The Helmet And The Fire Hydrant

Oh wow, this is one heck of a fireman outfit from the Santa Clara County Fire Department! I always knew they have to be able to carry the water hose, since it's very heavy. But had no idea how complicated their outfits and gears are. If you have seen movies that have scenes of house fires, you probably have noticed that the helmets that the actors wear usually have different colors. There is a reason for it. They indicated who you are. Are you the captain (red helmet)? Or are you the volunteer Fireman (black helmet). At the Santa Clara's link you'll see a step by step photos the clothes and the gears that a firewoman is wearing. At total, there are 22 items/objects! See some of her gears below.

The Hydrant colors are interesting. So, seems like there are four basic colors nationally. Blue, Green, Orange and Red. The color indicate the water capacity and its pressure. For example, a blue hydrant has 1500 GPM or more (which is an excellent flow), and a red has below 500 GPM.

The firehydrant.org site has a lot of good additional information worth checking out. You'll learn quite a bit.

You will see these abbreviation mentioned. If you don't know what they are, GMP stands for "gallons per minute" and psi stands for "pounds per square inch".

SC Fire Department
http://www.sccfd.org/clothing_turnouts.html



Fire Hydrant - Hydrant Color Codes and Markings
http://www.firehydrant.org/info/hycolor.html

The funny fire hydrants images are from Flickr's Will S. It's a set called "The Painted Fire Hydrants of Tweed" (Ontario).

Flickr Will S - The Painted Fire Hydrants of Tweed set
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiless/sets/72157604949215502/