Quoted: A Fire Chief's Frustration

"THEY ARE ANTIQUATED and inappropriate. We should not have to look at a map when we arrive at a burning building."

— D.C. Fire Chief Dennis Rubin, pictured at right with D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty at a news conference about Monday morning's four-alarm blaze in Adams Morgan that was hampered by inadequate water pressure, responding to new maps from the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority given to fire officials showing the capacity of water mains in various parts of the District.

According to The Post's Allison Klein and Sylvia Moreno, Rubin has asked WASA to color code fire hydrants across the city according to the size of the water mains that serve them. WASA, a quasi-independent agency, has not responded to the fire department's request.

Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post