Fire Hydrants
Caitlyn Williams, Summer 2017
Since the beginning of this program, 12 years ago, we have been providing various services throughout the City of Cleveland. Fire Hydrant painting was the original service that we knew would keep youth off of the streets and help them play a larger part in their community. This project has brought the youth closer to their hometown and has also taught them the importance of aesthetics within the community.
Every year a new goal is set for the amount of hydrants that we wish to service. This year we worked hard with one another and various partnerships to make sure that we maintain that upward progression within our projects. The youth within this program spent many days in the heat, in the rain, and also in the cold winds to provide outstanding work. They have each showcased leadership and diligence while working on this project. Making sure that they upheld a positive attitude throughout even the frustrating work days shows how invested the youth were in getting the job done.
Do you have a fire hydrant in front of your house? Is there one at least 15 feet away from your house? Hopefully your answer to the both of these questions are yes. If you do not have a fire hydrant close in proximity to your house you are in danger. Fire hydrants are extremely important, without them there can be various incidents.
Fires appear to happen very often and if there isn’t a fire hydrant around for firefighters to insert their hose into, the outcome of what’s on fire and the area can be seriously damaged. It is important that you do not park in front of fire hydrants, never play on them, do not try to activate hydrants with home tools and always make sure they are visible to firefighters.
Unfortunately people tend to overlook our fire hydrants. This means that we don’t necessarily care for them like we care for other things such as materialistic things. Fire hydrants and the areas around them need to be kept clean faithfully. If they aren’t clean, firefighters can have complications with the hydrant when trying to put out fires. Some of the complications they can run into are the drain not working at all, closing it, or the hydrant draining improperly.
The first fire hydrant was invented in the 1800’s by Frederick Graff Sr. “It is said that Graff held the first patent for a fire Hydrant. The only problem is that it cannot be verified because the patent office in Washington D.C. caught on fire destroying many patent records.
Graff was the chief engineer of the Philadelphia Water Works around 1801. The first fire hydrant had a combination of hose/faucet outlets and was a “wet barrel” design with the valve at the top.” according to www.thfirehydrant.weebly.com. Fire hydrants were first made with wood. By 1869 all wooden fire hydrants were replaced with iron and have been made out of iron ever since.
The majority of fire hydrants are color coded. The reason they are color coded is so that firefighters know which hydrant to use during particular fires. The color distinguishes the amount of water each hydrant holds and releases. It also shows how much water pressure the hydrant takes. Firefighters need to know all of these concepts in order to put out the fires quickly and effectively.
The top four colors you’ll see a fire hydrant painted are blue, green, orange, and red. Blue hydrants have very good flows, green hydrants are good for residential areas, orange hydrants are marginally adequate, and red hydrants are inadequate. The fire hydrant capsules are also different colors. If the color of the capsule is green the pressure is extremely high, orange colored capsules pressure is normal, and the red capsule means it must be pumped.
According to www.someintrestingfacts.net there are two main types of hydrants: dry barrel and wet barrel. Dry-barrel hydrants are the more common and they don’t allow water to stay in the upper section (above the ground). This prevents the water freezing when the temperature drops.
In conclusion it is very important that your property has a fire hydrant in front of it or at least 300 feet away from it. Always keep fire hydrants clean and the area around them. If you don’t keep hydrants and their areas clean it can prevent firefighters from putting out your fire quicker. This invention has helped us for millions of years. Without this invention what would firefighters do to put out our fires quicker?
