Thousands of homes and businesses in rural and unincorporated areas of the Rio Grande Valley could be better protected during fire emergencies under legislation filed by Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg.

His measure, House Bill 1768, would encourage private utilities, such as a water supply corporation, to improve firefighters’ access to hydrants by shielding those firms from unfair liabilities if a hydrant malfunctions or provides inadequate water supply during a blaze.

His legislation was introduced as a response to unintended results from a law, enacted by the Texas Legislature six years ago, that affected fire hydrants in rural or unincorporated areas of the state.

In Texas, a device is considered non-functioning if it pumps less than 250 gallons of water per minute, according to the State Fire Firefighter’s and Fire Marshal’s Association of Texas. This is a minimum requirement based on uniform standards adopted by the National Fire Protection Association and used across the country.

Originally published in the Valley Voice.