Hydrant Guard

Until 1850, hydrant innovation focused on dry-barrel designs that worked well in the cold. But California’s climate called for different types of fire hydrants.

San Francisco was reeling from a destructive blaze in 1851. At that time, there were no fire insurance companies: what was lost in the fire was lost forever. The city didn’t even have underground water networks. A new series of projects topped the municipal agenda: digging wells, channeling water, and casting hydrants. They just needed the right manufacturer for the job: who would step up?

Getting water out of the ground remained an unsolved problem in 1800, despite all the advances in underground infrastructure; firefighters had either to plunge buckets in the nearest cistern or dig down to perforate the wooden mains that conveyed water before metal pipes.

Before the invention of hydrants, the first brigade on scene tore up the ground until they reached the wooden water main, pierced it open and flooded the dugout around the puncture. From this makeshift pool the brigade filled buckets and attached hoses. After the fire, they closed the hole in the main with a plug, and it was these plugs that gave rise to the hydrant’s original name: fireplug.

Hydrant History: Founding Fathers & Firefighters The History of Philadelphia’s Union Fire Company Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Paul Revere, John Hancock, Alexander […]

Hydrant History: America’s First Fire Teams A Look at Colonial America’s Earliest Organizations, and New England’s First Paid Firefighter   From bucket […]

Hydrant History: The Great Fire of London of 1666 A Look at One of History’s Most Destructive Fires London in 1666 was […]

Hydrant History: The Great Fire of Rome, 64 AD A Glimpse into Firefighting Tactics in the Roman Empire   One of the […]

Hydrant History: Introduction A Series on the History of Firefighting, Fire and Water Reform, and Hydrant Technology Hydrant Guard is grateful for […]