Ark Valley News - Fire hydrants with flare

Denise Lasher touches up the paint on a fire hydrant she painted across the street from her house on North Highland as a minion character from the movie “Despicable Me." She also painted two hydrants as Dalmations, the traditional dog breed of firefighters and fire stations.

Fire hydrants with flare
By David Dinell
Last Updated: September 10, 2015

When Andrea Corcoran heard that the city of Bel Aire was looking for residents to "adopt" a fire hydrant, including painting them, she knew it would be a fun family activity. So she signed on, and enlisted her children Jaicee, 12, Jacqueline, 9 and Brock, 7, in the project.

In short order, the family created a nearby hydrant this summer into the character of Mike Wazowski from the popular movie "Monsters Inc." in the 4900 block of North Hedgerow Court, turning a nondescript utilitarian device into a head-turning attraction and a source of pride for the Corcorans.

"We're very happy with it," Corcoran said. "People stop and take photos of it."

Her husband, Dwayne, wasn't one of the painters, but he's as happy as any of them about the way the project turned out.

The Corcorans, who have lived in Bel Aire for about nine years, looked online for ideas before taking up their paint and brushes for the project, which took about eight hours to complete.

The family is not alone as a growing number of Bel Aire residents are putting their stamp on nearby hydrants.

It's all part of Bel Aire's Adopt-a-Hydrant program, designed to help the city and its residents.

Painting the device is one part of the citizen's responsibility. The adopter must also make sure the hydrant is clear of snow, weeds and debris.

As for the hydrant painting, the city and fire department will supply brushes and paint for basic silver and red paint schemes. However, special colors and designs need to be approved by officials before the work is undertaken. For those looking for inspiration, the Internet has hundreds of designs, including many on the popular Pinterest site.

At least 18 hydrants have been adopted, but there are a lot more to go as there are 396 hydrants within the city limits. The hydrants are placed about every 500 feet and, with their high volume and pressure, are vital parts of the front line of defense for the fire department when tackling blazes.

The program got underway this summer with Denise Lasher, wife of City Manager Ty Lasher, painting three hydrants, including two Dalmations, the traditional dog breed of firefighters and fire stations.

One is in front of the Sedgwick County Fire Department Station 37 at 4343 N. Woodlawn and the other in the 4900 block of North Highland.

She also painted a minion character from the movie "Despicable Me" on North Highland Court.

Like Corcoran, Lasher got her hydrant ideas from the Internet. Painters don't need any special talent, she said, just the desire to do the project. It took Lasher about four hours to do each hydrant and that included time to wire brush them to prepare the surfaces.

"I found it very fun," she said.

Husband Ty, who came up with idea, helped by providing paint and brushes.

Other eye-catching hydrants include an American flag design at the southeast corner of 49th Street North and Hedgerow, a Batman design in the 4900 block of North Hedgerow Circle and a WuShock in the 4100 block of North Edgemoor.

Corcoran happens to be a high school art teacher, which means she comes to the project skilled, but she and others say that no special talent is needed — just the desire to complete the project and enjoy it.

Indeed, the whimsical nature of the project is not going unnoticed.

Mayor David Austin recently remarked that an Andover resident told him that Bel Aire residents "have all the fun." That person also wanted to implement the program in Andover.

The practice of having citizens adopt a hydrant, both for decorating it and maintaining it, may be new to the area, but it's been implemented in other parts of the country.

The city of Boston has one, which officials say is especially vital in winter as heavy snow can block or even cover the city's 13,000 hydrants. With more than 5,500 fire calls, having the hydrants clear to save precious minutes makes sense, they say.

In Bel Aire, the concept is being embraced as the city has more than a dozen new applications.

Corcoran and others are looking forward to others joining in the trend.

"I think it would be great if all the hydrants in Bel Aire were painted," she said. "It will give residents more pride in their city."