What Is A Dry Fire Hydrant?
A dry hydrant is a non-pressurized pipe installed at a pond or lake
that is in close proximity to an all weather road. Dry
hydrants provide firefighters with a way to replenish their
water supplies. A fire crew can refill its tanker truck
from a dry hydrant which is located near the fire area.
Dry hydrants are critical for battling fires in pastures and
structures throughout our coverage area.
Dry hydrants are beneficial to volunteer and rural fire departments in areas where there are no
conventional fire hydrants. The Old Lyme Community has several dry fire hydrants in place.
Water is pumped from a pond via the dry hydrant.
The water fills pumper trucks which can then use the water on area fires."
Why Are Dry Fire Hydrants Needed?
Old Lyme Fire Department area of coverage lacks sufficiently large bore water
mains and pressurized fire hydrants. Lack of a fast high
pressure source of water impairs our fire department's ability to do
its job quickly and efficiently. The success of rural fire
department operations
depends, in part, on how far a truck
must travel to fill the water tank then return to the fire.
Prior to installation of dry hydrants, Old Lyme Fire
Department's refill points were sometimes a long distance from the
fire we were fighting. When the water source is far removed
from the fire we are are unable to maintain an uninterrupted flow
of water at the scene. Additionally, the water may be slow
flowing due to the diameter of the water pipe. Dry fire
hydrants provide a ready supply of water that can be pumped through
a large diameter pipe and are closer to the fire than our earlier
water sources.
Where Are Dry Fire Hydrants Needed?
Dry hydrants are beneficial in areas that lack conventional
fire protection and conventional hydrants, areas where
existing community water pipes cannot handle the large volume of
water necessary to fight fires, and in areas where peak water use
seasons can cause low water pressure throughout the system.
The dry fire hydrant does not use electricity,
so it is capable
of supplying water in the case of natural disasters such as
hurricanes and tornadoes or any other time when electricity is
unavailable.
Dry Fire Hydrants:
Use a non-pressurized pipe system
Use relatively inexpensive piping materials and other supplies
-
Are permanently installed in existing lakes, pools, tanks, and ponds
Provide a means of access whenever needed, regardless of weather conditions
Allow years of simple operation with a minimum of maintenance
Dry Hydrants Conserve Energy By:
Reducing losses from fires
Reducing the miles fire trucks must travel to shuttle water to fires
Using water sources other than processed domestic potable water supplies
Reduce demand for energy needed to process and transport domestic potable water