Mellow Yellow Hydrants Here to Stay

The is opting for tradition when it comes to fire hydrants. After a discussion on whether or not to paint fire hydrants red, Farmingdale fire commissioners said it would be better to continue painting hydrants yellow to remain consistent.

New fire hydrants purchased by the village are red when they arrive but are painted a mustard yellow, as they have been for decades. To save money, and to make streets aesthetically pleasing, Village Board trustee Cheryl Parisi suggested making all hydrants red to avoid future paint costs.

"I was driving down Main Street and I almost stopped my car to look at this brightly colored yellow hydrant," she added, addressing a recent shade change in paint. Fire hydrant paint must be specially mixed so it can adhere to metal, making the paint expensive. Parisi said that rather than continuing to buy the paint, hydrants could be left red.

Though brighter yellows might be easier to see at night, a differently colored hydrant does not mean responding firefighters will not be able to see the hydrant at all. When a fire call comes in, a computer maps out the location of the fire as well as surrounding hydrants.

However, if the color of the hydrants changed to red, surrounding districts, like South Farmingdale, East Farmingdale, Plainview, and Bethpage, would have to be notified, and current firefighters would have to adjust to the new colors.

Yellow fire hydrants have also been helpful in discerning which hydrant to use when a fire occurs at the village border.

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"I leave firematic issues to the firematic people," said Mayor Ralph Ekstrand, who said whatever color is easiest to see in an emergency is fine with him.

The board accepted the recommendation to stick with Farmingdale tradition and paint all incoming hydrants mustard yellow with gray or silver reflective tops.