If you have visited an office building, retail store, or apartment complex, you probably have noticed fire protective signs like the one above. They are a necessity for the safety and compliance of any building, and they are very specific in their appearance.
Often, it is hard to get fire protective signs custom-made for your building at a reasonable price, but America’s Instant Signs specializes in exactly that.
We may not think much of them since they are only truly looked at in times of crisis, but fire protective signs are crucial. A lot more goes into their design and creation than one might believe.
What You Need to Know
When the fire department responds to an emergency, one of the first things they do is hook their truck up to a fire department connection (also known as a standpipe).
These large open-ended pipes distribute water to the fire truck. They can be connected to a building, or stand alone in front of one. It is very important that the firefighters are able to quickly locate the connection, and having appropriate signage allows them to do just that. The International Fire Council states that all signs must be approved to allow easy recognition and that the standpipes and signs cannot be blocked from view by buildings or plants.
Something you might not know is that fire hydrant colors actually mean something. Have you ever seen a hydrant where the top is a different color than the rest of the hydrant itself? That’s because the fire hydrant is trying to tell you something.
One of the initial challenges a firefighter faces is determining whether or not the nearest hydrant is capable of providing the amount of water needed to put out the fire at hand. Hydrants are often color-coded depending on how much water is available.
Water supply is measured in gallons per minute (GPM) available. In order to ensure a firefighter can quickly determine how much water is available in a crisis situation, the National Fire Protection Agency suggests that all fire departments and water districts follow strict color-coding regulations.
A chrome yellow fire hydrant indicates that hydrant is using a public water supply. The lid will be red if the available water is less than 500GPM. Between 500-999GPM will be orange, while 1000-1499GPM will be green. Anything over 1500 will be blue.
Colors of hydrants do not necessarily apply to signs. For fire protective signs, color is chosen more specifically to stand out. In some cities, such as Los Angeles, the local government mandates that fire protective signs be made of cast and precision-tooled aluminum. They are also universally red and white, featuring 1″ tall raised letters.
Each connection site has to have its information displayed on a sign that meets these formatting requirements. This means the signs have to be custom made every time at the highest quality This makes them pricey! The main concern with the signs is durability, as their aluminum infrastructure enables them to withstand anything nature might throw their way.
The Role of America’s Instant Signs
AIS is happy to provide custom-made fire department connection signs at competitive prices. Our signs are made out of aluminum and are specifically designed to meet all Los Angeles regulations. Each sign is also created with red and white coloring. These signs are built to last a lifetime and can be refreshed with paint if needed.
Additionally, America’s Instant Signs provides drop shipping services after the signs have been ordered. Just send us the information and we will have these fire protective signs on your way. Check out this fire engineering article to see where to mount your new signs to ensure proper compliance and safety!