We're joining with fire agencies to encourage residents to help ensure local firefighting hydrants are accessible and ready for action in the event of a fire.
Recent examples of nature strip hydrants grown over with grass or plants, buried under dirt or inaccessible under parked cars or trailers have prompted this important community safety message.
"If there's a fire in your neighbourhood, you're going to want firefighting units to be able to connect with water quickly," Councillor Paul Barker said.
"That means being able to find hydrants easily and tap into them without having to waste precious time searching, digging around or knocking on doors asking for vehicles to be shifted.
"Council maintains hydrants across the shire but residents have a vital role in helping.
"We have been disappointed to hear of some aggressive behaviour by residents towards our hydrant contractor.
"We acknowledge that some residents might have a particular sense of ownership for their nature strips and care for their appearance, but we ask everyone to please respect the important maintenance being carried out by keeping hydrants clear and accessible."
CFA Torquay Fire Brigade Captain Murray Middleton echoed the maintenance call.
"Access to the hydrant plugs is critical to our response times and how effective we can be in an emergency," Captain Middleton said.
"Every second lost searching for a hydrant or accessing a hydrant could be the difference between saving a house or a life.
"We'd really love our communities to recognise when they have a hydrant in front of their house and to help us maintain them. Keep them clear of dirt and grass and plants, keep the marker posts in the ground and most importantly don't park your car over them."
A residential fire hydrant is generally located within a nature strip and is identified by white marker post.
Blue reflectors and white painted diamonds on sealed roads also help fire services identify them at night.
Find more information on helping maintain fire hydrants via our Fire Ready webpage.
