With the support of community partners, including the Downtown Wellness and Safety Task Force, Brandon is piloting the installation of hydration stations to make drinking water more accessible to the community. With the increasing frequency of extreme heat warnings, the availability of water for the most vulnerable in our community has been a challenge.
Following earlier initiatives, such as Brandon Fire & Emergency Services teaming up with Police Service Cadets to hand out bottled water during heat advisories, setting up hydration stations downtown is another step in ongoing endeavors to ensure safe public access to drinking water where the need is the greatest.
A hydration station is a seasonal water bottle fill depot installed on a public sidewalk and connected directly to a fire hydrant. The fire hydrant will remain usable for firefighting operations in the event of an emergency. The city plans for two hydration stations to go in this summer, with the first one being setup today at the corner of 7th Street and Rosser Avenue. The location of the second station is being finalized with a plan to install as early as next week.
Image – Hydration station – City of Brandon
Operating procedures are in place to ensure water quality at the hydration stations meet drinking water standards, which includes regular water sampling and testing. The first hydration station is in place, but signage will indicate that it is temporarily ‘not in service’ as the results of the water testing are pending. The hydration station is expected to pass all water quality tests and put into use as soon as possible. Signage will be updated at the hydration station when it is ready for public operation. It is expected that the first hydration station will be ready for use this weekend.
