By Staff
May 21, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
A reader asked:
Do you happen to know why the fire hydrants on Lakeshore Road between Guelph line and Appleby line have been painted gray? Is a new fire code colour?
Burlington’s Fire Chief responded with:
Primed and ready for a new coat of paint.
New coat of paint – it will need a touch up. The yellow top tells the fire fighters what the rate of flow for the water coming out of the hydrant will be.
Fire hydrant with a blue top – which tells fie fighters the rate of flow they can expect from the hydrant.
Fire Hydrants are the responsibility of Halton Region. They are govern by Regional by-Law 131-1 Sec 5. The Region is re-painting them. The gray colour is primer. They will be red again soon. The colour on the bonnet (top of the hydrant) identifies the flow rate.
Blue hydrants can move the largest volume of water, able to pump out 95 litres per second, while a red hydrant is the weakest, only able to pump less than 31 litres a second. Green and yellow hydrants fall in the middle ground, with the former able to dispense between 63 and 95 litres per second and the latter pumps between 31 and 63 litres per second. In Toronto and Hamilton the base (barrel) of fire hydrants are painted yellow. Halton Region has chosen to stay with the traditional red.
Now you know
New Street is being torn up from end to end during the balance of the year so that new water and waste pipes can be put in place. Fire hydrants get a coat of paint in the process.
New Street is being ripped up so that new water and waste water pipes can be installed. Many in the immediate area of the construction feel the Regional Chair Gary Car roes them at least one car wash.
I just searched this question the other day I have been noticing the grey colour even on the north service road. Feel better now that I know the answer:)
…and now when terriers and retrievers christen the new paintjob they can also adjust their flow rate to match.
Thanks for the info. I was wondering.