Tapping into Metro Fire Hydrants
by
On August 13th, Metro authorities charge an employee of a pressure washing company with misdemeanor theft.
Police and water company investigators allege Austin McClain opened a Metro fire hydrant without permission and without a permit and allegedly filled the company’s water tanks without paying for the water.
Ed McClain is the owner of the American Wash Company. McClain strongly refutes the allegations, telling me his son did nothing wrong.
Cordan: So you contest every aspect of that report?
McClain: I sure do!
According to the police report:
The complainant states that he observed the suspect arrive at the location and unlock the gate. The suspect then drove his truck to the fire hydrant and take out a tool that turns the water on. Complainant then drove around the block to keep from being seen. When he came back the suspect had the hose connect to the hydrant pumping water into the suspect’s trailer. After the suspect filled up the trailer, he turned the water off and concealed the wrench back in his truck. That is when the complainant approached the suspect, identified himself and detained the suspect. Complainant then explained to the suspect the safety issue associated with the hydrant not having a meter to regulate. Suspect did not have permission from victim to use the hydrant. Misdemeanor citation was issued to suspect and the suspect wrench was seized.
McClain: We feel like we have not done anything dishonest.
Cordan: Who gave you the wrench?
McClain: The fire dept.
According to Ed McClain, despite what investigators allege, his son did not steal a single drop of water from the fire hydrant in front of his race shop on Little Green Street on August 13th, but McClain tells me that he and his company have bled fire hydrants at this location and around Nashville in the past. According to McClain, he has permission from the city to do so.
McClain: We feel like what we have been doing is cleaning out fire hydrants, and the water we take is only 100 or 200 gallons and it’s all crud. We had a letter saying it was ok to bleed hydrants in Davidson County and we bled this one. Most places we go have water hook up. This is not a job we do. This is something if we are in an area of Nashville and there is no water access, if there is a fire hydrant that we can bleed for the city we will.
After lengthy discussions with Ed McClain, he makes it clear that he believes he had permission from the city to do this. McClain says he believes that by bleeding stagnant water out of fire hydrants, his company is actually providing a service to Metro tax payers.
Metro Water supervisor John Kennedy disagrees.
Kennedy: We are not happy about it anytime someone uses water they don’t pay for, that means we all pay for it.
According to Metro Water Services, McClain has no such authorization to bleed fire hydrants in Metro.
Kennedy: There are times when water gets stagnant, and does need to be flushed. We know those times and we take care of them ourselves. We don’t need people helping us maintain our system.
As of this writing, Mr. McClain says he has a letter that allows his company to tap fire hydrants. He tells me that he is tearing apart his home and offices to find the letter, but so far, he has been unable to produce it. Metro Officials say they have no record of such a document and doubt one exists.
McClain said he got the wrench from a fire house on Lebanon Rd. Asst. Chief Kim Lawson says unequivocally that is not true. She says the wrench seized from McClain is not the type used by fire fighters, and no fire fighter would give a hydrant wrench to a private citizen.
Additionally, the Metro Water says it stands by its investigator’s report that the younger McClain stole water and the city says, if possible, the water dept will attempt to charge the McClains for water used and never paid for.
The McClains say they have retained an attorney and plan to vigorously fight this matter in court.
We’ll keep you posted!
Sure you have permission, Ed.
Like bank robbers have permission to bleed stagnant money from a bank whenever they wish.
Give me a break…
I have called the Water Dept several times lately about a fire hydrant in the Cayse projects being turned on and left on for HOURS and nothing was done about it, so who do I need to call to have it stopped?
Does Mr McClain expect the rational world to believe him? As for getting the water department to react to your requests the next time you email the Water Department CC the Metro Law department, sue.cain@nashville.gov . Explain in the body of the email how the water gushing out could cause the city liability should an accident occur because of it.
Mr.Mclain expects us to believe he fills all those tanks with a ordinary water hose? It took me 3 days to fill my pool and it cost me 200 bucks!
Mr.Mclain washes carlots all over Tennessee. He says he only fills up with sludge or stagnite water. I wonder what that nasty stuff does to the paint of those cars/trucks he washes?If he treats the bad water?,what with? Where does the excess water go? Are there enviromental issues here? It sounds like American Wash Company is not too AMERICAN at all! It sounds like Mclain not only stole millions of gallons of water,but also, car companies,and the Tennesseans that pay for those cars/trucks.We can only imagine what chemicals he has put on our paints and down the drainage systems. Something should be done about UN-AMERICAN WASH CO.
Does Ed McClain really think people are so stupid? Searching all over his home and office for a piece of paper that states he has permission to STEAL water - yeah right! Do the right thing and stop stealing. Pay your bill and quit defending yourself when you are DEAD wrong. You’ve been caught - make it right or go to jail. That’s what would happen to most thieves - why should you be treated any differently? Pay your debt to society and make amends - don’t try to justify yourself!
There ia a fire hydrant in my front yard.If i say I have a note, can I get free water?
Even if he did get permission(which we all know he did’nt) that did’nt mean he could take millions of gallons! I wonder how much money his company made off of all that water everyone else paid for?
I was at Crest Honda last friday and saw UNamerican wash washing cars with there free water. I wonder if Crest Honda knows and did they get there cars washed for free!
Another example of a moron without any scruples, or one shread of ethics.You’re a BUM McClain ! Someone we can all do without!
By now, do we all not know how screwed up any amount of Government is. Of course no one is going to accept the responsibility for telling McCain he could does this or not. They don’t want to lose their job and even if they did admit to it, whether it be the fireman who gave him the tool, the person at metro that he knew that gave him the ok or the lawyer that might have gotten the e-mail about the accidents it would cause if not cleaned-up. People live in the real world!! If you were ever caught, and they said oh we didn’t say you could do that, would you admit it? And if you weren’t caught, would not keep doing it? Is it honest or not? Who’s to say.