(Editor's Note: The following letter was sent to North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman and is printed here at the writer's request.)

Regrettably I must put into writing certain events that occurred on the morning of July 5 at 5 a.m. I am not confident the people at the public agencies I have spoken to recently, appreciate the gravity of the situation that I will now describe.

I was awakened at approximately 4:45 a.m. on Monday morning, July 5. There was a loud explosion at the rear of my house and the electricity in my house went off.

When I got up to investigate, I looked at the rear of my house and saw smoke and fire coming from the backyard of my next door neighbor who lives on Bruce Lane (they have four small children). I became concerned and assumed that there was a problem with the electric lines, which run east to west along the back of my and my neighbor's property.

I immediately called the police and went next door to wake up my neighbor, since I was unable to contact them by telephone. Fortunately, they were coming out of their house as I approached their front door.

Across the street from that neighbor on Bruce Lane was another house that had a fire in their front yard. The police and the fire department were called. The police responded immediately and the fire department approximately a half-hour later.

Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) was called and was asked to shut off the power. It was obvious that the fires were being caused by a live electric line that had been knocked down by a tree falling on them.

When the fire department arrived, they realized that the fire in the yards needed to be extinguished. They immediately set out to run some hose to the nearest fire hydrant, which was adjacent to Bruce Lane. In an attempt to activate those hoses, they turned on the fire hydrant to discover that the hydrant was not working. They then proceeded to canvass Harrow Lane to look for another hydrant from which they could draw water to extinguish these fires. I assume this was an unsuccessful attempt because they took their pump truck to another location, filled it with water and ultimately used that water to extinguish the fires.

I made another further assumption. I thought that the fire department would notify the water department of the difficulty with that fire hydrant so that something would be done to correct that situation quickly.

When I called the water district on Tuesday, July 6, they apparently had no knowledge of the difficulty. I was later informed by the water district that the hydrant would have to be repaired by a contractor who would be chosen by public bidding. That, I was told, would take about a month. When I raised concern about fire protection for my neighbors and myself, I was told that there are other hydrants in the area and therefore, safety was not a concern. I was told that the fire department has maps of the locations of fire hydrants and should be able to find one that is operational.

I then proceeded to call town hall and explain this same situation. I was forwarded to the Public Safety Commissioner's office and I discussed it with them. Today is July 8, and I still have no affirmative answer as to when this problem will be resolved.

I have been a Manhasset resident for over 30 years and I cannot believe that my town is allowing life and property to be exposed to the dangers of fire because of an inoperable fire hydrant.

Please allow this letter to advise all town officials and anyone involved in this particular water district that my neighbors and I fully intend to have a complete investigation as to why these fire hydrants have not been checked, and when this difficulty will be repaired. We will look to the town for any and all damages that may occur due to fires in the area and seek whatever protection is provided under the law, if this problem is not resolved immediately.

We feel that this is a gross negligence on the part of our public service agencies and we want answers immediately.

James J. Baranello

(Editor's Note: The following letter is a reply to James Baranello's letter, printed above).

The district has reviewed your letter of July 8, 2004 to Supervisor Kaiman and understands your concern. Be assured, the Manhasset-Lakeville Water and Fire Districts hold the safety and protection of our residents as our highest priority. The fire department and water district are called to respond to various types of emergencies on a daily basis. The volunteers of the department and staff of the district are dedicated to upholding a long tradition of exceptional service. The fire department's official records confirm that the dispatch center received the fire call at 5:21 a.m. and arrived on site at 5:29 a.m.

The district currently maintains approximately 1,500 fire hydrants throughout a 10.2-square mile service area. These hydrants are routinely inspected, repaired and/or replaced. It is simply impossible to guarantee that all hydrants will be in proper operating condition at all times. In acknowledgement of this fact, fire hydrant spacing is designed to create redundant capabilities for our fire department. For example, there are three additional fire hydrants within 500 feet of the hydrant that is currently out of service. All fire trucks carry a minimum of 1,000 feet of hose so water for fighting is not an issue. Hence the inoperable hydrant poses no threat to public safety and cannot be considered an emergency.

The district does consider inoperable hydrants a priority. In this instance a field technician was dispatched to the scene immediately. The technician was unable to repair the hydrant and it was therefore scheduled for replacement. The replacement process is dependent upon many field conditions including: location, type and size of water main, the condition of the hydrant lateral valve, shut down planning, resident notification of shut down, and underground utility mark outs. In addition, if the job requires a contractor, the district must satisfy the New York State bidding requirements.

The district understands your frustration with the outward appearance of the situation. We understand that the fire hit close to your home so you are rightfully concerned. We assure you that the hydrant will be repaired in an expeditious manner.

Manhasset-Lakeville Water District

James E. Sharkey,

Chairman of the Board of Commissioners

(Editor's Note: This letter was sent to James E. Sharkey, chairman of the board of commissioners, Manhasset-Lakeville Water District, in response to his letter printed above.)

Thank you for your letter of July 14, 2004 in response to my concern for fire protection of the Harrow Lane, Manhasset residents. My neighbors and I are well aware of, and appreciate the dedication of the volunteers and staff of the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department. It is however necessary to correct some of the inaccurate information mentioned in your letter.

Your statements about the department's official records of when the call was received and the arrival time of the fire department are inaccurate. I personally made the first call to the fire department at 5:10 a.m. and the responding trucks arrived at 5:40 a.m. This can be confirmed, as my neighbors and I were a bit concerned that this was an unusual amount of time for a fire department response. Your comments that the hydrants (1500) are routinely inspected leave open the question "how often are they inspected." The fact that you claim there are additional hydrants able to be tapped because trucks carry a minimum of 1000 feet of hose, bears out another question. Why didn't the fire department tap another hydrant on Harrow Lane if the closest one was inoperable? My neighbors and I witnessed frustrated volunteers searching for an operable hydrant along Harrow Lane that they could use. Finding none, they went to another location and filled up the pumper truck so the fires could be extinguished.

Please do not consider this letter or my former letter as harassment. I have been a resident of Manhasset for over 30 years and consider myself a conscientious citizen who feels public works departments should be on their toes at all times. I would appreciate your advising me how often these hydrants are tested, the last time they were tested, the results of those tests and when they will be tested again.

I understand that the faulty hydrant has been replaced. My neighbors and I appreciate the expeditious response, but we also noticed other work being done in the Strathmore Village area. Have you discovered other fire hydrants that are bad? Please respond with the information I have requested.

James J. Baranello