LAFAYETTE, Ga. - The Ironman Foundation is giving the Walker County local government $160,000 to purchase new fire hydrants.
The grant will be disbursed evenly over five years, providing eight new hydrants a year. Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Blake Hodge said the county can install them anywhere, not necessarily along the Ironman's traditional bike route through North Georgia.
County officials will try to place the hydrants in the most populated areas that are not currently served. The only hiccup is water lines. The hydrants usually need at least a 6-inch main to feed enough water to suppress a building on fire - about 500 gallons per minute.
In this 2017 staff file photo, Walker County Commissioner Shannon Whitfield, right, listens as Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Blake Hodge addresses citizens in the meeting room at the Walker County/LaFayette Public Library."It would be ideal to" install them along the Ironman bike path, Hodge said. "But we're not limited by that at all. We're trying to get it to the majority, where we can impact the most people."
The Ironman Foundation is a philanthropic arm of the company, which puts on triathlons around the world and provides support to communities that host the events. According to a press release, the foundation will give $1.7 million across the country this year. Since this area began hosting the races in September 2014, the foundation says it has provided $633,000 to Chattanooga and North Georgia communities. (It's not clear what exactly all of the funding has gone toward. Two spokesmen for the company did not return an email asking for details Thursday.)
The 40 hydrants over the next five years will add a small boost to the county, which currently boasts about 1,300 hydrants over its 447 square miles. The north end of the county, particularly the Chickamauga area, has closed its roads to support a bike path in the Ironman triathlon events since the company first opened for business in the region five years ago.
"With this partnership, we are able to directly impact the safety of Walker County residents," Ironman Foundation Executive Director Sarah Hartmann said in a news release this morning. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Walker County and honored to support the community."
Hodge and Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said the departments add several employees to work on the day of the competitions, though they can bill the company for officer salaries. The county also participates in planning sessions before the events, which Wilson said the county does not bill to Ironman. They only send about two employees to those meetings, which normally occur during business hours.
For the sheriff's office, the most notable Ironman work occurred the morning of the first local race, in September 2014. Residents began calling 911 around 7:30 a.m. reporting that someone spread oil and tacks along West Cove Road in Chickamauga. The tacks punctured tires for some of the race's 2,300 athletes, ending their events. The sheriff's office asked for tips about who the culprit might be, but the pursuit ran cold.
"We thought we were close a couple of times and were on to the right person," Wilson said. "But we were never able to put it together."
Ironman has become an important partner to Chattanooga as the city markets itself as an outdoor destination. Since 2015, the region has hosted two branded triathlons a year. That included a then-unprecedented four races in 2017, when Chattanooga hosted the men's and women's world championships in the Ironman 70.3, a race that is half as long as the traditional Ironman.
Walker County has hosted the race's bike portion, which runs from Chattanooga, down the St. Elmo neighborhood and almost to LaFayette. Racers, then up through Chickamauga and the Wallaceville community and back toward Chattanooga.
Last year, Chattanooga extended its contract with the company to host Ironman races through 2023. This year, the Ironman 70.3 competition will occur May 19, with the full Ironman falling on Sept. 29. Chattanooga is currently competing with St. George, Utah, to host another Ironman 70.3 world championship in 2021.
"This prestigious and global event provides us with an outstanding opportunity to showcase our beautiful county," Walker County Commissioner Shannon Whitfield said in a news release. "We appreciate our Ironman partners making this investment in our community."
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.