In recognition of Fire Prevention Week, several retirees of the Galesburg Fire Department dedicated their time to help spruce up some fire hydrants.
Members of the Galesburg Retired Firefighters Association spent time over the recent weeks washing and painting 60 fire hydrants in the city’s southwest side.
Galesburg has over 1,500 fire hydrants in the city and periodic painting helps increase service life, improve visibility for fire responders, and provide pleasing aesthetics for the town.
“It’s nice to get out with old friends, help out the great folks at the water department, and do some good for the city that gave most of us our livelihood,” says GRFA President Mike Whitson. “The hydrants seem to turn a little harder in retirement and we banter about the time we used a hydrant at a fire here and there. We’re glad to help.”
Galesburg follows hydrant-coloring standards set forth by the National Fire Protection Association and American Water Works Association. Public hydrants, found on most corners in the city, are painted chrome yellow.
There are also about 200 private fire hydrants in the city that serve to supplement fire sprinkler and standpipe systems in larger facilities such as shopping centers and industrial plants. Private hydrants are painted all red.
The small outlet caps on either side of public fire hydrants are painted according to the flow rate of the individual hydrant. This is critical information to responding firefighters. Green cap hydrants flow over 1,000 gallons per minute (GPM) and are typically found in commercial areas such as along Main and Henderson Streets. Orange cap hydrants flow between 500 and 1,000 GPM and make up the bulk of hydrants in residential areas of the city. There are very few red cap hydrants flowing under 500 GPM left in the city as water and fire officials have systematically improved the size and flow rates over the years while eliminating “dead-end” hydrants that are supplied from only one direction.
“The City of Galesburg is thankful for all of the volunteers within the community,” said City Manager Todd Thompson. “We’re proud of our retired firefighters stepping up to fill this need, and are cognizant of the community events, beautification, and camaraderie that wouldn’t be possible without the many involved volunteer groups throughout our community.”
The group of retirees will continue washing and painting hydrants until the weather drops below 50 degrees in the coming weeks.
