Engine Company Hydrant operations

[FFFRED]

You are the Engine Chauffeur and you find this hydrant.

-What do you need to do to get this hydrant in operation?

-Do you carry the tools necessary to deal with this situation and all the varriations that might occur?

-What problems might you encounter?

FTM-PTB

[latigo]

It looks pretty simple to me. Check for debris in the tube, grab a couple of caps and a hydrant valve, open it up and go to work. This is assuming it is a dry hydrant, which most in the US are. It doesn't look to be that big of a problem, unless debris is in the barrell.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

After carefully checking for vandalism and debris, connect to the steamer port and dress both sides of the hydrant with 1/4 turn or morse gates..then get to work, because the hose jockeys will be calling for water yesterday!

[IAFFChad165]

I'm not sure what color the top of that hydrant is, it looks silver. In my city they are blue, green, yellow and red. IF they are silver or white on top it is an indicator that they are not functioning or have been removed from the system. If they are removed from the system then there will be a new operational hydrant usually across the street.

[CaptOldTimer]

No real problem here. Once you have checked the hydrant for water and have cleared out any trash in the barrel, just put the LDH line to the steamer outlet and cap the 2-1/2. This can be done several ways; a gated valve, spare hydrant cap, 2-1/2" nozzle; a blind outlet cap off the pumper, or a gate wye. If you are laying out with a 2-1/2", then place a valve or cap on the steamer outlet.

Either way no real problem. If you are in a city, town or county where the dome color doesn't mean anything, then it would be a good hydrant.

If the threads are banged up or damage where you can't connect, then you have two other things you can do. Go to another hydrant or make a emergency catch basin. This is done by using several short ground ladders and a canvas salvage cover. Then you draft from the catch basin.

[firefiftyfive]

Originally posted by CaptOldTimer
If the threads are banged up or damage where you can't connect, then you have two other things you can do. Go to another hydrant or make a emergency catch basin. This is done by using several short ground ladders and a canvas salvage cover. Then you draft from the catch basin.

Is this emergency basin idea really practical CApt??? I have never heard of this or seen it done or even read about it... Would it not be simpler,less time consuming, and less man power intensive to just find another hydrant. Have you performed this tactic??

[CaptOldTimer]

Originally posted by firefiftyfive


Is this emergency basin idea really practical CApt??? I have never heard of this or seen it done or even read about it... Would it not be simpler,less time consuming, and less man power intensive to just find another hydrant. Have you performed this tactic??

Catching another hydrant is far faster than making a emergency catch basin. BUT, if this is the only hydrant that is within a reasonable distance, without having to lay out the entire hose bed, then the catch basin will work.

Yes I have use this on at least 3 differnt times. When I came on the job, this was one of the thing the instructors taught us. Plus other things that aren't heard of or done these days.

If you have access to the old Oklahoma Red Books, now the IFSTA manuals, you will find some things that was done back in the older days. I go back in the fire service from 1957.

[len1582]

Open it to flush it, put on a cap or two, hook up and look up.

[Bones42]

Catch basin's work, we've done it at a drill once in a while just to give the guys something new as a challenge. It does matter how high the hydrant sits though. I have a few that have ended up too close to the ground for it to work.

[Svfman]

Hey Cap,
Any way you could dig up a picture of that??
I would be interested to see how it works

[firemanpat29]

Did they have pictures back then??????

[R1SAlum]

If the threads are damaged, some of our engine companies carry a set of plugs that are made of hardwood and tapered. Not issued by our shop but obtained by the troops. They're applied by reaching your hand through the open large diameter outlet.The narrow end inserted into 2 1/2" and the pressure against the wood holds them in place. Some are carried seperate and there is a set that has both plugs "married with a short section of rope. They work well and are easy to make. If the large diameter threads are damaged, we drive off for another hydrant.

[ThNozzleman]

Any way you could dig up a picture of that??

Just stand some straight ladders on their beams, lash them together, and put a salvage cover in the framework you've just created. Not pretty, but I've done it before. It works.

[Weruj1]

Just stand some straight ladders on their beams, lash them together, and put a salvage cover in the framework you've just created. Not pretty, but I've done it before. It works.

I got the concept ...........neat drill idea !

[radioguy]

Is there any excuse for a hydrant that looks like that? First thing I would do is make a mental note to fire our hydrant maintenance crew!

Seriously, any hydrant issues are taken care of quite rapidly here, you would never see a hydrant in that shape!

[cellblock]

Not a problem here since we don't routinely practice 'catching the hydrant'. We still use tankers even in areas with hydrants. First in truck is the attack pumper. everything else is dedicated to supplying that truck. Second in should be a Tanker. Third truck will most often be another tanker which will shuttle between the first tanker, which will stay connected to the attack pumper, and the nearest working hydrant. Hopefully the next hydrant isn't more than a mile away. Need more water? Call mutual aid and request tankers from neighboring departments. No problem.

[len1582]

Go to any urban area radioguy and you'll see plenty like that

[oldman21220]

They'll take the caps off as fast as you can put them on. All of us should switch places sometime and see how the other half lives.

[radioguy]

WTF? Why on earth would you steal hydrant caps, what good are they? I can't think of any use worth the effort of cutting the chain to get em.

What do they want them for?


Our biggest problems here are folks who like to plant shrubs right around the hydrant in thier yard, or repaint it because "yellow with a blue top is just ugly " as one said.

[FFFRED]

Sorry for the late reply. Why people steal them??? Who knows... most I would imagine steal them for the same reason they strip all the copper and metal out of vacants..they sell them as scrap metal.

Some of you brought up an interesting point that you might not be able to place a cap on the 2 1/2 threads as they could be severly damaged.

How many of you carry a device such as this?

Also if you think living in a small town or suburb means you won't have this problem...I used to work in a suburb where contruction workers that had hyrants for water supplies would often either loose the caps or simply not replace them. One I even saw had the 2 1/2 outlet filled with concrete.

FTM-PTB