(A) No person shall remove, tamper with, paint (change the color of the hydrant so that it does not meet the NFPA standards for hydrant marking), or render any fire hydrant inoperative or inaccessible, except as may be necessary during emergencies, maintenance, drills, training, prescribed testing, or when permitted by the Fire Official.
(B) No person shall place or keep any fence, growth (trees, flowers, shrubs, plants, and the like), stones, signs, trash, or other material near any fire hydrant that would prevent it from being immediately discernible or in any other manner hinder the Fire Department from gaining immediate access to it. A clear space of not less than three feet shall be provided on all sides of a fire hydrant.
(C) No person shall park a vehicle, boat, trailer, or any other item, or permit it to stand, whether attended or unattended, within 15 feet in either direction of a fire hydrant.
(D) Hydrants to be used as fire protection shall have as a minimum of two two-and-one-half-inch outlets and one five-inch outlet. This would allow the minimum requirements of the Insurance Service Office. Whenever possible, pipe systems should be arranged in loops. The County Public Works Department will be in charge of making the decision on the minimum water supply piping size to ensure the necessary water pressure needed to meet the water flow requirements at the hydrant. The size of the pipe is recommended to be as follows: (1) that no pipe less than six inches in diameter is to be used as a main water supply line; (2) no less than a six-inch pipe is to be used for two-outlet hydrants or to supply the hydrant from the main; (3) eight-inch or larger pipe is to be used if it is a dead-end main or if more than one hydrant is to be supplied; and (4) 11-inch or larger pipe is to be used for the primary main as much as possible. Hydrants should be set plumb, with the centerline of their outlets about 18 inches above the ground. When hydrants are installed before grading is complete, the final grade line and accessibility should be considered.
(E) Although the installation of fire hydrants is usually performed by Public Works Department personnel, the Public Works Department shall confirm with the Fire Marshal’s office the location, spacing, and distribution of fire hydrants. This will ensure that NFPA standards and Insurance Service Office requirements are met. By meeting these two requirements, the county will be providing the most adequate water supply for fire protection for the citizens of the county who live and work in that area. The maximum distance between hydrants shall not exceed 1,000 feet. In closely-built areas, subdivisions, townhouses, commercial/industrial with lot frontage 100 feet or less, 500 feet or less will be the maximum distant between hydrants. Hydrants should be located as close as possible to streets and intersections. Hydrants located in areas subject to heavy traffic need protection against damage from collision. (Hydrants must be inspected and approved prior to final plot approval.)
(F) Due to requirements by the Insurance Rating Services and other requirements by the insurance industry, all hydrants shall be serviced a minimum of once a year; twice a year, if possible, is the recommended service schedule. The Public Works Department, fire departments, and the Fire Marshal’s office will be overseeing this section. The following is a list of guidelines to go by to perform those requirements:
(1) Clean around the hydrant (this would include removing weeds and the like);
(2) Remove small caps and check gaskets in caps (rotate or replace as necessary);
(3) Open the hydrant slowly and flush the hydrant with caps off;
(4) Close the hydrant slowly. (Do not over-tighten the hydrant when closing);
(5) Brush or clean hydrant cap threads as needed and lubricant the cap threads;
(6) Oil the hydrant. (The lubricant used to oil hydrant and cap threads will be a food grade grease);
(7) Replace caps and energize (open slowly) the hydrant. Completely open the hydrant slowly and wait ten to 15 seconds before closing the hydrant;
(8) Check for any leaks;
(9) Close the hydrant slowly;
(10) Fill out proper paperwork (hydrant maintenance sheet). Make any notes of work that needs to be done; and
(11) Proceed to the next hydrant.
(G) Fire flow testing and marking of hydrants (when flow testing is performed, the Public Works Department must be notified). Fire flow tests are conducted on water distribution systems to determine the rate of flow available at various locations for firefighting purposes. An additional benefit derived from fire flow tests is the indication of possible deficiencies (such as tuberculation of piping or closed valves, or both), which can be corrected to ensure adequate fire flows as needed.
(1) Flow tests.
(a) All hydrants in each fire district shall be flow tested.
(b) All equipment used and the testing procedure need shall be done by NFPA standards.
(2) Marking of hydrants. Once all flow tests have been completed and the flows for each hydrant have been determined, then each hydrant will need to be marked according to NFPA standards.
(3) Public hydrants.
(a) All barrels are to be chrome yellow, except in cases where another color has already been adopted (for hydrants maintained by the County Water Department, the barrels will be painted with a reflective-type, bright yellow paint). The tops and nozzle caps should be painted with the following capacity, indicating the color scheme to provide simplicity and consistency with colors used in signal work for safety, danger, and intermediate condition:
Class AA (1,500 gpm or greater) | Light blue |
Class A (1,000 gpm to 1,499 gpm) | Green |
Class B (500 gpm to 999 gpm) | Orange |
Class C (less than 500 gpm) | Red |
(b) For rapid identification at night, the top of the hydrant and the caps shall be marked with a reflective-type material.
(4) Private hydrants. All private hydrants (yard hydrants) within private enclosures shall be painted solid red, with caps colored coded as required. When private hydrants are located on public streets, they shall be painted solid red, with caps colored coded as required to distinguish them from public hydrants. See reference manual for private hydrant-marking procedures.
(Ord. passed - -; Ord. passed 11-6-2023) Penalty, see § 95.999