Village of Monroe fire hydrants are being painted

MONROE-If you see workers painting a fire hydrant near your home, or you've wondered why the top suddenly changed colors, it's part of a plan to bring the hydrants into compliance with a national standard. The National Fire Protection Association, an organization which writes recognized standards in all aspects of fire protection, says that fire hydrants should be color-coded to reflect the available amount of water for fighting fires. The quantity of water available is expressed in the amount of gallons per minute (GPM) that is available to firefighting personnel at any given hydrant. To simplify the matter, one of four colors are then utilized to reflect a range of gallons per minute so that firefighters can instantly know the approximate volume of water to expect from that hydrant. All hydrants within the Village of Monroe were previously painted completely red (although some may have yellow caps.) While the main body of the hydrants will not be changed, the top of each hydrant will soon be one of four colors: Red, Orange, Green or Blue, to comply with the National Standard. Work is expected be completed by the end of this summer.