On a recent trip to Colorado, one of our seminar attendees, Byron Dorough came across an interesting arrangement of traditional looking fire hydrants being used as dry fire hydrants. The folks at East Grand Fire Protection District near Fraser Colorado use municipal hydrants as dry hydrants. The example in the photos is from their Headquarters Station at 77601 U.S. Highway 40 between Winter Park and Fraser. The hydrants can be seen on Google street view.

A department official explained that the dry hydrants at the triangular shaped pond in front of the station were for training, not so much for water supply. On the right side of the station is a red hydrant that is connected to the pressurized municipal water. On the left side of the station, there is a small triangular shaped pond and two yellow dry hydrants for drafting practice.

The dry hydrants are Waterous Pacer ductile iron barrels that look like typical dry-barrel pressurized hydrants. However, the operating nut on top is not connected to an operating mechanism. The nut is free to spin. The internal valve mechanism has been removed and the hydrant is used as a dry hydrant only.

In the cold climate, the department has had problems with PVC dry hydrants and have changed most of them to ductile iron barrels that are painted yellow. We don't know how the connection is made at the bottom of the hydrant, or what kind of intake pipe and strainer are used.

We thought we would share the info and photos. Traditional-style fire hydrants are used in a number of locales as the connection point for a dry fire hydrant installation. Many thanks to Byron for sharing the information and photos.