Thousands of homes and businesses in rural areas of the Valley would see fire safety protection improved by Canales’ legislation

David Diaz, The Valley Voice

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.

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