Quick answers
What kind of hydrants are fitted inside Indian buildings?
Most have internal hydrants, called landing valves, on a wet riser at each floor, plus first-aid hose reels. BIS code IS 3844 says internal hydrants are for the fire brigade or other trained people, while hose reels are for the early stages of a fire.
Who should open a fire hydrant valve, and how?
Only a trained building fire team or the fire service. Everyone else should raise the alarm, call 112 and leave. A trained person takes off the outlet cap, couples the hose and branch pipe firmly, gets a good grip on the branch and then turns the valve anticlockwise slowly, aiming at the base of the fire.
How do you close a hydrant valve after use?
Turn the valve clockwise to stop the water, fit the cap back securely and report the use so the hydrant can be inspected, the hose dried and the point made ready again.
What should you check before using a hydrant in a fire?
That the alarm is raised and the fire brigade called, that you have gloves and a helmet if available, that the area round the hydrant is safe, that no live electrical equipment is involved and that your way out is behind you.
Open the red hose box on any floor of a high-rise in India and you will usually find a landing valve, a folded hose and a branch pipe. That valve is part of the building’s wet riser, and it delivers a lot of water at high pressure. It is meant for the fire brigade and the building’s trained fire team, not for untrained residents.
If you have not been trained, your job is simpler and just as important. Raise the alarm, call 112 or 101, use the hose reel or an extinguisher only on a small fire, and get out. The steps below are for trained staff, and for anyone who wants to understand what that red box is for.
What a hydrant valve is
A hydrant valve is connected to a water supply kept ready for firefighting. In Indian premises you will mostly see two kinds.
- Internal hydrants (landing valves). These are fitted on the wet riser at each floor of many buildings, usually in a red hose box with hoses and a branch pipe nearby. BIS code IS 3844 says internal hydrants are meant for the fire brigade or other trained personnel.
- Yard and street hydrants. These are outdoor hydrants used by the fire service. The wet-barrel and dry-barrel designs you read about in overseas guides are built for freezing weather. Inside Indian buildings, what you will see are landing valves and first-aid hose reels.
The hose reel is the thinner rubber hose wound on a drum, usually close to the hydrant. Under IS 3844 that is the one meant for the early stages of a fire.
Steps for trained staff and fire teams
- Raise the alarm first. Make sure the fire alarm is sounding and someone has called 101 or 112.
- Go to the nearest hydrant point. Hydrants are painted red and should be clearly signed. Choose one where your way out stays behind you.
- Protect yourself. Put on gloves and a helmet if they are kept with the kit, and check that the area around the hydrant is not already in danger from the fire.
- Take off the outlet cap. On a landing valve this is a blank cap over the outlet. On an outdoor hydrant you may need a hydrant wrench, turned anticlockwise to loosen the cap.
- Connect the hose. Lay the hose out straight without kinks and couple it firmly to the outlet, with the branch pipe on the other end. A loose coupling will leak or come off under pressure.
- Get a firm grip on the branch. One person holds the branch pipe firmly, ideally with a second person behind on the hose, before any water flows.
- Open the valve slowly. Turn the valve wheel or stem anticlockwise. Opening it gradually stops the hose from jerking.
- Aim at the base of the fire. Control the stream with the branch or nozzle, and keep your exit behind you.
- Keep watching. Adjust the stream as needed and work with the fire brigade when they arrive. Tell them where the fire is and which hydrant you used.
- Close it after use. Once the fire is out or the fire brigade takes over, turn the valve clockwise to shut off the water and fit the cap back securely.
- Report it. Tell the maintenance team or the authorities that the hydrant was used, so it can be inspected, the hose dried and rolled, and the point left ready for the next emergency.
Never do this
- Never point water at live electrical panels or equipment. Get the power cut first.
- Do not open a hydrant on your own if you have not been trained. The hose can whip and injure you.
- Do not stay to fight a fire that is growing or filling the corridor with smoke. Drop the hose, leave and close the door behind you.
Keeping hydrants ready
- Know where they are. Find the hydrant points and hose boxes in your society, office or factory.
- Check them every month. Open the box and look. The hose, branch pipe, coupling and valve should all be there and free to move.
- Keep the riser charged. The fire pump should be on auto and the pressure written in a log.
- Keep the box clear. No brooms, cartons or padlocks in the way.
- Practise. The building fire team should run water through the landing valves during drills. Everyone else should practise raising the alarm and getting out.
Tonight, walk to the red hose box nearest your flat or office, open it and see what is inside. If it is empty, locked or full of junk, tell your society or building manager tomorrow.
What needs attention
- Hydrant valves and landing valves deliver water at high pressure and are meant for the fire brigade and trained building fire teams
- BIS code IS 3844 says internal hydrants are for the fire brigade or other trained personnel
- Most Indian buildings have landing valves on a wet riser at each floor, in a red hose box with hoses and a branch pipe
- For untrained people, the first-aid hose reel or an extinguisher on a small fire is the limit
- A hydrant is only useful if the riser is charged, the valve opens and the hose is in the box
Controls that reduce risk
- Train a building fire team to use landing valves and hoses, and practise with them during drills
- Check every hose box monthly: hose, branch pipe, coupling and valve all present and free
- Keep the riser charged and the fire pump on auto, and log the pressure
- Paint and sign hydrant points so they are easy to find in smoke
- Report any used or damaged hydrant to the maintenance team straight away
Common unsafe practices
- An untrained person opening a high-pressure hydrant alone; the hose can whip and injure
- Spraying water on a fire involving live electrical panels
- Hose boxes locked, empty or used for storing brooms and cartons
- Never opening the landing valve during maintenance, so it is jammed when needed
- Fighting the fire instead of raising the alarm and calling the fire brigade first
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