The District of Muskoka and The Huntsville/Lake of Bays Fire Department are implementing a consistent marking pattern for both District maintained and privately maintained fire hydrants across the District of Muskoka. All fire hydrants must be marked in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 291.
NFPA 291 requires that all District maintained fire hydrants are painted yellow and all privately maintained fire hydrants are painted red. Additionally, the flow rate, meaning the amount of water per minute, will be indicated on the hydrant caps through a colour-coding system (coloured caps or coloured reflective tabs). Fire hydrants capable of flowing 499 gallons per minute (GPM) or less will have red caps. Fire hydrants capable of flowing 500-999 GPM will have orange caps. Fire hydrants capable of flowing 1000-1499 GPM will have green caps. Fire hydrants capable of flowing 1500 GPM or more will have blue caps. The adoption of consistent fire hydrant markings will assist fire fighters with identifying the location and condition of fire hydrants when responding to a fire emergency.
The Fire Department encourages the owners of privately maintained fire hydrants to contact the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Division with any questions regarding hydrant maintenance and marking. Inspectors from Fire Department will be contacting owners between May and July 2024 to verify the hydrants are maintained and marked accordingly.
