A private hydrant starts with the main
A hydrant on your lot is the visible end of a buried system. Under it runs a private fire service main (pipe, valves and fittings) that carries water from the public supply to the hydrant and often to your building's sprinklers. NFPA 24 covers that main.
In Paramount the public supply belongs to the city, which runs its own water department, so the tie-in at the street is worked out with them before anyone opens a trench. This page covers private hydrants only.
How an install moves from site review to sign-off
- Site review. We walk the site to see where the hydrant has to stand and how a new main will reach it.
- Plans. The layout of the main and hydrant is drawn and submitted before digging. On some projects the fire protection contractor prepares that submittal, and on others the project's engineer does; we'll settle which at the site review.
- Fire department review. The Los Angeles County Fire Department's Fire Prevention Division reviews fire system plans and inspects new construction. For Paramount, call its East Regional Office in Cerritos at (562) 860-8014 to confirm where an underground or hydrant submittal should go on your project.
- Water connection. The tie-in to the city main gets scheduled with the water department. Book it early.
- Install. We trench, lay the main, set the valves and hydrant, then backfill.
- Acceptance. Before sign-off, NFPA 24 calls for the new main to be flushed and hydrostatically tested, usually with the inspector present. A flow test under NFPA 291 then measures what the hydrant can deliver, and the bonnet gets painted to the color code for its flow class.
After it's in: the yearly test
NFPA 25, as adopted in California through Title 19, calls for private hydrants to be flow tested and inspected every year. LACoFD may set a different interval.
Our annual fire hydrant testing in Paramount covers that visit, and if a test finds a leak or a valve that won't turn, fire hydrant repair is the next step. Routine upkeep is on our fire hydrant maintenance page.
Who does the work
California work for 1 Pro Fire is done by Hedrick Fire Protection. Hedrick holds C-16 (fire protection) and C-10 (electrical) contractor licenses and is licensed by the California State Fire Marshal under Title 19 for inspection, testing and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems. Private hydrants fall under that work.
Have your site plan handy. For a site review on a Paramount hydrant project, call us at (213) 568-0188 or email us at socal@1profire.com
Paramount hydrant installation questions
Does Paramount add its own hydrant rules?
No. Paramount adopts the Los Angeles County Fire Code by reference and lists no city amendments for hydrants.
Do you install street hydrants?
Not under this service. We install private hydrants on your property, fed by your own fire main, and hydrants in the public right-of-way belong to the public water system.
Does a private hydrant need a 5-year test like sprinklers?
No. Private hydrants get their flow test and inspection yearly under NFPA 25. If the same main feeds sprinklers, those have their own schedule, including the five-year service and certification California requires under Title 19 (see fire sprinkler service in Paramount).
More hydrant pages for Paramount and nearby
- Fire protection services in Paramount
- Fire hydrant installations in Los Angeles County
- Fire hydrant installations in Orange County