The arsenal of means used to extinguish fires is wide enough. Where plumbing is available, fire hydrants are used to supply water to the fire site. These are external water taps, to which, if necessary, you can quickly attach a special hose to supply water to the right place or fill the tanks of a fire engine.
Fire hydrant
Fire hydrants are usually installed directly on water mains using pipeline fittings. This special tool allows you to quickly and without much hassle get access to water from a place close to the fire. Hydrants are also used to fill fire trucks with water, which can significantly save time for refueling special vehicles.
When extinguishing a fire in a modern city, firefighters need to quickly find out where exactly the devices for supplying water are located. In places where hydrants are installed, for example, on the walls of buildings, special plates are attached, often equipped with a reflective coating. These signs, which are red, are marked with symbols and numbers, by which specialists can quickly determine the distance from the plate to the location of the hydrant.
Types of fire hydrants
There are two main types of such fire fighting devices. The first is the so-called underground hydrant. The device itself and the fittings necessary for its operation are placed in a special well, which, for safety and convenience, is covered with a lid on top. Structurally, an underground hydrant consists of three elements. These are the riser, valve manifold, and installation head. The entire device assembled is mounted on the water supply network using a branch system.
An underground hydrant can be installed on a stand (flange), which is structurally part of the plumbing system. A simplified installation is also possible, when the hydrant is not hidden in the well, but covered with soil, leaving the upper part of the device outside, covered with a special carpet with a hatch. If necessary, a column is attached to the upper threaded part.
Another type is an overhead fire hydrant. It is brought to the surface of the ground and equipped with a column through which the fire hose is connected. There are fittings on the sides of the column. Several hoses can be connected to them at the same time. All types of hydrants are designed in such a way as to guarantee resistance to frost and the fastest possible passage of water.
Above ground hydrants need careful installation and are considered more expensive. Since the working part of the system is located in the open air, such a hydrant can fail in very severe frost. In addition, the external device may well be damaged by transport. Typically, such systems are not used in the northern regions, and in more southern regions they try to insulate.
