Photo Credit: Arnie Fine
Following the recent home fire here in Rossmoor, we’ve had a number of requests from residents for information on the fire hydrants in
Rossmoor their maintenance and replacement schedule. We reached out to the Golden State Water Company (GSWC) who owns, maintains, and operates the Rossmoor water distribution system that includes our fire hydrants.
Based on the information from GSWC and OCFA, here’s our understanding of the events.
On the afternoon of Monday, February 10, 2025, multiple Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) firefighting assets were deployed on to extinguish the structure fire at Foster and Gertrude, and were served well by the Rossmoor water distribution system in protection of public health, safety, and property preservation. These OCFA assets utilized multiple fire hydrants from the neighborhood
water distribution system during the operations.
According to the OCFA, the flow rate from the hydrants was about 750 gallons per minute. The required hydrant flow rate for residential home areas in Orange County is 500 gallons per minute.
A field investigation performed afterward the fire by GSWC, found that one of the hydrants utilized during the firefight, started leaking at the base near ground level. This is where the portion of the hydrant seen above ground is mechanically connected to the portion that extends below ground.
GSWC operators inspected this hydrant
following the fire and found two bolts broken. They replaced all the flange bolts and installed a new flange gasket, making this connection watertight once again. They tested and operated the hydrant, which is now back in full service.
It is unknown if the leak and bolt breaks were caused by the fire hydrant operation and use that evening, or if
the bolt integrity was compromised from an unreported, undetected incident, such as a minor vehicle collision or accident, prior to the event. - More details & updates here...
