The Fire Hydrant

I did a post on March 11th about that devastating house fire that destroyed 4 homes in Calgary the day before. No-one was injured or killed thankfully, but apparently the homes were all total losses and it led to a discussion on a couple of key points. One is that you need to ensure that you consistently review your insurance policy limits with your broker and update regularly, as the accumulation of assets is a constant process and the value of your home's contents changes over time. Secondly, you need to keep proper records of what you own, with lists and photos or video, so that if you ever need to make a claim under these circumstances you will be able to easily remember and substantiate what was lost in the fire. We've made that easy for you, download our Insurance Items Checklist, to be aware of what you own.

It's amazing what you can learn when researching a topic and subsequent to that post, there were a few more articles about fires and interesting fire facts, including a mention of the first fire hydrant. The inventor of that first fire hydrant was questionable due to the fact that the patent was lost, ironically, in a fire. Again, while looking into this fact there were several interesting things discovered about the fire hydrant, also known as a fire plug, and the history behind the device that we urban dwellers take for granted nowadays.

The first fire protection device may well have been from ancient China, where iron cisterns were placed in strategic locations and filled with water to assist fire fighting efforts.

A water cistern in China which was used when fighting fires

Different types of cisterns have been used throughout the world for the same purpose and even today there are several cities, such as Tokyo and San Francisco, which still use this method due to the fact that, unlike the standard water main and hydrant, a cistern can be built to withstand the effects of an earthquake.

A San Francisco cistern is demarcated with this brick pattern

The inside of a San Francisco cistern , built after a devastating earthquake in 1906 disabled the water mains.

Side note: Only one water main and fire hydrant withstood the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and was subsequently used to help save the Mission District, now commemorated as 'The Golden Fire Hydrant'.

The Golden Fire Hydrant is repainted yearly in a special ceremony

The first water mains built in urban areas were constructed of wood, first with hollowed out logs and eventually staved, like a barrel. When there was a blaze, the fire crew would show up, dig down to the water main, drill a hole in the pipe and use the water to douse the flames. After ward, the hole would be sealed with a plug, hence the term 'fire plug'. There were recorded use of water mains with permanent holes pre-drilled, and with plug extensions bringing water above ground level, in London from as early as 1666. Eventually the plugs were replaced by valves and wooden boxes which were placed at ground level to protect the standpipes. Soon after, water mains were being made of cast iron and by 1802, the first cast iron hydrants were being made by, of all people, a cannon manufacturer. I suppose a cannon barrel isn't that much different than a hydrant 'barrel'.

This is a British hydrant manufactured in 1869

Today, many urban areas in North America have fire protection with hydrants. In fact, the insurance industry has a basic directory to access information about the proximity of fire hydrants to homes, which aids in risk assessment. There are 3 types of hydrants used today, a Dry Barrel, Wet Barrel and Flush Mount. A Dry Barrel has the main valve situated below ground, at a depth which is relative to climate. The colder the climate, the deeper the valve is buried. In Alberta, the frost depth would dictate most water mains and hydrant valves be 7' of deeper. Wet barrel types have valves at the top of the hydrant and are pressurized at that point. That's why you see that old standard movie scent with the car hitting the hydrant and causing it to spray water. of course, this is a warm climate type of hydrant, as there would be freezing issues in places like Alberta. Flush Mount hydrants are somewhat similar in that they are warmer weather type units, set flush with the surface and covered with an access lid. Mostly uncommon in North America but in use world wide.

This is what we're all used to seeing in Canada! Fido likes this type too!! haha!