By Jeffrey Alderton
The Cumberland Times News, Md.
CUMBERLAND, Md. — Fire hydrants in the city are getting a makeover, but not just for looks.
“The fire hydrants are being painted in accordance with National Fire Protection Association standards to identify their water flow volumes,” said Cumberland Fire Chief William Herbaugh. “This is one of the goals I had when I first became chief in 1998.”
Fire hydrants are being flow-tested and then painted to show the volume they will provide — blue for 1,500 gallons per minute or more; green for 1,000 to 1,500 gpm; orange for volumes of 500 to 1,000 gpm; and red for volumes less than 500 gallons per minute.
Cumberland joins numerous cities throughout the nation that have painted hydrants to help their firefighters and any other fire companies that assist in the event of major fires. Annapolis and Winchester, Va., are among cities that have color-coded fire hydrants.
“Color-coded hydrants are a great help to the fire department in that our firefighters are able to quickly identify the flow rate of the hydrant just by looking at it and then determine what other resources will be needed. The standardized color-coding of hydrants also assists any mutual-aid companies that come into the city to assist in the event of major fires,” said the chief.
With about 900 hydrants located throughout the city, the flow-testing and painting project is being completed over a three-year period. The project began last spring.
The city’s engineering department is in the process of updating its hydrant maps, which also show the volumes of water mains throughout the city.
City Water Superintendent Bob Rider said the $75,000 hydrant upgrade project is being completed by Industrial Painting Contractor of Taylor, Mich., the low bidder for the project. The hydrants are being numbered and those working off elevated tanks are designated by the letter “T.”
“This has been in the planning for a long time. The hydrants do look a lot better and it’s very beneficial to the fire department. That’s the most important thing,” said Rider, who oversees the maintenance of the city water distribution system, including flushing the hydrants twice a year.
“Fire hydrant maintenance is a never-ending issue. It’s very important to keep up the maintenance on the hydrants. It’s a big deal,” he said.
The city has 15 to 20 fire hydrants that are out of service and need replaced. They are marked with a black ring that indicates to firefighters that the hydrant is not in working order. Hydrants that are painted all yellow have not yet been flow-tested.
Recently, the city replaced two hydrants that were struck by vehicles. Cost of replacement is about $3,000, not including any sidewalk repairs by city workers.
Copyright 2009