January
4, 2002
Lincoln University Fire Hydrants Display New Coded Colors
As the gloom of winter descends, Lincoln University's southern main campus
is displaying the distinctive green color of spring. The bright red fire hydrants
on Lincoln's 422-acre University now sport "blue" and "neon green" tops.
No,
it's not a campus beautification effort but an indication that Lincoln's fire
hydrants have met critical safety standards governing fire hydrant flow rates,
according to John Thompson, Director, Lincoln's Physical Plant Department, and
the Union Fire Company of Oxford (UFCO) in southern Chester County, Pa.
Local
firefighters can determine a hydrant's flow rate based on the color of its top.
The flow rate is the number of gallons per minute that a fire hydrant delivers.
"Blue" indicates anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 gallons per minute. "Neon green"
indicates 1,500 gallons or more per minute. Sixteen of Lincoln's 17 hydrants have
green tops. The remainder has a blue top.
The colors help firefighters
determine how many fire hydrants are needed based on the intensity of a fire.
The UFCO, which would be first to respond to a campus fire, completed testing
of the campus fire hydrants in October 2001. Safety standards are determined by
a National Fire Protection Association formula.
