The Right Way to Open a Fire Hydrant in the Heat of Summer

This article was originally published on Jul 27 6:51pm EDT 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.

Though it is technically illegal to open any of the city’s 170,000 fire hydrants by yourself, there is a way to enjoy the cooling jets legally. You can put in a request to the Fire Department to open a hydrant. If it’s approved, a member of the fire department will come to fit the hydrant with a spray cap and return that same day to close it up.

To request a spray cap fitting, go to your local firehouse and fill out a short form. You can find your nearest firehouse on the 311 Firehouses page. You must be over 18 years old and bring your ID with you.

The FDNY told THE CITY it has distributed more than 1,400 spray caps so far this year.

Jakkeline Arocho, vice president of D.E.C.M. Block Association in Bushwick, said that her group goes through this official request process when organizing their annual block party.

“You go down a week in advance,” Arocho said. “The fire department opens it up at 11 a.m. and then comes back at around 5 p.m. to shut it off.”

(Note: If you have a business that plans to use a hydrant’s water, you have to get a separate hydrant permit and pay for the water in advance. You can find instructions on that here.)

Spray Safely

The FDNY encourages people to go through the official request process because attempting to open a hydrant yourself can be dangerous. The safety cap is used…