Why Are Fire Hydrants? An International and Intergenerational Overview
Created | Updated 4 Weeks Ago
Why Are Fire Hydrants? An International and Intergenerational Overview
 |
fire hy·drant:: a pipe usually in the street that provides water especially for putting out fires.
Merriam Webster Dictionary
The humble fire hydrant, also known as a fireplug, firecock, hydrant riser or Johnny Pump, is a familiar sight, though with varying designs, in many countries around the world1. Above-ground fire hydrants are so obviously useful and convenient that non-firefighters tend not to notice them unless they're looking to park a car. How long have they been around, anyway? And what did people do before them, if their house was on fire?
Bring on the Sparteoli
The Sparteoli, or 'little bucket guys,' were the Roman fire department, made up of freedmen. They used bucket brigades to put out fires. Their uniform consisted of hobnailed sandals and hooded ponchos2. They could be lifesavers, but they could also be a nuisance. Anecdotal evidence from Roman writers indicates that calling the fire department on your neighbour's dinner party was a form of first-century 'swatting'3. Mistakes were also made: a dinner trumpet played too loudly could be taken for a summons, or a too-vigorous kitchen fire set off a panic. In fire-prone, congested Rome, things could happen.
The idea of the fire department was attractive in the provinces, though. Pliny the Younger suggested it to the emperor Trajan:
While I was making a progress in a different part of the province, a most extensive fire broke out at Nicomedia, which not only consumed several private houses, but also two public buildings; the town-house and the temple of Isis, though they stood on contrary sides of the street. The occasion of its spreading thus far was partly owing to the violence of the wind, and partly to the indolence of the people, who, manifestly, stood idle and motionless spectators of this terrible calamity. . . .
You will consider, Sir, whether it may not be advisable to institute a company of fire-men . . .
– Pliny the Younger
Trajan demurred, saying, '. . . it is to be remembered that societies of this sort have greatly disturbed the peace of the province in general, and of those cities in particular.' In other words, fire departments tended to get politically involved – although in Philadelphia, they more often get into the Mummers' Parade4.
The idea of fire-watching, while as old as civilisation itself, got a boost in the early 19th Century. Somebody invented the fire hydrant. But who?
What Are Your Water Pipes Made of?
Frederick Graff, the chief engineer of the Philadelphia Water Works company, invented the pillar hydrant system in 1801. We don't know if Graff received his patent, because the patent office burned down in 1836 (sadly). This was a great improvement over the underground system used up to that point.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, for example, London's water mains were made from hollowed-out tree trunks. Elm, a water-resistant tree, was preferred. Firefighters would first dig up the cobbles in the street down to the main, bore a hole into the log pipe, and fill the hole with water. Once the fire had been put out, they would plug the hole – the origin of the term 'fire plug.'
Log pipes were used in other cities, too, as late as the 19th Century. In 2017, a workman sank a backhoe in the 900 block of Spruce Street in Philadelphia and uncovered what the Washington Post termed, 'high-tech, totally natural plumbing' from 1812. The Philadelphia pipes were made of locally abundant pine. Putting the hydrant on top of the ground could save valuable firefighting time, and maybe a few houses.
Graff's system had a problem: it used a 'wet barrel' design. That made tapping the above-ground pipe quick and easy, as the water was always flowing. But in a lot of North America, above-ground water taps are prone to freezing in winter. In 1838, John Jordan of Baltimore was awarded a patent for his 'dry-barrel' system. Draining the hydrant completely after use avoids freezing. The Matthews hydrant, an improved dry-barrel design made of cast iron, came into general use from the mid-19th Century on.
The US uses a colour-code system to make fire hydrants more efficient to use:
- Red: Flow rate of 0 - 500 gallons per minute (GPM)
- Orange: Flow rate of 501 - 999 GPM
- Green: Flow rate of 1,000 - 1,500 GPM
- Blue: Flow rate of more than 1,500 GPM
- Black: Out of commission
A warning to visitors in the US: it is absolutely illegal to park a vehicle near a fire hydrant. Distances may vary, but in Pennsylvania, where the first one was invented, the required distance is 15 feet (4.5m). What happens if you ignore this rule? If there is no fire, the police will write you a ticket and you will pay a stiff fine. If you are unlucky enough to park next to a fire hydrant, and a fire emergency occurs, the firefighters may very well destroy your vehicle. Youtube abounds with graphic videos that are very amusing to some people, but definitely not to the vehicle owners.
By the way, this prohibition exists in Canada, as well. Even the normally genial Canadians will break your windows and run a fire hose through your SUV in an emergency. They'll probably curse less while doing it, though. Their fire hydrants are yellow for better visibility. Countries where heavy snowfall is common, such as the US and Canada, appreciate the improved access to emergency water sources provided by above-ground hydrants. The prevalence of wooden buildings also makes quick firefighting important.
Different Reactions to Fire Hydrants
I'm British: fire hydrants are sensibly subterranean so they don't obstruct any wheelchair users, the blind or be otherwise unwarranted trip hazards.
Bluebottle, Researcher and Guide Editor, in his popular comic The Controversial Conference
We have both, above ground and under the street.
– Tavaron Da Quirm, Researcher, Austrian
A non-exhaustive list of countries with above-ground fire hydrants:
Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK (but only cast-iron antiques from the 19th Century), the United States, and Venezuela.
Many of these hydrants are quite beautiful. Shapes, sizes, and preferred locations vary. A trivia collector could get lost in the wonders of these potentially life-saving devices. One difference between them and the UK's postboxes, though: they should not be yarnbombed.
