The 26 members of Interact Club, SLV High’s service club affiliated with the SLV Rotary Club, took on the job of painting 409 fire hydrants for the Boulder Creek Fire Department a year ago. Three person crews – one Rotarian and two Interact members – have been cleaning and painting 10-12 hydrants on weekends for almost a year. About half have been painted so far. Fire Chief Kevin McClish provided a power point to train the crews to assure their safety along the roads and the wearing of proper safety equipment including gloves, makes and eye protection. And the SLV Water District provided the specialized spray paint.
Along with improving the visibility of the hydrants (important in an emergency) information about missing caps, leaks or missing blue road reflectors, has been reported back to BC Fire to fix. The Interact teens are receiving many school community service hours, learning teamwork and the importance of safety, and having fun.
Typical of the San Lorenzo Valley, a large project has been taken on by a local non-profit, creating an important community service opportunity to local students, and filling an important need that otherwise would have taken many hours of the fire department volunteer’s time.
SLV Rotarian, Janet Coit summed it up saying, “This has been a wonderful project. The Rotarians love working with the Interact members and getting to know them.The Interact members have enjoyed getting to know Rotarians so much they initiated a potluck dinner for Interact and Rotarian members this past fall, which was a huge success.”
For information about the SLV Rotary, which is open to everyone, check out their excellent website.
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