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The African Nova Scotian Justice Institute (ANSJI) is aware of the serious concerns being raised by community members of Upper Hammonds Plains, a historic Black community just outside of Halifax.
Despite being home to what is believed to be the first all-Black fire department in North America, community members say that, in a community meeting in August, they learned that the sole three fire hydrants in the community, located along the eight-kilometre stretch of Pockwock Rd., are useless against fighting fire and keeping the community safe.
In an open letter and petition by concerned residents of Upper Hammonds Plains it states: “It is unacceptable and is blatantly discriminatory that this community does not have access to an adequate number of functional fire hydrants to fight fires.”
The letter and petition state that 25 years ago six-inch and eight-inch water pipes were installed in the community by Halifax Water with the approval of the city and the province but that “they knew that these would be inadequate.”
Residents say they learned that fire hydrants require 16-inch water pipes to function properly and that the three fire hydrants in Upper Hammonds Plains were never intended to fight fires and can only be used for training purposes and to flush the main water line.
Additionally, a CTV news report in August 2024 documented how the undersized pipes only allow for low water pressure in homes in Upper Hammonds Plains.
In the days that followed, in a Facebook post, Lennett Anderson, the pastor of Emanuel Baptist Church in Upper Hammonds Plains (UHP) wrote:
“When Halifax Water and its funding partners (excluding UHP) chose to extend the project beyond its original scope to include English Corner, ensuring full fire protection for that area, they made a clear statement. Halifax Water EQUIPPED that small section of road with 12 fully operational fire hydrants connected to 16-inch pipes‼️ However, once you cross the “invisible color line” into the UHP community, the pipe sizes drop from 16 inches to 8 and 6 inches, and NOT ONE fire hydrant is ready to combat a house fire‼️ #RightTheWRONG”
In a series of additional posts, Anderson called the fire hydrants in Upper Hammonds Plains “lawn ornaments”. He noted the irony that one of them is located “directly across from Canada's first all-Black volunteer fire department.”
The African Nova Scotian Justice Institute supports the demands of the residents of Upper Hammonds Plains for “Halifax Water, the Halifax Regional Municipality, and the NS Department of Municipal Affairs [to] right this wrong with haste.”
We encourage all members of the Black/African Nova Scotian community and it's allies to do the same, stay informed and engaged with these ongoing developments, and sign the online petition that demands action in correcting this clear and blatant injustice perpetrated on the Black community and the residents of Upper Hammonds Plains.
Lastly, as a Black organization mandated to address issues of systemic racism that negatively affect Black people in Nova Scotia, the African Nova Scotian Justice Institute calls on Halifax Water; the Halifax Regional Municipality/Regional Council; and the Nova Scotia Government, its Department of Municipal Affairs, the Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs, and the Office of Equity and Anti-Racism to immediately install 16-inch water pipes and additional fire hydrants to ensure that – in 2024 – anti-Black discrimination and systemic racism does not continue to persist and pose a severe risk to the safety and security of the predominately-Black community of Upper Hammonds Plains.
See Also:
[AUDIO] – Fire hydrants in Upper Hammonds Plains ineffective for fire suppression – from Information Morning - NS with Portia Clark (feat. Pastor Lennett Anderson)
[VIDEO] – Smaller pipes causing low water pressure for Halifax-area community (CTV)
[VIDEO] – Residents of Hammonds Plains, N.S. face water pressure and fire hydrant issues (CTV)
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