Huntington Herald

Scout’s project ensures better visibility of fire hydrants

Written by The Huntington Herald
Tuesday, 07 February 2012 01:00

Christopher Turechek of Troop 27 made his Eagle Scout project one that is sure to be noticed, at least in the White Hills area.

After researching project ideas Christopher found that several major cities across the country were applying special reflective tape to fire hydrants. The reflective tape allows firefighters to locate hydrants faster at night or in bad weather. The fire hydrants are no longer hidden along the side of the road but instead light up with a blue streak when headlights hit them.

The White Hills fire district has approximately 300 fire hydrants. With the assistance of Shelton Fire Commissioner Tim Manion, Christopher created routes and a schedule for the work parties. Christopher directed twenty volunteers from his troop that provided the man power to complete the project.

The specially designed tape is highly reflective and its bright blue coloring will enable firefighters to locate hydrants during an emergency when every second counts. As soon as the scouts began applying the tape Commissioner Manion began to receive positive comments from both the city's fire department volunteers and residents who began to notice the difference the tape was making.

The project was made possible from donations from the Shelton Fire Department and local retail stores.

Christopher is the son of Maria and Frank Turechek and is a freshman high honor student at Shelton High School.

Boy Scout Troop 27 is sponsored by St. Paul's church in Huntington and meets on Friday evenings at the White Hills Recreation Center. The Eagle Scout rank is the highest Boy Scout rank that a scout can earn.

Troop 27 has 42 members and is part of the Boy Scouts of America's Housatonic Council. Troop 27 can be contacted at troop27online@gmail.com for information on joining and other troop activities.

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