Ask For A Spray Cap At The Firehouse To Cool Down At A Hydrant

If you and the kids are looking for a fun, distinctively city-like way to beat the heat this summer, you can, with the help of the FDNY, crack open a fire hydrant.

While it might be tempting to open one up yourself, don’t do it — just opening one up can waste thousands of gallons of water per minute, cause flooding, and can lower water pressure to dangerous levels and get in the way of the FDNY being able to fight a fire.

But spray caps reduce hydrant output to a safe 25 gallons per minute, and they’re still a ton of fun. To get a spray cap, adults 18 years or older with proper identification can go to your local firehouse and request one, and they will come to the site to install it, and then will return later that evening to remove it.

Here are some nearby fire houses that you can check with:

Squad Company 1: 788 Union Street, between 6th and 7th Aves

Engine 239: 395 4th Avenue, between 6th and 7th Sts

Engine 220/Ladder 122: 530-532 11th Street, between 7th and 8th Aves

Engine 219: 494 Dean Street, between 6th and Carlton Aves

Image via Brooklyn Public Library