Obtaining a positive water supply often is considered a mundane assignment on the fireground. For smaller fires in residential and commercial occupancies, the task doesn’t require much thought.

At the simplest point, the job of the fire department is primarily suppression. Yes, collectively, we provide a multitude of services, but suppression is the foundation of most departments’ mission.

Thousands of often undervalued and overlooked fire hydrants dot the landscape of the Mahoning Valley, the state and the nation. Too often, however, these critical tools for ensuring public safety are ...