Below 500GPM should be red, 500-999 GPM should be orange, 1000-1499 GPM should be green, and 1500 GPM or more should be blue. Known as NFPA 291, it says fire hydrants using public water supply systems should be painted chrome yellow, and their tops and caps should indicate the available GPM. (2) The maximum distance between fire hydrants shall not exceed 800 ft (244 m). What is the average distance between fire hydrants?įire hydrants shall be provided for detached one- and two-family dwellings in accordance with both of the following: (1) The maximum distance to a fire hydrant from the closest point on the building shall not exceed 600 ft (122183 m). What is the range of a red fire hydrant? GREEN Blue – over 1,500 gallons per minute (gpm) Green – 1000 to 1,499 gpm. The tops of hydrants are painted in colors to indicate how much flow they can produce in gallons per minute (gpm). 8 What do the different color fire hydrants mean?.7 What is the first color of a fire hydrant?.6 What is the difference between yellow and red fire hydrants?.5 How far should an FDC be from a hydrant?.2 What is the range of a red fire hydrant?.1 What do different color hydrants mean?.area? Write For previous columns, go to /johnkelly. Because the designers of the swooping, metallic memorial thought a yellow/blue hydrant would clash, they had it chromed. The bonnets will be painted later.įinally, of the 3,548 fire hydrants in Arlington, one is extra special: It’s at the Air Force Memorial. Karl said those are new or replacement hydrants whose flow has yet to be measured. Also, on a recent drive down Lee Highway, Answer Man noticed many hydrants that were entirely yellow. Some other color notes: Hydrants on private property are generally painted red. It allows firefighters to punch an address into a laptop and pull up a map detailing the closest hydrants. For the past year, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, which maintains hydrants in Montgomery and Prince George’s, has been testing a computer program called HyLo. “Believe it or not, that is something that stays in your mind for many, many years.” He said that even when he was off duty, he couldn’t help scanning the streets for fire hydrants. Ken Willette of the National Fire Protection Association was a firefighter and fire chief in Massachusetts for 30 years. “I still have mine from when I was a rookie 13 years ago,” Karl said. When the alarm sounds and the rest of the crew is getting dressed, the driver consults the map book. When a hydrant temporarily goes out of service, they note that, too. Good drivers do something else, too: They compile hand-drawn map books that note the locations of hydrants, along with any quirks of address-numbering, one-way streets and obstructions that might block a fire truck. “I can tell you where they all are around Clarendon,” Karl said. When Karl was beginning his career, his captain used to take the rookies out on weekends to touch every single fire hydrant in their territory. Second and third dues are where you will come later, if needed. You have to know your streets, your first due, your second due, your third due.”įirst due are locations where your crew is expected to be the first responder. Part of the test to get off probation is a test of your territory. You learn the water system when you become a driver. “All of your drivers know where the hydrants are,” Karl said. If the flow is low, for example, several hydrants may need to be used, with a relay set up.īut does any of that matter if the firefighters can’t find the nearest hydrant? That is not a problem. Gregg Karl of the Arlington County Fire Department. “We have formulas we use for figuring out how much water is needed to extinguish a fire,” said Capt. The bonnet colors represent the flow of water at that hydrant: Blue is above 1,500 gallons per minute green is between 1,000 and 1,500 gpm orange is 500 to 1,000 gpm and red is below 500 gpm. That is because in the 1990s, the county adopted the hydrant coloring system recommended by the National Fire Protection Association. You would also be in Arlington County if the hydrant had a green top, orange top or red top. “Aha!” you say, “I am in Arlington County.” You focus your eyes and examine the hydrant. In Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, they are gray with green bonnets. In Alexandria, they have a yellow barrel and white bonnet and outlet caps. You know that in Fairfax County, fire hydrants have a silver barrel and a red top, or bonnet. Having read Answer Man, you are able to ascertain your whereabouts. Then you realize you are next to a fire hydrant.
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