Elijah Fawson pays closer attention to fire hydrants now that he?s completed his Eagle Scout service project. He organized a group of about 25 volunteers to paint 75 fire hydrants around Iola this summer.
Now, when he drives through a neighborhood, he?ll turn a critical eye to the fire hydrants.
?I notice them a lot more, especially the ones I painted,? he said.
The project required a surprising amount of organization, Fawson said. He spent several weeks planning for the project, recruiting friends, family, friends from his church and other Boy Scouts. He separated the volunteers into five groups, and they fanned out across the city over two mornings in July.
He worked closely with Iola Fire Chief Tim Thyer, who agreed to let the group tackle a project that otherwise would have been done by fire crews. The city contains more than 280 hydrants. Initially, Fawson planned to paint about 42 hydrants, but a Scout committee member, David Lee, challenged him to do more.
Fawson re-evaluated, then set a goal of 75.
The actual work of painting the hydrants wasn?t difficult, Fawson said, but he learned some surprising trivia. The crew could only paint the yellow bases of the hydrants, not the caps. That was left to the fire department because the color of the cap signifies how much water, based on gallons per minute, the hydrant can release.
Crews also used a special oil-based paint provided by the fire department. Because the fire department provided the paint and supplies, Fawson?s project required minimal expense.
When they finished, he and his volunteers celebrated with doughnuts.
?That was a worthy reward for me,? Fawson said.
Elijah Fawson receives his Eagle Scout award. From left, Bishop Jamie Spencer, Nathan Fawson, Elijah Fawson, Robyn Fawson, and scoutmaster Gerald Adair. COURTESY PHOTO
After Fawson finished the project, he had to pass a board of review, which was chaired by the Osage Nation district advancement chair, Andy Dunlap, of Iola. He was sponsored by Troop 166, the Iola Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The organizational skills he learned were critical to obtaining the Eagle Scout rank, but they?ll be even more useful later in life, he said. He learned the value of sticking to a plan, the importance of completing appropriate paperwork and the danger of procrastination.
