by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Feb. 18 meeting, the Sewanee Utility District Board of Commissioners elected officers, voted to adopt a commissioner training policy, and discussed fire-hydrant flushing state requirements relative to ISO scoring for the Sewanee Fire Department.

The board reelected Charlie Smith president, elected Johnny Hughes vice president, and elected Clay Yeatman secretary for 2025.

At the January meeting the board discussed utility boards being more closely monitored to verify all commissioners completed the minimum required commissioner training hours. The policy adopted by the board holds reelected commissioners to the same training-hours requirement as newly elected commissioners. The policy stipulates, “Sewanee Utility District wishes to go above and beyond the minimum training requirements ... every Board member will, upon election or re-election to the Board, complete a minimum of 12 hours of continuing education training within an initial period of 12 months of said election: And, furthermore, all Board members will complete a minimum of 12 additional hours of continuing education training within the 3 year period following the initial 12 month period.” SUD manager Ben Beavers commented that, in addition to meeting the state requirement, the board completing commissioner training could positively impact SUD’s ability to receive grants.

Commissioner Donnie McBee initiated the discussion about fire hydrant flushing. “The fire department lost 13 points on their ISO calculation,” McBee said. “Chief Terry Smith feels like it could affect residents’ homeowners insurance. It had something to do with fire hydrants and attention to fire hydrants. Are the hydrants required to be serviced on certain terms?”

“Not on the ISO terms,” Charlie Smith said.

“What we’re required [by state law] is every year we have to flush all the dead-end lines. There are 50 or 60 of these. Once every five years we have to flush the other hydrants,” Beavers said. SUD flushes these hydrants on a rotating basis. “We’re not required to put a gauge on them and do a flow test. What ISO requires to get the most points is every year you have to flow test every hydrant. We have 269.” The fire department’s ISO rating did not change, according to Beavers.

“[Hydrant flushing] is only one small element of the whole ISO rating,” Charlie Smith added. “Sewanee has big city [fire protection] problems in a rural community. There are multiple high-rise buildings, a rural utility district, and a volunteer fire department.”

“On some of these buildings [for fire suppression] they want 3,500 gallons per minute of sustained flow for four hours,” Beavers pointed out. “Our best hydrant by the water plant will flow 1,700-1,800 gpm, and as you get farther away it decreases.” As to the feasibility of annually flow testing and flushing all hydrants, Beavers said, “It would take one-third to one-half of one worker’s time over a year plus the water loss.”

In a related matter, Beavers said the University had still not installed meters on the fire lines at Hamilton Hall and Biehl Commons. “I’m going to turn the water off on the fire suppression at Biehl Commons until they get it fixed. They’ve had plenty of time to get a meter and put it in the ground. It’s been a year or more.”