Fire Hydrants

What is a fire hydrant?

Fire hydrants are an integral part of fire safety and are used by the fire brigade to access water from the local mains supply.

They are mainly located in public footways or highways and are installed, owned, and maintained by water or local fire authorities.

When fire hydrants are located within the private property the maintenance responsibility lies with the owner, occupier, or operator of the site.

For example, typical examples include hospitals, university campuses, retail parks, holiday parks, large warehouse sites, etc.

Fire hydrant testing and maintenance

Underground fire hydrants require regular inspection and maintenance in accordance with BS9990.  This ensures that they will work in an emergency situation allowing the fire brigade to connect their hoses in the vicinity of the fire to access water more easily.

Fire hydrants should be inspected and tested once per year to ensure the water pressure and flow rate are adequate, the results should be recorded.

The inspection also includes many other checks to ensure it will operate correctly.

What’s involved in a fire hydrant inspection?

1. The fire hydrant pit must be checked to ensure the surrounding surface paving is sound, the cover is free of vegetation and/or debris and that the pit is clean and dry.
2. The next stage of the inspection involves the hydrant itself being tested.  The valve packing needs to be in good order, also the outlet should be fitted with a cap which should be secured to the hydrant and there should be a frost/cap valve fitted.

The pressure and flow rate of the water need to be tested using specialist equipment to ensure it is adequate for fighting fires, ideally around 1500LPM. Any defects must be notified to the responsible person immediately to enable repairs/replacements to be carried out.

What do the numbers on the fire hydrant plate mean?

The number on the top of the plate (inside the letter) should indicate the size of the water main and the number on the bottom half of the a gives the distance to the pit.  This is checked during the inspection and if they are not in the correct position or correct for the main size and distance, these are also reported to the responsible person.

Since 1989 it has been the responsibility of the building owner, occupier, or site operator to keep its fire hydrants in working order.

Don’t get caught out in an emergency fire situation.  Fire hydrants do help save lives and you could be prosecuted if they have not been regularly tested and inspected in accordance with relevant standards.