Private hydrants · NFPA 24 underground · Orange County service area
Two approvals before the first trench
Who signs off on a new hydrant? Two agencies, usually. One is the fire agency that reviews the drawings and later accepts the finished main and hydrant; the other is the retail water agency whose system the private line connects to, and in Orange County those two maps don't match city for city. Start with the address.
OCFA city or independent department
The Orange County Fire Authority is a joint powers authority. It covers 23 cities and all unincorporated county land. In those places its Community Risk Reduction department reviews plans and inspects construction projects, so your underground drawings and the finished hydrant both pass through that office.
Several cities sit outside it. Anaheim, Brea, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Orange and Placentia run their own fire departments. Garden Grove and Santa Ana now belong to OCFA. Anaheim handles fire construction permits and plan review through Anaheim Fire & Rescue's Community Risk Reduction Division, on its GoPost online portal. In the other independent cities, ask the fire department which desk takes underground fire service plans.
Cities also adopt the California Fire Code with their own local amendments, so ask the reviewing agency which of them reach private fire service mains before your drawings are final.
Finding your water agency
There's no single water utility here. The Municipal Water District of Orange County wholesales to about 27 retail agencies. Anaheim, Fullerton and Santa Ana run their own. A new private main usually ties into a retail agency's system, and the hydrant flow test has to be set up with that same agency, so learn its name before the schedule is set.
What we build, step by step
Our part is the installation. Hedrick Fire Protection lays the underground fire service main and sets the hydrant to drawings the fire agency has approved. No drawings yet? Call anyway, and we'll tell you what has to happen before a crew can start.
- Drawings. The main and hydrant are laid out to NFPA 24, the standard for private fire service mains and their appurtenances.
- Plan review. OCFA or the city fire department reviews them. The address decides which.
- Installation. Hedrick installs the piping and hydrant to the approved set.
- Acceptance testing. New private underground is normally flushed and hydrostatically tested under NFPA 24. The reviewing agency decides what it witnesses.
- Flow test. An NFPA 291 flow test measures what the hydrant delivers. The date is set with your retail water agency, and the reviewing fire agency will tell you whether it needs the result before it gives final acceptance. NFPA 291 also sets the bonnet color by flow class.
Who does the work?
Hedrick Fire Protection. It holds C-16 (fire protection) and C-10 (electrical) contractor licenses. The State Fire Marshal also licenses it under Title 19 for inspection, testing and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems.
Once it's in the ground
The owner keeps it up. NFPA 25 calls for a yearly inspection and flow test of private hydrants; our pages on annual fire hydrant testing in Orange County and fire hydrant maintenance cover that work.
Existing hydrant leaking or damaged? A new unit isn't always the answer: our case study on a Carlsbad hydrant with a $10,000 replacement quote looks at whether a repack would do, and fire hydrant repair in Orange County covers damaged units.
See the hydrant installation pages for Anaheim, Irvine and Huntington Beach. Start at the Orange County service hub for everything else, or see fire sprinkler installation in Orange County if the same main will also feed a sprinkler system.
Questions about new hydrants in Orange County
Is OCFA my fire agency?
Only if the site is in one of its 23 member cities or on unincorporated land. Anaheim and Huntington Beach, for example, run their own.
What testing comes before acceptance?
Flushing and a hydrostatic test, normally, under NFPA 24. The reviewing fire agency sets what it witnesses.
Who do I call about the water connection?
Your retail water agency. If you aren't sure which one serves the site, ask the city.
Does a new hydrant need service later?
Yes. NFPA 25 calls for a yearly inspection and flow test.
To talk through a hydrant project, call (949) 558-2201 or email socal@1profire.com
Our services include
Request a hydrant installation quote
- The site address
- Whether drawings or a permit already exist