Bend Boy Scouts give fire hydrants fresh paint

Dozens of fire hydrants in southeast Bend got a fresh coat of paint on Saturday, thanks to a group of local Boy Scouts.

Project leader and Bend High School sophomore Ryan Pierce put together the event for his Eagle project.

Pierce said he wanted his troop to paint the fire hydrants because the city’s budget cuts have forced them to stop maintaining them.

About 30 Scouts and their parents came out to paint more than 40 fire hydrants in the Tanglewood neighborhood.

Many of the fire hydrants hadn’t been painted in more than 10 years.

“I just thought it would be good for the community to paint the fire hydrants, because, you know, it could save a life, if there’s a fire in a house,” Pierce said.

After the boys from Troop 23 finished the project, Bend firefighters came out to meet the boys in a fire truck and thank them for their work.