No need to sound the alarm if you see some work being done on fire hydrants.
Recently, the City of Guelph has announced it will be repainting about 350 fire hydrants across the community as part of an annual hydrant painting program.
Kelly Beirnes, supervisor for Water Services, explains in an email statement the hydrant paint and coatings help protect hydrants from environmental damage and deterioration.
Each year, Water Services staff inspect 2,800 fire hydrants to determine which ones are in need of restoration as required by the Ontario Fire Code. In 2020, the city repainted 350 fire hydrants.
“Fire hydrant painting is a multi-step process,” said Beirnes in the email, “An initial team will scrape, clean and prime the hydrant. These hydrants will then appear grey for a short period while awaiting new paint. A second team will follow at a later date to complete the hydrant with the familiar yellow and green colour scheme.”
Beirnes also mentions the city has chosen an approved contractor who specializes in fire hydrant painting for the work.
“All vehicles used by the contractor will be clearly marked with signs indicating that they are under contract with the City of Guelph while active in the field.”
The project will not impact local traffic and water services, but the city anticipates the project causing some noise as an air compressor and needle gun will be used to remove old paint.
Beirnes adds Guelph residents don’t need to take any action when hydrants near their property are being painted. The entire painting project is expected to be finished by October.
