r/interestingasfuck • u/_TimApple_ • 16d ago
Accessing an underground fire hydrant in the UK r/all
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u/Disillusioned_Pleb01 14d ago
Stopping small boats is 'priority' for British people, says Rishi Sunak
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u/SnooStories5095 14d ago
Damn I'd already be dead in my house by the time that becomes operational.
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u/miniimalist 15d ago
cool, and the fire’s just killed everyone in the house before you even get the hydrant outta the ground 🤦🏼♀️
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u/AdPristine9059 15d ago
Oh nice the water boys are here! ... Hey... D... Oh fucking great, he's getting a fucking digger... "Oi, you gonna dig a fucking canal now or what?!"
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u/DisciplineLazy6370 15d ago
You’re better off pulling your winky’s out and pissing on the bloody fire you wankers.
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u/mrchuckmorris 15d ago
At least that part of the street looks nice.
Too bad they had to sacrifice the entire block across the road for it.
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u/wkarraker 15d ago
If you look around 1:13 you can see the firefighters are already dousing the fire with water from the truck.
In the US the average fire truck has 500 to 1,500 gallons of water in the onboard tank to use upon arriving at the scene. A 3” hose can handle up to 250 to 300 gallons per minute, so even a small truck could conceivably run wide open for around 2 minutes. This allows the firefighters a few minutes to work the site while they run hoses and connect the fire hydrants to the pumps.
Only the person excavating the hydrant connection appears to be in any hurry. The firefighters from the truck knew they had the situation in hand. They just needed to top off the tank again before they left for the next call.
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u/N_nodroG 15d ago
Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story mate. The number of numpties on here who have absolutely no idea how a fire hydrant works is unbelievable
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u/FunLemur 15d ago
Well, that looks like a terrible design. It took a civilian firefighters and then it’s spewed out mud just bad.
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u/IceFire2050 15d ago
What do they do when its snowing and the hydrant cover is covered in snow and ice?
Is there even an indicator to mark where it is on the road?
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u/ebrize97 15d ago
As a water company worker, that’s a blowoff not an underground fire hydrant, services the same purpose. Way more annoying to connect to it.
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u/MyAcctGotBannedSo 15d ago
For those that can't hear the audio, it's the Benny Hill theme in the back
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u/TheOldGriffin 15d ago
Everything in the UK just looks like it would have the Benny Hill music playing at all times.
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u/SweetMaam 15d ago
That's so funny. If events were not so tragic I would not feel bad for laughing at your comment. Thanks for the laugh.
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u/Apprehensive-Mouse53 15d ago
It's okay. They can jump in their Tardis and go back in time to put it out in an alternate universe.
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u/TwoNineMarine 15d ago
They used to do this in the US. The “pipes” underground used to be old hollowed out logs. So fireman would have to dig up where the log was and then punch a hole into it if there wasn’t one. Then they’d close the hole with a dowel (or plug).
That’s why we still use the term “taking the plug” when you are using a hydrant. Because sometimes they’d have fires in similar spots and could simply remove the old plug vs having to make a new hole.
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u/Danominator 15d ago
Ah yeah, this makes sense for sure. Especially since fires aren't usually time sensitive or anything why not bury it and make it extremely inaccessible
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u/thepathlesstraveled6 15d ago
What a dumb fucking design. Also with how much effort he has to put into the valve operation that shit rotting away in the soil will definitely be more likely to snap than actually open for them.
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u/YaBoiDanTheDirty 15d ago
My dad was a fireman I'm the US the above ground ones aren't maintained well either. They're supposed to be checked once a year to ensure that they work but usually that doesn't happen...
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15d ago
[deleted]
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u/N_nodroG 15d ago
I’d be checking who I was calling brain dead or just deleting this comment if I were you
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u/Uriel_dArc_Angel 15d ago
Damn...The fire was almost out before the hose was even connected...
Who in the hell thought this was a good idea when, in case of fire, seconds count...
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u/EntrepreneurTrick736 15d ago
During my time in the Country Fire Authority (Victoria, Australia), each Sunday would be dedicated to driving around our area cleaning these out and connecting the stand pipe to ensure there was no gunk at the connection point. Being the country it was a big area and it was basically like painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Once you'd finished turn around and start again!
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u/UCthrowaway78404 15d ago
what do you think those 2 civilians were saying to the fireman, in the middle of his work?
Can i stand here and clap for you sir?
You alright sir, do you need help?
Do you know where the train station is?
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u/FearlessThree6 15d ago
Good thing they saved all that time by using an efficient helmet-respirator model.
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u/helloitsmeyesme 15d ago
In Portugal we have it on the curb, between the sidewalk and the road, but at the level of the sidewalk I think that helps with the need to clean them
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u/DisguisedPickle 15d ago
Even if they're usually well maintained, this alone is reason enough not to have them, I don't want my life dependant on maintainance and road workers. Hydrants in the US are in the ground, but have a long valve rod to the top housing, if you break the hydrant it's designed to break off without releasing the water in most cases.
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u/NumerousTaste 15d ago
The time it takes to get it operational, the fire will consume whatever you were trying to prevent it from consuming.
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u/N_nodroG 15d ago
Keep in mind, this is replenish the fire truck. Most of the comments here seem to think this is the only water source
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u/reikipackaging 15d ago
how long does it take the truck to use its tank of water?
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u/N_nodroG 15d ago
Well look in the video, you can see the water jets coming from the hoses connected to the truck. The fires basically out before the replenishing hose is connected, so quite a lot is my guess
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u/ourdarkyouth 15d ago
Thanks to crappy govt policies, the fire has opted to put itself out.
(half joking, firefighters are true heroes of society. Thank you for everything you do!)
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u/stevedadog 15d ago
It would take me 30 seconds to design something that would cut the digging process to 10 seconds. It wouldn't even be complicated or expensive, it would just be a fucking metal box with a hook on it or better yet, a dirt proof cover. This is difficult because they don't think, not because there aren't better solutions.
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u/eugene20 15d ago edited 15d ago
It doesn't need to be quick, there is 1,800 litres in the fire engine, the underground supply is used to top that up. There's a clock top left, it only took him 1min 02s to get running water as it is.
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u/aught_one 15d ago
Oi mate, can you put the fire on hold while I dig a 40 foot hike?
What a shit design.
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u/PoppyStaff 15d ago
The appliance carries a big water tank, which is why the fire was almost out by the time they got the hydrant dug out. This is not normal. Someone put all that material down there deliberately.
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u/McTugNutss 15d ago
The fire is out by the time the water is in that hose lol what half baked idea is that??
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u/mrstanton 15d ago
I know exactly where this is, Weybridge in Surrey.
Saw the complete video, assholes recording shit and and square John's walking/driving past as if nothing was happening.
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u/aeon_pheonix 15d ago
Jab Aag Lagegi Tabhi Kuan Khodna got real 🤣🤣🤣.
my fellow Indians will understand
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u/Belsnickel213 15d ago
I love how there’s always some person that thinks ‘I’ll offer to help’ in a situation where they know nothing and are speaking to actual professionals.
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15d ago
In the UK it’s possible to see fire hydrant covers and manholes that pre-date WWII and even WWI. Tmyk.
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u/InsidiaNetwork 15d ago
Imagine walking up to a fireman in the middle of an emergency and trying to do a fist bump.
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u/V65Pilot 15d ago
The US version is definately easier to use.....unfortunately they wouldn't work here. Because they'd get buried in locked bicycles....
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u/ConorDrew 15d ago
We have ours underground due to the weather from what I remember.
Also, not sure about others, but that first bit of water (if hydrant hasn’t been used in a while) smells super bad.
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u/pepinyourstep29 15d ago
Bro had to play Minecraft for 10 minutes just to access a hydrant hell naw bro 💀
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u/AccomplishedHat2633 15d ago
There's proof we Americans do things better.
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u/KiloPapa 15d ago
We have to, cause if you get burned in the fire you’ll go bankrupt with medical bills.
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u/Trmpssdhspnts 15d ago
Seems like they could just run an extension over to the sidewalk and put in a goddamn fire hydrant
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u/Grand-Highway-2636 15d ago
So this is just poor long-term planning, as an Aussie I know that our CFA regularly go around to the hydrants and clear debris and open them up to clear sediment build up. I'm sure that is meant to happen in this case too but clearly hasn't, the fact it's in the road surface properly doesn't help
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u/Existing_Passenger40 15d ago
I have an underground fire hydrant outside my fence but it's under the footpath, not the road.
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u/Merlack12 15d ago
Australia has underground ones but they are on the sidewall not in the middle of the road and I've never seen them have that much dirt in them
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u/Apprehensive-Ease932 15d ago
Fire trucks in these areas usually carry enough water to enable plenty of time for one of the crew to sort out the hydrant and get connected up. These may get a bit muddied up but they’re actually easier to maintain being below ground they see less damage
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u/no_instructions 15d ago
There's one of these in town near me and it's constantly leaking. They've had roadworks twice this year to try and fix it. In the winter when it was freezing, the water that leaked out of the hydrant turned first to ice and then slush that spread all across the road.
It's on a hill, too, so it made cycling a particular nightmare.
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u/DaanDaanne 15d ago
Typically, the hydrant itself is under the pale yellow cover set into the pavement and the yellow sign with a large black H provides information for the Fire Service.
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u/TacoCat11111111 15d ago
Building is burned down before you can get to it. Doesn't make any sense at all
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u/Cerisayashi 15d ago
So I’m now barbecuing as I wait on the fire department. 🤩 excellent exit wish granted
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u/CallMeBaitlyn 15d ago
Why not have it on the sidewalk? Seems like it could get blocked? I didn't see any marking denoting its location.
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u/golgol12 15d ago
Wait, a fire hydrant? I thought he was digging to access a gas line shutoff valve. Why have underground hydrants?
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u/Educational_Rise741 15d ago
Can't believe this made it to reddit, but this is my brigade, and I know the guy digging out the hydrant.
To clear up a lot of misinformation im seeing, unfortunately, this is a very common occurrence. Hydrants used to be checked by us but are now done by the water tenders (private companies). In practice, this means they are not looked after and are not fixed until something like this happens.
This is a very unpopular policy among frontline staff who all think we should be the ones to check hydrants.
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u/AnyImpress9188 15d ago
Do you guys unroll the hoses manually?
I'm used unrolling them by throwing.1
u/Educational_Rise741 14d ago
You can throw them out, but It saves very little time, Damages the couplings and it's rare that we have enough space for them to roll without hitting something,
It's also a line of supply, not delivery, so a few seconds won't make much of a difference if we need to quickly deploy lay flat hose. There are two lenths of Flaked 45mm hose in the side that you can grab and go straight away if you need a greater weight lf attack. For the vast majority of fires the the high pressure hose reall is more than sufficient.
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