Relations Frosty Between D.C. Fire, WASA Chiefs

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Photo of firefighters testing a hydrant in Adams Morgan last week by Elissa Silverman/The Washington Post

ON WEDNESDAY, we wrote about the public sniping that had ensued between the D.C. fire department and the Water and Sewer Authority after efforts to fight a blaze at an Adams Morgan condo building earlier this month were hampered, fire officials say, by a lack of water pressure in fire hydrants. (WASA officials say the water pressure level in some of the nearby hydrants was adequate.)

We didn't know the half of it.

Feast your eyes on these smoldering tidbits from a report by The Post's Elissa Silverman:

» D.C. Fire Chief Dennis L. Rubin sent firefighters into Adams Morgan in the early morning hours last week. They hooked up hoses, barked commands and fought ... nothing. It was all an exercise to prove that water pressure in fire hydrants controlled by WASA was indeed to blame for the problems fire officials had in fighting the condo fire earlier this month.

» WASA General Manager Jerry N. Johnson, speaking about Rubin during an interview last week: "The relationship at the top levels [of the two departments] soured shortly after his arrival."

» Rubin speaking about Johnson at a D.C. Council hearing after the condo fire: "The rank-and-file folks at WASA are tremendous. The executive of WASA has not been as cooperative."

And these two guys have to work together to figure out whether D.C. has a hydrant problem and, if so, find a way to fix it? Hoo boy.

» "D.C. Fire Chief Thrives In the Heat of a Spotlight" [WaPo]
» EARLIER: "Bickering Agencies Told to Fix D.C. Hydrants" [Free Ride/Express]