Long-awaited hydrant maps propel Liberty County fire updates

Long-awaited hydrant maps propel Liberty County fire updates Long-awaited hydrant maps propel Liberty County fire updates by Robin Kemp and Maggie Lee, The Current October 2, 2026 As development sprawled across Liberty County in recent years, new warehouses and subdivisions have been required to build in their own fire protection. However, older homes and businesses in the large county bisected by I-95 didn't get the same attention from county plans. That's slowly changing. While state regulations written into the county's zoning ordinance require fire hydrants in new subdivisions, older structures are grandfathered into areas beyond the reach of county water lines. Now county officials are exploring the possibility of adding a water tank dedicated to fire suppression east of I-95, and updated work has mapped fire hydrants for responding crews. Liberty County Fire Chief Brian Darby addresses the Midway City Council, Sept. 9, 2024. Darby floated a proposal for the county to provide full-time fire service to the city. The Liberty County Board of Commissioners is negotiating with the city. Liberty County Fire Chief Brian Darby told The Current GA he will consult with county engineer T.R. Long about the feasibility of placing a water storage tank east of I-95 for firefighting. Issues to consider include usable well locations, as well as whether the soil is strong enough to hold both the weight of a full water tank and any tanker trucks that would use it. Long told The Current, 'We do not have many choices for surface water in our area that [do] not require desalination,' adding, 'Generally, the soils will support the tanks. We always perform test[s] to determine the bearing capacity at each tank site.' As Liberty County is forced to balance continued economic expansion with growing pressure on its finite natural resources, the City of Midway is seeking funding for a $4.5 million, 500,000-gallon elevated tank near Charlie Butler Road. Yet the state limits how much water Midway, the county, and other service areas can withdraw. Meanwhile, for the first time, Liberty County residents can see the locations of nearly every fire hydrant in the county as compiled by The Current. MAPPING FIRE PROTECTION https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/30345269/ The Current used digital data obtained from Liberty County Fire and Emergency Services and the Coastal Regional Commission of Georgia through the Georgia Open Records Act, as well as updates to data The Current had previously requested from the Hinesville Fire Department while investigating privately-owned fire hydrants. Those records also show which fire service has the responsibility for testing and maintaining which hydrants, as well as specific makes, models, field notes, among other information. Different agencies use different software and data. In 2024, the Coastal Regional Commission of Georgia's GIS and Mapping department built an app, powered by data on each fire hydrant, that LCFES firefighters can call up on a moment's notice. It lets firefighters track the status and location of any given hydrant and keep up with regular maintenance. Hinesville has a similar app through its city GIS department. Citizens cannot view the maps on the city, county, or CRC website, even though the locations are public information. The Current's combined map only shows hydrants attached to pressurized water lines. According to county Fire Chief Brian Darby, Liberty County has no 'dry hydrants' – hydrants that draw water from a pipe that sticks into a static body of water. FOLLOWING THE STORY The problem came to light in 2022, after a two-story historic home on Colonels Island burned to the ground. Liberty County firefighters didn't have the required turbodraft connector to suck water from nearby open water sources, nor a ladder truck to tackle the fire from above. In the aftermath, the owners accused the county of failing to act. Shallow low tides there and at Butler Island in McIntosh County forced crews to shuttle water. LCFES has since acquired four turbodrafts and placed one at each of its fully-staffed firehouses. Four other strategically located stations hold equipment for responding crews. In 2024, The Current GA reported on 15 of 17 non-working private fire hydrants, including two at Liberty County public schools, one at a mobile home park, and one at a low-income highrise, that Hinesville Fire Chief Robert Kitchens said presented a 'scary' situation. From 2024 to 2025, The Current's investigation of conditions at the Midway Volunteer Fire Department and friction with City Hall led to state regulators suspending Midway's fire certification for 30 days. After dropping negotiations with the county, the city took out loans for new equipment and remodeling, hiring full-time firefighters and reopening its fire station. But voters' anger over insurance premiums led to an all-new council; former councilman Malcolm Williams won in a runoff, partly on his stance that he opposed a city-owned fire station based on the costs involved. Dry hydrants can be an option in rural areas far from water mains. A pipe runs inland from a body of water, then straight up, then at a 90-degree angle into a fire department connection. Firefighters access that water by hooking a hose to a pump on a tanker, which sucks the water up the pipe and into the tank, allowing firefighters to attach hoses. However, Darby explained, dry hydrants are an old technology that can get clogged or cave in under low pressure. That's why insurance risk rating companies will instead test fire departments on how quickly they can move water using tankers where no pressurized hydrants exist. According to Darby, dry hydrants cost more to maintain than regular fire hydrants – about $300 to $500 per year each – which is why LCFES went to turbodrafts. A TurboDraft is basically a strainer on the end of a pipe that sucks water out of nearby ponds, pools, lakes, or rivers. But TurboDrafts require a certain depth of water above and below to work, making them unreliable during low tide. Both TurboDrafts and dry hydrants are prone to clogging with mud, vegetation, and other debris, which also can damage the tanker truck. Salt in the water also requires the tanker to be flushed after service. Rating fire protection Depending on how close your home is to a fire hydrant, you may pay more or less for homeowner's insurance. And if you rent, those rates likely affect what your landlord charges. Part of insurance analysis includes proximity to hydrants, stations and the available equipment. Buildings in LCFES' jurisdiction meet the requirements for rural fire protection, with an insurance rating of 4/4y, where 1 is the highest rating and 10 is the lowest. The first number means a building in LCFES' jurisdiction is within 5 road miles of the nearest fire station and within 1,000 feet of a 'creditable' water source. The '4y' designation means the building is within 5 miles of the closest fire station but more than 1,000 feet away from a hydrant or other creditable water source. Buildings also are evaluated on whether the city or county water supply has enough water coming out at sufficient pressure over time to fight fires, and on how thoroughly they inspect fire hydrants. For new developments connecting to city or community water systems, Liberty County zoning requires fire hydrants no more than 500 feet apart. Specific distance requirements vary depending on the size of the subdivision and of the individual homes and lots. Water pressure is another firefighting factor. The National Fire Protection Association, which sets firefighting standards, lists specific procedures for testing fire flow, which is how fast water shoots out of a hydrant in gallons per minute, depending on the system a hydrant is attached to and the type of building it's meant to protect. Fire flow also is affected by the diameter of pipes and connectors on the hydrant, and by the diameter of the hose attached. Under pressure On the east side of Liberty County, private water lines serve homes through Water Utilities Management and business and industries through the Liberty County Development Authority. The City of Midway's water lines end on the west side of I-95, while the county's water line ends on U.S. Highway 84. The system's pipes 'loop back' near the Miller Park Fire Station to keep the water pressurized. City of Midway water tower, Feb. 19, 2026. Midway's water system has had 'sever(e) pressure problems,' according to the city's application on a list of state-funded water projects approved for 2025, with pressures 'below the required minimum.' That's one reason why Midway is adding the Charlie Butler Road tank. However, the city needs to be able to store more water on its east side, according to the application. Midway says it will need to double its daily withdrawal allotment by 2029, then double that again by 2034 at an estimated 1,056,500 gallons per day. Extending water lines down Islands Highway to Sunbury requires local cooperation. County and local governments would have to agree to share a single water system – something Chairman Donald Lovette has hinted is inevitable – or enter into a contract for a line extension with the Liberty County Development Authority. Otherwise, Darby said, there's no way to get water lines down Islands Highway to Sunbury, because different water systems cannot overlap. In June, Darby had floated the idea of running about 3.3 miles of purple pipe, which is used for non-potable water, from the LCDA's proposed water reclamation facility down Islands Highway and Fort Morris Road. That proposal has not gotten much traction, largely due to the high costs involved. Tanker trucks Just as people used to line up and pass containers of water in bucket brigades, tanker trucks, or tenders, can ferry thousands of gallons of water into areas without local water supplies. Connections on these specialized trucks allow firefighters to attach hoses. Mutual aid agreements allow multiple fire departments to pitch in when requested, adding their tenders to the effort. Liberty County expects to take delivery of its own new 3,000-gallon tender in the coming weeks, paid for by the SPLOST one-cent sales tax. That revenue also enabled the department to buy two new fire engines this year. Left to right: Commissioner Marion Stevens, Liberty County Fire Chief Brian Darby, Liberty County Chairman Donald Lovette, and District 3 Commissioner Connie Thrift celebrate the new Miller Park Fire Station and headquarters near Midway, Ga, Oct. 4, 2024. Behind them is Assistant Fire Chief Christopher Morrison. Credit: Robin Kemp/The Current GA But since the COVID pandemic, wait times have slowed fire apparatus deliveries nationwide. In April, Darby said the lead time was 24 to 32 months for trucks and orders for tenders were running 18 to 24 months. That requires local governments to plan well ahead of when the old truck might break down, he said, pointing to National Fire Prevention Association standards that rate a fire truck's normal life cycle as 15 years. With good maintenance, limited use, and repairs as needed, a department can get about another 10 years out of that same truck, Darby explained. But anything over 25 years old must be replaced. In 2025, a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate's Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing on those long wait times, caused in part by private equity consolidation of the companies that build fire trucks. Those wait times for new apparatuses, as well as for critical parts, are putting lives and property at risk all over the country – not just in Liberty County. STEPS HOMEOWNERS CAN TAKE Residential fire sprinklers are an option but they are not mandatory in Georgia for single-family homes or duplexes. In fact, Georgia law explicitly prevents adding requirements for residential sprinklers to state or local fire codes. Fire extinguishers should be strategically placed throughout each floor of the home. The nonprofit National Fire Protection Association offers specific advice on where and how to install fire extinguishers. Property owners can check their fire rating, usually listed on policies as an ISO or PPC rating, with their insurance company. New fire stations and safety upgrades near you should yield a lower insurance rate. Check the declarations page of your homeowner's insurance policy to see your home's protection class rating. This article first appeared on The Current and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.