This myth doesn't always happen with New York fire hydrants

I've been on this earth for a while, celebrated a pretty big birthday last October, and this week I discovered that for most of my life I've worried about a myth.

Welcome to a little lesson on fire hydrants, adulting at its finest.

Context: My Wappingers Falls Driveway Fire Hydrant

When I purchased my current home in Wappingers Falls in 2018, there was one thing that called into question putting in an offer; it wasn't a weird piece of furniture in the kitchen, or the layout of a bathroom, or even the fact that the basement was creepy (and complete with cave crickets) – there is a fire hydrant at the bottom of my driveway.

Now, the average person probably wouldn't see this as a problem, but for me, someone who isn't the best at maneuvering my car in reverse (yes, even with the backup camera), the location of that fire hydrant is always scary. Me.

For what?

Because in the movies you feel like if your car (or something else strong enough to knock that thing over) comes into contact with the fire hydrant you get a powerful fountain of high pressure water which shoots 200 feet into the air. A bit like that…

For six years, I entered and exited my driveway carefully (okay, sometimes I get a little hot on two wheels), avoiding direct contact with the fire hydrant, and even installed some of these reflectors to alert visitors and passers-by. from this not so great location. I was tasked with clearing a path to the fire hydrant during snowstorms so firefighters would have clear access in case of an emergency.

Direct contact….

Fast forward to Memorial Day, I'm at the radio station when I get a text from the neighbor alerting me that the Internet company truck was parked in my driveway servicing their property – no problem. Shortly after, a second message arrived to let me know “the guy hit your fire hydrant, check your cameras.'

Now I have two cameras on my house, one above the garage, one at the front door, and for some strange reason neither detected any activity at the end of the driveway, but when I went live, it was there. , my fire hydrant in all its splendor, elongated.

RIP, my old friend.

There was a small part of me that was disappointed – where was the gushing water, the neighborhood kids running around playing like it was a sprinkler, the neighborhood group chat exploding? But alas, none of this happened, as not a drop of water came out as a result of the great downfall of the popular “base” of an old-fashioned tag game.

What happens when your fire hydrant falls?

My neighbor contacted the company and the driver came back saying he had alerted the city. By the time I got home from my show, there was a little blue flag labeled water where my fire hydrant used to be…

Tuesday evening, the fire hydrant was back, as if nothing had happened.

A simple Google search debunked the theory most of us probably have about the risk of knocking over a fire hydrant, that it doesn't always mean a geyser in the air. According to fire hydrant.org (yes, real website), Most fire hydrants in the Eastern US are classified as “barrel type”, meaning they are built to break if hit by something , and that they will not flood the area. This is a newer type of fire hydrant than the older model that spouts water like those commonly found in California known as the wet barrel type in which you would see a geyser following a blow. I also discovered that some fire hydrants have flaps that close, preventing water from entering if there is direct contact.

I'm a bit of a pro on this subject now.

My research also taught me that if you find yourself in a situation where you've hit a fire hydrant, it's somehow like you're reaching a mailboxyou may be liable for damages.

So, moral of the story: no water gushing 200 feet up, yes to paying for damages, probably a hefty repair bill for the damage to your vehicle… guess I should continue my quest to avoid contact with the fire hydrant. .lesson learned.

In keeping with the overall adult theme, how about some promising news from a local grocery store: