Show Me Your Fire Hydrant!

auntietk ( ) posted Fri, 09 October 2009 at 8:05 PM · edited Sat, 09 November 2024 at 4:52 PM

When I went to Chicago in September, I was blown away by the difference between the fire hydrants there and what I'm used to here!

Now I wonder ... what do they look like in other parts of the country and around the world?

They're never far away. Run outside and take a picture of the nearest hydrant to your house and post it here. I'm SO curious!!!

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

TomDart ( ) posted Fri, 09 October 2009 at 8:46 PM

I like curious. Tomorrow if I remember I will get that photo taken and up. Ours are pretty basic. That Chicago one looks made for kids to open and play in the street. I wonder what the tube on the top might be.

frodo ( ) posted Fri, 09 October 2009 at 10:12 PM

One from New Orleans.

auntietk ( ) posted Fri, 09 October 2009 at 10:43 PM

That's too cool. What an awesome hydrant! It's so tall and thin, but has the basic styling as Seattle's. Thanks! :) (Love the balloons, btw. Festive touch!)

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

nongo ( ) posted Fri, 09 October 2009 at 11:40 PM

**Here's one from Whidbey Island, I know it's not to far from Seattle, but I liked this one... hope you do too..**.

koosievantutte ( ) posted Sat, 10 October 2009 at 12:54 AM

in holland we have connections under ground - when needed the hydrant is connected.

"The light at the end of the tunnel may be an oncoming train"

helanker ( ) posted Sat, 10 October 2009 at 2:38 AM · edited Sat, 10 October 2009 at 2:38 AM

Finally I found the shot i took of our in november 2007 LOL ! So this is one of them from Denmark.

auntietk ( ) posted Sat, 10 October 2009 at 8:01 AM

Love the red one from the island, Akemi! (Nice angle, btw!)

I didn't think of hydrants as being in the ground, Koosie, but other people have mentioned that option. Andrea says they've got them underground in her part of England, as well. Thanks for showing how the hose hooks up! Our fire hoses are a couple inches in diameter. Quite a difference!

Thanks for finding this shot, Helle! Yours are quite different from ours, aren't they? I KNEW this was going to be interesting! LOL!

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

koosievantutte ( ) posted Sat, 10 October 2009 at 8:19 AM · edited Sat, 10 October 2009 at 8:19 AM

long time ago we had them here in holland too - i found an image of one that is still surviving in an architectural protected area.

"The light at the end of the tunnel may be an oncoming train"

jcpowell ( ) posted Sat, 10 October 2009 at 9:30 AM · edited Sat, 10 October 2009 at 9:31 AM

Discovered this old hydrant along an abandoned road - Captured with my IR converted Canon G6

WEBSITE - www.jcpowellphotography.com

FACEBOOK PAGE - https://www.facebook.com/JCPowellPhotography

cfulton ( ) posted Sat, 10 October 2009 at 9:57 AM

I was inspired by this - not even my kids could find any! Then I remember the 'FH's on the road... The FH stencil on the road is augmented by a yellow curb stone, which leads to a cover under which the hydrant lives. Sometimes there is a white concrete post with a yelow H embossed on top. This is a shot of one in my neighbouhood in Cape Town, South Africa. I am keeping my eyes peeled for more versions..

Cheers,
Clive

auntietk ( ) posted Sat, 10 October 2009 at 12:23 PM

Thanks for finding the old hydrant, Koosie! That's a very sleek design. It makes me wonder why they changed, but hey ... city government is always looking to improve, right? LOL!

Yours does look old, Joe. (Love the postwork, btw!) It's got a heavier, more east-coast-industrial sort of vibe to it. Same basic design as ours here, but beefier. Nice! I've never seen one with a number. Cool!

Gosh Clive, yours are like solving a mystery! "X" marks the spot, then five paces East, turn around looking at the ground, and viola! ... there it is! :P

I know you'll think I'm WAY easily amused (and you would be right) but this is even more interesting than I imagined it would be! Thanks, everybody! I'll look forward to seeing what else you all come up with! :)

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

mermaid ( ) posted Sat, 10 October 2009 at 12:53 PM

So as promised, here is my first one, shot taken in New York in 2002...and I will go round and take shots of ours here, cause they do look different...smile

koosievantutte ( ) posted Sat, 10 October 2009 at 12:54 PM · edited Sat, 10 October 2009 at 1:04 PM

this is to make the picture complete. as the hydrant is below the ground shields like above are mounted on lampposts or on house facades - giving the distance and depth. in the above image the blue ones are for the watermains - the red one is for the hydrant (bk= brandkraan) we do not write on the street :lol:

i love that new york bronze one!

"The light at the end of the tunnel may be an oncoming train"

auntietk ( ) posted Sat, 10 October 2009 at 2:01 PM

The brass hydrant on the side of the building is fantastic! I need to see if we have anything like that here!

How reasonable, to put depth markers out in public! Here we have a "call before you dig" program. They send someone out to mark where the lines are, and it takes a couple days.

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

camera ( ) posted Sat, 10 October 2009 at 8:12 PM

Flushing the hydrants by the Lyndhurst Ohio Fire Department: Part One

camera ( ) posted Sat, 10 October 2009 at 8:13 PM

Flushing the hydrants by the Lyndhurst Ohio Fire Department: Part Two

auntietk ( ) posted Sat, 10 October 2009 at 8:50 PM

@ Part One: Another configuration! Who knew there were so many? Thanks for this.

@ Part Two: LOL! That's too funny. Nicely done!

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

helanker ( ) posted Sun, 11 October 2009 at 2:03 AM

HAHAHAHA! That was really fun, camera. :-)))

auntietk ( ) posted Sun, 11 October 2009 at 8:25 AM · edited Sun, 11 October 2009 at 8:27 AM

Ulla's shot of the New York hydrant sent me back to my archives looking for this photo! I remember having taken it last winter, but didn't really know what I was seeing at the time ... I just thought it was interesting. You know, in a "Pretty! Brass!" sort of way. These fire hose connections were on the side of a massive blank wall on a building in downtown Seattle.

Thanks, Ulla! I didn't know I was going to have another contribution myself! :)

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

TomDart ( ) posted Sun, 11 October 2009 at 3:14 PM

Ok, no funny ones here but showing the evolution of hydrants from about 1980 to 25 years later. Wow...changes galore!

These are in the USA, east of the Mississipi, south of Ohio.

auntietk ( ) posted Sun, 11 October 2009 at 7:45 PM

Thanks for remembering, Tom! These are great. It makes me wonder about the whys and wherefores of those changes! Great comparison, and fascinating stuff!

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

Meisiekind ( ) posted Mon, 12 October 2009 at 12:17 PM · edited Mon, 12 October 2009 at 12:18 PM

Tara, I am very proud to display the Johannesburg Fire Hydrants to you. They are not all the same but most are this shape. Colors do vary. Note that every second one is stolen and the others have holes in.... I love the color of our local hydrant though!! *Straight face*

________________________________________________________________

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them."

Elliott Erwitt

________________________________________________________________

mermaid ( ) posted Mon, 12 October 2009 at 3:12 PM

Lol @ Camera fine work...smile and nice to see Tara you got the classy ones too...smile And oh my Carin...lol...this is a different form indeed and so handy...lol And here as promised, the ones from Switzerland, the old ones look almost like round the world but the new one, boy they are stylish...lol.. the new ones sometimes even come in the same blue as Carins hydrant

bakapo ( ) posted Mon, 12 October 2009 at 6:43 PM

Who knew there were so many different types. LOL at the "Flushing Hydrants"! This is from Massachusetts...

auntietk ( ) posted Mon, 12 October 2009 at 8:19 PM

Oh Carin, things are SO different in Afrika! :|

Thanks for the pics from Switzerland, Ulla ... the one on the right looks like a shower for small dogs! :P

Love the colors on the Mass hydrant!

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

goodoleboy ( ) posted Tue, 13 October 2009 at 7:57 PM

How in the heck to you upload a photograph/collage on this subject and what is the limit on pixel size?

auntietk ( ) posted Tue, 13 October 2009 at 8:02 PM

Pixel size limit is 800, and size is 200kb. Below the box where you type is a "browse" button, which you use to search your files just like you do when you upload. Looking forward to seeing what you've come up with, Harry!

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

goodoleboy ( ) posted Tue, 13 October 2009 at 9:31 PM

Captured August of 2005. Just one of many varieties of fire hydrant in my Southern California home town. There was no fire at the time, so I have no idea why the hydrant was hooked up like this.

auntietk ( ) posted Tue, 13 October 2009 at 10:10 PM

Great capture! Bonus points for the hose ... that's pretty cool!

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

mermaid ( ) posted Wed, 14 October 2009 at 3:29 AM · edited Wed, 14 October 2009 at 3:29 AM

Wow Harry, this one is different, it first looked to me like some sort of jackhammer...

4abnormal ( ) posted Wed, 14 October 2009 at 8:40 AM

Hi,
This is my very first post in this forum,so happened I have an old photo would like to share. CC is welcome.
Cheers

auntietk ( ) posted Wed, 14 October 2009 at 8:43 AM

Welcome to the forum, 4abnormal!

What a cool shot! I love the sleek lines of this one.

Where is it?

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

4abnormal ( ) posted Wed, 14 October 2009 at 10:37 AM

Thanks auntietk,
It is in Southern Ontario. Was taken when my early morning walk.
Cheers.

mermaid ( ) posted Wed, 14 October 2009 at 12:38 PM

Hi 4abnormal, this is really a cool one, like the coloring

4abnormal ( ) posted Wed, 14 October 2009 at 2:23 PM

Thanks Mermaid.

bmac62 ( ) posted Wed, 14 October 2009 at 8:59 PM · edited Wed, 14 October 2009 at 9:06 PM

Two Fire Plugs in Leavenworth, Kansas. Both plugs are in front of my veterinarian's office.

The big sports rivalry in Kansas is University of Kansas (KU) versus Kansas State (KSU).

Left plug shows KU colors, right plug shows KSU colors.

When you take your dog to the vet, you simply steer him/her to the proper plug to leave a deposit (liquid or otherwise) on your rival's plug. Quite convenient:-)))

Bill:)

P.S. I went to KU, my vet went to KSU. But he still treats my dog VERY WELL.

"Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes."

TomDart ( ) posted Wed, 14 October 2009 at 9:11 PM

bmac62, that is really neat. I see the word Leavenworth and think prison... is that the same place?

Around here, if plugs got the school colors, all would be orange. The variety is good.

auntietk ( ) posted Wed, 14 October 2009 at 9:51 PM

That is too funny! I can see painting two hydrants different school colors, but I can't figure out why there's two to begin with! I wonder if they both work. I wonder if the firemen fight over which one to use. I wonder about a lot of things ...

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

bmac62 ( ) posted Thu, 15 October 2009 at 5:39 AM

For TomDart and auntietk,

Yes, Tom, we do have the notorious Big House here in town...Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary...built between 1903 into the early 1920s. Maximum security 1903-2005. Now a medium security facility with Michael Vick residing here recently.
Tara, I expected you to ask about two plugs:) Over the past week, plagued by gray skies, I have driven around town looking at fire hydrants everywhere. 95% or more look the same with only caps painted in different colors. These two (non-working) fire hydrants are what we had style-wise before the latest type which I'll upload soon. I actually like the looks of these better than the newest type. These were sold as surplus a few years ago...my vet couldn't pass them up.

Bill:)

"Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes."

TomDart ( ) posted Thu, 15 October 2009 at 6:58 AM

Well, better to show hydrants than litter boxes...quite fitting for the vets place. : )

auntietk ( ) posted Thu, 15 October 2009 at 8:35 PM

LOL!! I get it! That's too funny. Sorry to be so slow ... I didn't realize they weren't working hydrants! Now if I could only explain why it's funny to go six miles down and nine back up, we'd be cookin' with gas, here!

:D

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

cfulton ( ) posted Fri, 16 October 2009 at 2:07 PM

I have even had my children remembering to look out for different hydrants.

Sean spotted one in a courtyard at the local shopping centre, hence my two firemen in shot.

Cheers,
Clive

auntietk ( ) posted Fri, 16 October 2009 at 9:00 PM

Wow! Thanks, Clive! And thank your kids for me, as well. Those are some pretty cute fire fighters you've got there! :)

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

cfulton ( ) posted Sat, 17 October 2009 at 3:36 AM

Sorry, the local shopping centre is in Cape Town, South Africa!

bentchick ( ) posted Fri, 30 October 2009 at 12:45 PM

Okay, now I'm just plain embarrassed! I live way out in the boonies, population 164, and I've heard we finally got a fire hydrant somewhere here in town, but I don't even know where to look for it! LOL
For the longest time all we had were tanker trucks (which I'm sure they still use) and I was hoping to get a shot of one.

So I guess Carin and I are pretty much hydrant-less! I will have to travel into town to get a shot of a real one!

Kim Hawkins

Kim Hawkins Eastern Sierra Gallery

auntietk ( ) posted Fri, 30 October 2009 at 7:54 PM

LOL! They're usually someplace near a road, so the fire trucks can hook up easily.

I saw two fire hydrants around here recently that were different from the standard yellow ones we have everywhere! Couldn't believe it. Now I'll have to find them again on a day when I have my camera! :P

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

EBurnett ( ) posted Fri, 30 October 2009 at 9:59 PM

One from "Sunny" California.

auntietk ( ) posted Fri, 30 October 2009 at 10:39 PM

Great capture! The contrast is wonderful.

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

Hubba1 ( ) posted Tue, 03 November 2009 at 8:45 PM · edited Tue, 03 November 2009 at 8:45 PM

Just the typical type here :) From Georgia USA

auntietk ( ) posted Tue, 03 November 2009 at 10:00 PM

Very cool! Yours appear to be numbered. I'll have to look more closely to see if any of ours are. I don't think so, but I do know the power poles are numbered here!

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." ... Robert Capa

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