Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

HYDRANT WRENCH

Date Range From

1990

Date Range To

2015

Materials

METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

2.9

Length

64.2

Width

11.4

Description

ADJUSTABLE FIRE PLUG WRENCH, ALSO KNOWN AS A HYDRANT WRENCH. SILVER COLOURED METAL HANDLE WITH BLACK PAINTED METAL HEAD. HANDLE HAS A 10.2CM SECTION OF ENGRAVED CROSSHATCHING AT THE BOTTOM, KNOWN AS A KNURLED GRIP. ON THE LOWER PORTION OF THE BLACK HEAD, WHERE THE HEAD AND HANDLE MEET, THE FOLLOWING IS EMBOSSED: “RED HEAD – S W 3”. THE OTHER SIDE IS EMBOSSED WITH SIMPLY “RED HEAD”. JUST ABOVE THE EMBOSSED “RED HEAD” IS AN ADJUSTABLE WEDGE NUT, TO ALLOW THE USER TO REMOVE THE TOP BOLT (OPERATING NUT) OF A HYDRANT. WRENCH HEAD HAS THREE HOOKS: THE FIRST, CLOSEST TO THE ADJUSTABLE WEDGE NUT IS FOR USE ON HYDRANT ADAPTERS (THE SMALLER ARMS OF A HYDRANT); THE OTHER TWO ARE FOR USE ON THE NOZZLE CAP (THE LARGE, REMOVABLE COVER ON THE FRONT OF A HYDRANT). OVERALL IN FAIR TO GOOD CONDITION. THE FINISH ON THE BLACK HEAD HAS FLAKED OFF IN SEVERAL AREAS, ESPECIALLY ON THE THREE HOOKS AND ON THE INSIDE OF THE ADJUSTABLE WEDGE NUT HOUSING. SURFACE RUST HAS DEVELOPED WHERE THE METAL IS EXPOSED. SILVER METAL HANDLE IN VERY GOOD CONDITION, WITH ONLY A FEW SURFACE STAINS.

Subjects

REGULATIVE & PROTECTIVE T&E

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

THIS ADJUSTABLE FIRE PLUG WRENCH (HYDRANT WRENCH) WAS USED BY THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT. IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT, PROVIDED AT THE TIME OF DONATION, JESSE KURTZ, DEPUTY CHIEF – SUPPORT SERVICES (RETIRED), SAID IT “WAS NOT ISSUED TO ALL FIRE FIGHTERS, NOR [WAS IT] CARRIED ON THEIR PERSON … [IT] IS A COMBINATION TOOL THAT IS ADJUSTABLE. IT [WAS] ALSO USED ON HIGH VOLUME (I.E. 5” OR 125MM HOSE COUPLINGS). IN THE SUMMER OF 2015, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN, CONDUCTED A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS WITH CURRENT AND FORMER MEMBERS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING: CLIFF “CHARLIE” BROWN (HIRED IN 1966, RETIRED 2004), TREVOR LAZENBY (HIRED IN 1994), AND RAYMOND “RAY” PETIT (HIRED 1965, RETIRED 1998). BROWN ELABORATED, SAYING: “I DON’T EVER REMEMBER USING IT, EVER. IT WAS THAT WE USED THE HYDRANT KEY [INSTEAD]. BASICALLY, IT WAS THE SAME THING; IT WAS FOR A HYDRANT THAT WAS STUCK MORE. I KNOW THAT SOMETIMES I COULDN’T OPEN A HYDRANT. [BUT] ALL I HAD TO [DO WAS] LOOK AROUND FOR ONE OF THE BIG GORILLAS AT WORK AND SAY ‘I CAN’T OPEN THIS HYDRANT.’ HE’D COME AND HE’D TWIST IT AND THE HYDRANT WAS COMING OFF ITS STAND. THERE WERE SO MANY GUYS SO MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN I WAS.” LAZENBY ADDED: “THAT WAS SORT OF THE FIRST GENERATION OF HYDRANT OPENING TOOLS [REFERENCING P20150010011]. THIS [P20150010012] I WOULD SAY, IS MAYBE GENERATION NUMBER TWO. YOU CAN SEE BY THE LONG STEM THAT’S THREADED HERE, THAT THIS IS ADJUSTABLE IN NATURE AND THIS WAS CONSIDERED LIKE A MORE OF A MULTI-TOOL … NOW WE’VE MOVED ONTO RATCHETING [WRENCHES] SO THAT YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY AROUND … I BELIEVE WE STILL HAVE SOME OF THESE ON THE DEPARTMENT AND I THINK WE DON’T MOUNT THESE TO THE BACK OF THE TRUCKS ANYMORE, BUT YOU STILL MIGHT FIND A COUPLE OF THESE UP ON THE HIGHBALL HOSES ON THE HOSE BEDS.” PETIT AGREED WITH KURTZ, SAYING: “I’M SURE IT WAS CARRIED ON THE PUMP, IT WASN’T CARRIED BY THE FIRE FIGHTERS.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

Catalogue Number

P20150010012

Acquisition Date

2015-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail