Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

GATE VALVE / SLUICE VALVE

Date Range From

1975

Date Range To

2000

Materials

METAL, CAST IRON, BRASS

No. Pieces

1

Height

30.0

Length

22.5

Width

11.7

Diameter

9.0

Description

CAST IRON, BRASS, AND SILVER COLOURED METAL GATE VALVE. SILVER COLOURED METAL HAND WHEEL IN THE SHAPE OF A SIDEWAYS 'L' ON TOP OF THE GATE VALVE ALLOWS THE INNER GATE TO BE OPENED OR CLOSED. BELOW THIS IS A BRASS NUT, WHICH IS ON TOP OF THE MAIN CAST IRON PORTION OF THE VALVE. MAIN PORTION OF THE VALVE IS RECTANGULAR, WITH A ROUNDED TOP NEAR THE BRASS NUT. EMBOSSED ON THE RECTANGULAR FRONT PORTION OF THE VALVE IS "HASBRA", WITH "HQ" BELOW THAT IN YELLOW PAINT. SIDE OF THE VALVE HAS "FD" ALSO IN YELLOW PAINT. ON THE BACK OF THE VALVE IS A COUPLING, WHICH ALLOWS THE VALVE TO BE AFFIXED TO A FIRE HYDRANT. OPPOSITE THIS COUPLING IS A SLIGHTLY CURVED SPOUT, WHICH IS THREADED ON THE END. ON THE BOTTOM OF THE GATE VALVE IS A 1.9CM KNOB.

Subjects

REGULATIVE & PROTECTIVE T&E

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

THIS GATE VALVE WAS USED BY THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT. IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT PROVIDED AT THE TIME OF DONATION, JESSE KURTZ, DEPUTY CHIEF – SUPPORT SERVICES (RETIRED), EXPLAINED THAT THE VALVE WAS “USED TO [CONTROL THE] FLOW OF WATER FROM THE SMALL OUTLET ON A HYDRANT AND BE ABLE TO SHUT THE WATER OFF WITHOUT TURNING THE HYDRANT OFF. WE USED THESE MOSTLY WHEN TESTING THE HYDRANTS FOR PRESSURE AND FLOW. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT STOPPED TESTING HYDRANTS WHEN WATER WORKS TOOK IT OVER.” 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) AND TREVOR LAZENBY (HIRED IN 1994). BROWN EXPLAINED THAT THE GATE VALVE “WAS JUST A VALVE TO SHUT OFF…[AND THAT] YOU’D FILL YOUR TRUCKS OFF A HYDRANT.” LAZENBY EXPANDED SAYING: “YOU CAN HOOK THESE ONTO THE SIDE OF A TRUCK BECAUSE THE THREAD OF THE ADAPTER HERE HOOKS ON TO THE TWO AND HALF INCH COUPLE THAT COMES OFF THE MALE END THAT COMES OFF THE BACK OF THE TRUCK. YOU CAN ALSO ATTACH THIS TO THE HYDRANT AND LEAVE THE GATE TURNED OFF, OPEN THE HYDRANT SO THAT YOU GET FLOW AS FAR AS WHERE THE GATE IS–SO YOU COULD ISOLATE THIS LINE FROM THE REST OF THE HYDRANT IF YOU WANTED TO…SO IT’S JUST A WAY OF HAVING ACCESS TO WATER WHEN YOU WANT IT BUT NOT HAVING TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE FULL HYDRANT SYSTEM EVERY SINGLE TIME…WE HAVE USED THESE AN AWFUL LOT; WE’VE USED THESE IN A RURAL SETTING, WE’VE USED THEM FOR FILLING TRUCKS UP … I’VE USED THESE AN AWFUL LOT.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

Catalogue Number

P20150010014

Acquisition Date

2015-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail