The Right Way to Open a Fire Hydrant in the Heat of Summer
It’s illegal to open a hydrant by yourself, in part because the water’s force could knock over children. But there’s a legal way to spray with the fire department’s help: Here’s how.
This article was originally published on by THE CITY
As the heat index soars into triple digits, you can find New Yorkers out on the sidewalk, enjoying sprays of cool water or splashing in curbside puddles. Often, that refreshing water flows from a fire hydrant just a few feet away.
Using fire hydrants as a cooling method goes back decades and has become a staple in vintage photos of the city. While you may no longer see as many open hydrants as in the Lower East Side of the last century, the practice remains a summer tradition citywide.
Brooklyn Boro
View MoreNew York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of ‘cool and hip’ in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been ‘uncool’.