FIREFIGHTERS are urging people to report issues with fire hydrant pits as covered areas continue to cause issues responding to incidents.
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Wodonga firefighters spent nearly 10 minutes digging up compacted dirt to access water at a job on Monday.
Albury firefighters had struggled to find a pit on a footpath covered in long grass during a house fire in Kurrajong Crescent on Christmas Eve.
The pits are used as a water source for fire trucks, with access to the pits often time critical.
Firefighters must find the location of the pits and connect hoses, which can be delayed if they are covered.
Wodonga CFA member Matthew Johnson said they regularly found pits that were grown over, covered in mulch, or had gardens created on the top.
“It’s just about the owner of the property – if there’s a hydrant out the front – being aware that it’s there and getting in contact with us or the council if they notice it’s damaged or missing a marker spot,” he said.
“It certainly has the potential to cause problems.
“When they’re well maintained and easily identifiable, it’s not an issue.”
Firefighters can be forced to connect to a different pit, further away, if they can’t access the closest one which causes delays to their response.
They are marked in a variety ways, but commonly have a white post with a red top and blue reflector.
They may have initials FH, HP or HR on the post or gutter, while roads have blue markers indicating their location.
Older houses may have small “tombstone” style markers.
The pits are covered by plates.
The Wodonga brigade will consider a letter drop at properties where issues have been identified.
Albury firefighter Dean Campbell said fire trucks carry water but extra resources could be used up trying to locate the pits.
“People may not even be aware that they have a hydrant in front of their house,” he said.
“We go and check them periodically.
“The council help out quite a bit if we locate one that’s faulty.”
Some pits can’t be found despite the use of electronic maps.
Mr Campbell said there were issues “all the time” with accessing the pits.
“They could be covered for years,” Mr Campbell said.
He also warned there were fines for people who park over the pits.
The warnings come as the weather is tipped to reach it's highest temperate on the Border this summer on Saturday, with 40 degrees forecast.
