Yahoo! Answers

Hey Guys,

Unless you’re either dim or a dog, you’re probably aware of the intended purpose of fire hydrants. What’s less obvious (to me, anyway) is how they actually work.

As is often the case when I have a tough question, I asked the Yahoo! Answers community for help. I received several great responses, including a few with some choice links.

Believe it or not, fire hydrants actually have an interesting history. A guy named Birdsill Holly Jr. didn’t exactly “invent” them, but the “innovations he introduced are largely responsible for the fire hydrant we take for granted today.” In 1863, Holly’s company introduced an “integrated system” that delivered a steady stream of water across cities for the purpose of fire protection. Over the course of his life, Mr. Holly was awarded 150 patents — second only to Thomas Edison.

So how does Holly’s invention actually work? Another responder, Kate, explains that the process is actually pretty simple. According to the Cornell Center for Materials Research, “the water that comes out of the hydrant is the same water that comes into homes, businesses, and schools.” Firefighters attach hoses to the hydrant and run it to the truck. There, the pressure of the water is increased via pumps, making it powerful enough to fight fires.

The link from Cornell also points out an interesting bit of trivia — you know how in movies, whenever a car runs into a fire hydrant, water gushes up hundreds of feet? Well, in real life, this is nearly impossible because there is usually no water stored in the upper part of the barrel. The water is stored far below the ground to avoid having the pipes freeze. Darn Hollywood — always stretching the truth.

Thanks for reading,