Fire Hydrant

A fire hydrant is a connection point that lets firefighters tap into a pressurized water supply, a central piece of active fire protection in built up areas. Underground hydrants had existed in Europe and Asia since at least the 18th century, and Frederick Graff, chief engineer of the Philadelphia Water Works, patented the first cast iron above ground pillar hydrant in 1801, the ancestor of the pillar style hydrant common today. The term fireplug comes from the earlier practice of digging down to a wooden water main and drilling a hole to draw water by bucket or hand pump. A firefighter opens a valve on the hydrant to release water typically around 350 kilopascals, connecting a hose by threaded, quick connect, or Storz fittings, and fire engines often pump that water to higher pressure and split it into several hose lines; because most hydrant valves are simple on off mechanisms rather than throttles, opening or closing one too quickly can send a damaging water hammer through nearby pipes. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/