MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. – Have you ever noticed those blue reflectors in the roadway?
Well, they play an important role in safety. They’re placed by fire hydrants so firefighters can find them easily at night.
But over time many become cracked, broken or even come off the pavement altogether.
That was the case in the Town of Melbourne Beach.
“Over time the sun can degrade them, Cars drive over them, they chip, they peel off,” Melbourne Beach Fire Chief, Gavin Brown, explained. “We couldn’t even find the records from when ours were last replaced.”
But one enterprising high school senior had an idea. Boy Scout Logan Knolmayer decided to replace them all as part of his Eagle Scout project.
“My dad has been with the fire department for as long as I can remember,” Knolmayer said. “He’s a driver/engineer so he drives the trucks. He told me that at night it’s hard to see some of the hydrants because they may be tucked away near bushes.”
Logan spent 82 hours on planning and execution. “There’s a lot of paperwork, “Knolmayer said with a laugh. “I learned how government works. If you want to get something done it’s not as easy as just doing it. You have to go through all the stages of approval, everybody has to say yes.”
Knolmayer got everything approved and even managed to get a discount from the vendor.
It took two days to place all 168 reflectors near 106 hydrants. Hydrants on corners require two reflectors.
A small group of friends, family, firefighters and other scouts from Troop 330 helped with the installation. Reflectors in high-traffic areas such as along A1A were replaced overnight.
“I think it was a great idea,” Chief Brown said. “It was something we had been trying to do for a while. We have map books to show us where they’re all located but it’s definitely something nice for the firefighters at night.”
Knolmayer still needs a board review before he can officially become an Eagle Scout. He hopes it become official by early November.
“I like driving down the road at night,” Knolmayer said. “You can see them bright. I say ‘and I put those there.”
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below:
Post comments (0)