is not limited,” he said. “We are definitely in the process of planning foresight, looking at the village as a whole.”
Speaking at the Village Council meeting, Martinez said community members have been seeing new hydrants show up and wanted to know about the project, particularly when they might see hydrants near their homes and businesses.
He said the fire suppression resources in Corrales include several water tanks throughout the village. Combined, they contain thousands of gallons of water, with three pumping stations in operation.
Martinez said crews were recently able to connect between the Loma Larga pumping station and its counterpart at the main fire station pumping station, giving firefighters the ability to throw more water on a fire, as well as provide redundancy in some areas.
“Some have asked me why I parked a fire truck in Loma Larga while the old fire truck there still works,” he said, adding that the placement means the department could still get a fire truck hooked up to the tank, in the event of a power failure or other disruption.
Martinez said six hydrants have been installed on Andrews Lane, with a seventh expected Thursday. He said the latest hydrant is important because it will be in the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District right-of-way and allow fire trucks to get as close as they can get to the Bosque, which generally has a high fire risk.
“We have a little bit of water in our river,” Martinez said. “But it’s hard to put a fire pump into that, so we’re very excited to get that hydrant up and running in service.”
The 60,000 gallon water tank at Corrales Elementary School, Martinez said, has been taken offline during construction related to a campus expansion. However, he said, the village system is supplying the school’s sprinklers and hydrants to ensure coverage.
The next phase of the system expansion, he said, will involve running about 2,800 feet of pipe south from the water tank behind the elementary school, along with six fire hydrants, including one by the village complex. Martinez said the second phase of the Andrews Lane project is underway, with the bidding completed and materials estimation in progress.
He said the department is keeping costs down by taking advantage of in-kind contributions, using its own tools and equipment and handing purchases in-house.
In response to a question from Councilor Mel Knight, Martinez said adding hydrants south on Loma Larga Road is among the top priorities should more funding become available.
“It’s all driven by budget,” he said. “If we have the funds, we’d be happy to extend south. But right now, all the money is allocated to complete the Andrews (project) as far as we can go to protect the Bosque.”
Councilor Bill Woldman asked whether the conservancy district, known as the MRGCD, holds any responsibility to financially support fire prevention efforts in the Bosque.
Martinez said that matter is in question is dealing with the Bosque, as the MRGCD owns the property, but the village annexed the Bosque into its limits and provides fire, police and other services.