Fire Hydrants - Davis

Truth in labeling

Fire hydrants are used by the Fire Department and the UC Davis Fire Department. Davis has a total of 1,699 hydrants (IN TOWN, UCD has more). This is a photographic catalog of them. In case your fingers and toes don't count that high, it doesn't catalog all 1,699 hydrants. Yet.

City Hydrants

The City of Davis uses dry hydrants. Dry hydrants do not have any water in them when they are not in use. These hydrants are filled with water by turning the special bolt at the top of the hydrant which opens a valve, allowing the hydrant to pressurize from water in the main below. This feature protects the hydrants from breaking in freezing temperatures. This feature, however, makes use of the hydrants cumbersome in fire fighting operations because all outlets of the hydrants are charged at once.

Freestanding

on D Street between 4th and 5th

in front of Holmes Junior High School

On College Park

On the northwest corner of 5th and J

Northwest corner of 4th and D

At the southwest corner of Synder and Georgia Place

Attached to Buildings

Not attached to anything

The hydrant on the roof of the Chi Phi house.

Campus Hydrants

Unlike the City of Davis, the university uses wet hydrants. The outlets in wet hydrants open individually, expanding their usability in fighting fire. Wet hydrants can freeze and break in long periods of cold weather. Sometimes contractors hit them and generate spontaneous fountains.