Van Nuys runs on City of Los Angeles services
Van Nuys isn't its own city. It has been a neighborhood of Los Angeles since 1915, so the agencies behind your hydrant are city agencies and not county ones. Fire and emergency response comes from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) through its Valley Bureau, headquartered at Fire Station 115 on Sylvan Street. Water service comes from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).
Street hydrant or private hydrant?
Look at where it sits. Hydrants along public streets generally belong to the water utility (LADWP here), so a damaged street hydrant is usually theirs to hear about. A hydrant on your own lot, fed by a private fire service main, is a different matter. Its upkeep usually falls to the owner or manager. NFPA 24 covers private fire service mains and the equipment attached to them.
Not sure which kind you have? Ask us.
What the yearly visit checks
NFPA 25 calls for private hydrants to be inspected and flow tested once a year. Maintenance is usually done on the same visit. On a typical visit a technician:
- looks the hydrant over for damage, leaks, missing caps and blocked access
- opens it fully and flows water to confirm it works and drains
- checks the outlet threads, caps and operating nut
- lubricates parts as needed and closes it back down
Flow testing follows NFPA 291, which also sets the color code painted on hydrant bonnets to show each hydrant's flow class. Hit by a vehicle? Leaking after shutoff? Those call for fire hydrant repair in Van Nuys.
What happens after the visit
You'll hear what passed. If a hydrant fails a check, we explain what it needs and quote the repair before any work starts. Keep the results with your property records, because anyone reviewing the site's fire protection later may want to know when each hydrant was last flowed.
Price depends on the site. The quote turns on how many hydrants are on your main and the shape they're in.
Planning to add or move a hydrant? Plan check questions for the Valley Bureau area, Van Nuys included, go to the LAFD Fire Prevention Bureau Valley Public Safety Unit at 818-374-1110, and requests are filed through the FIMS Customer Portal at inspect.lafd.org. Our fire hydrant installation page covers that job.
Who may do 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.
Related work: annual fire hydrant testing in Van Nuys and fire sprinkler service in Van Nuys. See every service on our Van Nuys fire protection page, or the hydrant maintenance pages for Los Angeles County and Orange County.
Van Nuys hydrant questions
How often does a private hydrant need service?
Once a year. NFPA 25 calls for an annual inspection and flow test, and repairs come up whenever damage or a leak shows.
The hydrant out on our street was hit. Who do we call?
Street hydrants generally belong to the water utility, which is LADWP in Van Nuys. If the damaged hydrant is on your private fire main, call us for the repair.
Is LA County Fire our fire department?
No. Van Nuys is part of the City of Los Angeles, so the Los Angeles Fire Department serves it.
What will hydrant maintenance cost?
It depends. The number of hydrants on your main and their condition set the quote.
To schedule fire hydrant maintenance in Van Nuys, call (213) 568-0188 or email socal@1profire.com