Safety officials in Conneaut are asking residents to fight the urge to add their own creative touches to fire hydrants that may be sprouting in their front yards.
The city recently wrapped up a hydrant-painting project begun last year, said Safety Director Jon Arcaro. More than 850 hydrants across town received a face-lift, he said.
The paint was not slapped on haphazardly, however. Each hydrant bears a special color code that tells firefighters the volume of water it can produce, using National Fire Protection Association standards, Arcaro said.
Officials are asking people not to paint the hydrants, to preserve the special coding each contains.
Over the years, some people have enjoyed decorating their hydrants. Some have sported Dalmatian spots, others patriotic hues. Another in the downtown district once was covered completely in gold paint.
That’s a no-no now.
“Please don’t customize them,” Arcaro said.
The telltale color can be found on the caps and bonnet, or top, of each hydrant. The color gives firefighters a good idea of the water volume they can expect that hydrant to deliver during an emergency.
“They’re readily identified by fire personnel,” Arcaro said.
According to NFPA, the best volume — more than 1,500 gallons per minute (gpm) — comes from a blue-tipped hydrant. Conneaut’s aging water system doesn’t have any of those, firefighters said. Green (1,000-1,499 gpm) is the second-best, followed by orange (500-999 gpm) and red (below 500 gpm). In Conneaut, orange- and red-tipped hydrants are the most common, firefighters said.
Spreading the paint the past year were on-duty firefighters and volunteer residents who “adopted” a hydrant on their property or street.
“We appreciate the assistance of the public,” Arcaro said. “It was a very extensive project.”
Local News
Don't decorate newly painted fire hydrants
Color-coded hydrants help firefighters
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