New smart hydrant provides faster access to water
If trial succeeds, more such hydrants will be rolled out, helping firefighters save time
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
On average, firefighters take 90 seconds to access water from a hydrant.
A newly designed smart hydrant, which can cut the time to about 30 seconds, is now on trial in Prince Edward Road.
The trial involving a prototype began on Oct 26, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and national water agency PUB yesterday.
If the one-year trial is successful, SCDF and PUB will roll out more smart hydrants to replace existing ones.
Major Muhammad Shafi' Rafie, commander of Marina Bay Fire Station, said: "During a firefighting operation, every minute counts towards mitigating the fire, in saving lives and in preventing further property damage."
He noted that a hose can be connected directly to the smart hydrant. Existing hydrants require firefighters to connect adaptors onto the arms of the hydrant before obtaining water.
Firefighters will also no longer need to remove the pit cover to access the underground valve, as the valve is positioned on top of the smart hydrant.
Sensors integrated into the smart hydrant can collect data such as water flow, usage and pressure.
The data will be monitored by SCDF and PUB.
Colonel Anthony Toh, director of the operations department at SCDF, said: "The collaboration between SCDF and PUB on the smart hydrant project is a game changer for SCDF's front-line operations.
"The smart hydrant will allow for quicker dispensation of water for firefighting operations while the sensors incorporated in the smart hydrant will (remove) the need to manually conduct hydrant testing."
All public hydrants are currently tested by SCDF at least once a year.
Such checks ensure that they are functioning and the area's water network can deliver optimal water flow and operating pressure.
The reading and recording of water pressure and flow rate of existing hydrants are also conducted manually.
An SCDF spokesman said the estimated time spent on testing all public hydrants amounts to about 7,000 hours annually.
There are 22,927 public hydrants installed in Singapore as at last month.
Col Toh added: "The time saved in hydrant testing could be channelled towards performing other important front-line tasks such as... fire safety enforcement checks, training and operational exercises."
22,927
Number of public hydrants installed in Singapore as at last month.
