Fire hydrant

A fire hydrant (also known colloquially as in fire plug in the USA, ) is a source of water provided in most urban, suburban, and rural areas with municipal water service to enable firefighters to tap into the municipal water supply to assist in extinguishing a fire. To prevent casual use or misuse, the hydrant requires special tools to be opened, usually a large wrench with a pentagon-shaped socket. Due to their size and construction, a large amount of force is required to uncap the hydrant and open the valve. Vandals, often using force, or simply those seeking to play in the water sometimes remove the caps and open the valve, providing residents (especially children) a place to play in the resulting water. However, this is usually discouraged as this also can reduce municipal water pressure and impair firefighters' efforts to extinguish fires. The fire hydrant was invented by Birdsill Holly around 1869.

Related Topics:
USA - Water - Urban - Suburban - Rural - Municipal - Firefighter - Municipal - Fire - Vandals - Child - Birdsill Holly - 1869

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Some US communities provide sprinkler heads to enable residents to use the hydrants to cool off during hot weather. Due to the presence of standing water inside the hydrant for weeks or months at a time, it is necessary to drain them on occasion to prevent bacteria from seeping back into the drinking water system serving the hydrant.

Related Topics:
Sprinkler - Bacteria - Drinking water

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