![]() ![]() ![]() They have to know how much water is going to come though and how many people they've got going and how long it's going to take. Sorensen said she thinks many people may underestimate what goes in to fighting a fire. A single red top might be just fine for extinguishing a small house or car fire whereas a big apartment complex would require more water. In their training, firefighters learn to do quick calculations when they arrive on a scene. A hydrant with a red top is the worst, followed by orange, then green and blue indicates the most water available. While hydrants themselves are fairly standard, how much water a hydrant can put out varies wildly - thus the colors. Fire Hydrant Colors Green, like the one pictured above, indicates the flow to be greater than 1000 gallons of water per minute. ![]() "You can tell what kind of water is available from a fire hydrant based on the color of the top of that hydrant," she said. While the uniformity of color differs across the nation, the basic underlying recommended color schemes seems to present itself in one fashion or another in most jurisdictions.In fact, Salt Lake City fire department spokesperson Audra Sorensen said the colors of hydrants play a critical role in calculating how best to fight a fires. Extreme caution should be used if the utilization of these types of hydrants is required. Color of these hydrants often varies and are sometimes painted misleading indicating colors as owners seek color unity when guidance in not provided. These hydrants are used to move water from one point to another by private owners and do not have any specific requirements for flow, indicating color or inspection testing and maintenance. Yard hydrants are found on private mains usually 4 inches or less and will have a private water source if supplied. Yard hydrants are not intended to support fire operations. Lastly, we come to the third type which is the yard hydrant. Private fire hydrant with capacity indicating colors. The two most common colours for fire hydrants are bright shades of red and yellow. Inspection, testing and maintenance requirements for private fire hydrants is addressed by NFPA 25, requiring an annual flush, and full flow tested every five years. Red color barrel is used to indicate that the hydrant is not on a public water main but meets the minimum 500 gpm flow at 20 psi. NFPA 291 recommends that the fire hydrant be painted a single uniformed red if they are accessible on public street but allows an owner discretion if the hydrant is enclosed on private property. These hydrants are supplied by privately owned mains but can be supplied by a private water or public water source. The second type is private fire hydrants which are consistently red in most jurisdictions. NFPA 25 The Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems does not have any specific requirements for public fire hydrants and leaves that up to the discretion of the local water purveyor. It is recommended that public fire hydrant get flushed annually and receive a full flow test every five years verifying capacity and the class markings. Examples of Class A & B public fire hydrants That residual pressure is used as many state health departments do not allow pressures lower than 20 psi. Most public water systems are designated as class A or B systems delivering on average 1000 gpm at 20 psi as a target flow. A public fire hydrant is supported and supplied by a public water supply and should be rated for flow, at 20 pounds per square inch of residual pressure. This marking is used for rapid identification of flow and class of fire hydrants. The recommendation also suggests that all barrels or bodies of fire hydrants be painted a reflective chrome yellow, unless other colors have been locally adopted. The bonnet or top and the caps should be painted with capacity indicating colors designating class and flow.Ĭlass AA – Light – Blue Rated capacity >1500 gpmĬlass A – Green – Rated capacity 1000-1499 gpmĬlass B – Orange – Rated capacity 500-999 gpm These fire hydrants are classified by their rated flow as outlined in NFPA 291 Recommended Practice for Fire Flow Testing and Marking of Hydrants. Those hydrants supplied by public mains and water supplies are referred to as public fire hydrants. Typically, there are three types of fire hydrants, public, private and yard. It is also governed by many national agencies like American Water Works Association (AWWA), Occupation Safety, Health Administration (OSHA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the International Codes council (ICC) to name a few. The consistency of color coding is widely varied by localities and jurisdictional preferences. ![]()
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