Dear PoPville – Broken non-working fire hydrant, down for over a week

Dear PoPville,

Once again someone has run over and destroyed the mid-block fire hydrant in the 1800 block of Wyoming Avenue, NW. Once again no water gushed or even dribbled out, which means the hydrant was not working (for how long, one wonders) and would have been of no use at all had there been a fire in that block. It’s been that way for over a week now, though the City did pick up all the discarded Christmas trees piled next to, but not obscuring it.

The last time this happened, about 18 months ago, I posted a photo and note about it on PoP. Someone from the City posted a response saying I should have sent the information to the City’s 311 website rather than posting it.

So this time I did go to the City website and tried to submit the info. No luck.

I went the City’s website, then to the City “Services” home page, clicked on “Request Center Online.” Then clicked on the “Select Service” tab, the “Submit a New Service Request.” But then I had to select from a drop-down menu a “Service Type” before it would let me try to go forward. I can choose from list of a pretty thorough 87 subjects, ranging from “dead animal pickup” to “potholes” to “sign missing stop investigation” even “parking meter,” but nothing referring to “fire hydrant.”

If I choose the other option of “keyword search, under keyword
fire” and under “F,” I find three choices (all available on the original drop-down):

FEMS: Community Events
FEMS: Fire Safety Education
FEMS: Smoke Alarm Application

Keyword: “hydrant” produces no results.

But I cannot continue without choosing one of the 87 original choices. And that is after spending a good 10 minutes just trying.

So unless a dead fire hydrant qualifies for dead animal pickup, I’m back to PoP, now Popville. Is there a simpler way to report this problem? I just want it taken care of, but not with just a new fire hydrant, but with one that works. THANKS!