Water sprayed onto the scorching sidewalk of Lincoln Road in Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn, as giddy children chased each other through the streets. A teenager on a bike zipped through the puddles, thoroughly soaking his friends. Open fire hydrants have been symbolic of summers in the city since the Great Heat wave of 1894.
Legally opening a hydrant requires filing forms at the local firehouse to obtain a spray cap to use under the direct supervision of a firehouse official. Many bypass this process, and in the summer of 2019 alone there have been 978 reported incidents of “illegal use of a fire hydrant.” Residents, business owners, and children work together and organize to open the hydrants, making use of local skills and connections to make sure the hydrants are flowing in time for summer. These communities continue to seek respite through the city’s 110,000 fire hydrants while flouting the law and building resilience, but always keeping an eye out for the authorities.