Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

HYDRANT WRENCH

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

2000

Materials

METAL

No. Pieces

1

Length

42.5

Width

14.7

Description

METAL HYDRANT WRENCH, NOT ADJUSTABLE. WRENCH IS ROUGHLY AN 'L' SHAPE. ONE END OF THE WRENCH HAS A SINGLE CLAW, USED FOR PRYING. THE OPPOSITE END (THE SHORT END OF THE 'L') HAS A REULEAUX TRIANGLE, A SLIGHT HOOK, AND A SMALL (2.5CM) CIRCLE. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HANDLE, ON ONE SIDE ONLY, IS A RECTANGULAR PATCH OF LIGHT GREY PAINT. THERE ARE REMNANTS OF LIGHT GREY FINISH ON THE REST OF THE WRENCH. OVERALL IN FAIR CONDITION. VERY RUSTED. GREY FINISH HAS ALMOST ENTIRELY FLAKED OFF. THE RECTANGULAR AREA OF GREY FINISH IS LOOSE.

Subjects

REGULATIVE & PROTECTIVE T&E

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

THIS FIRE PLUG WRENCH, OR HYDRANT WRENCH, WAS USED BY THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT. 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), RAYMOND “RAY” PETIT (HIRED 1965, RETIRED 1998), AND LAWRENCE DZUREN (HIRED 1959, RETIRED 1992). ACCORDING TO BROWN THIS IS A “GOOD OLD HYDRANT KEY. WE ALL CARRIED ONE ON OUR BELT … IT WAS MADE OF PRETTY DURABLE STEEL. YOU COULD PRY ON THAT THING ALL YOU WANTED. I DON’T EVER REMEMBER ONE BREAKING. YOU COULD USE IT AS A HAMMER, AS A CLUB. WE ALWAYS JOKED – WE’D USE IT AS A WEAPON IF WE EVER GOT INTO TROUBLE WITH OTHER PEOPLE. IT NEVER HAPPENED – JUST A JOKE. IT WAS PROBABLY YOUR MAIN LINE TOOL, BREAK WINDOWS, BREAK DOORS IN. YOU KNOW, WE DIDN’T HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF REAL FANCY TOOLS IN THOSE DAYS BUT THAT HYDRANT KEY WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO US. WE CARRIED THEM ON OUR HYDRANT BELTS.” LAZENBY EXPANDED: “WHEN I WAS HIRED EVERY MEMBER OF THE DEPARTMENT WAS ISSUED ONE OF THESE WHEN YOU GOT YOUR BUNKER GEAR OR YOUR TURNOUTS AND YOUR HELMET. YOU WERE ISSUED A HYDRANT KEY WITH A LEATHER HOLSTER BELT THAT YOU WORE OVER TOP OF YOUR JACKET … NOW THERE WAS A FEW ROLES OR A FEW USES FOR THIS TOOL. NUMBER ONE, FIRST AND FOREMOST, IT IS A HYDRANT KEY WHICH MEANS THAT THIS WAS THE KEY THAT YOU USED TO ESSENTIALLY OPEN THE HYDRANT. THE OPENING AT THE END AWAY FROM THE BEVELED EDGE IS CUT IN THE SAME SIZE AND SHAPE AS THE STEM ON TOP OF THE HYDRANT AND IT WAS SIMPLY LEFTY-LOOSE, RIGHTY-TIGHTY. BUT THIS COULD ALSO BE USED AS A FORCIBLE ENTRY TOOL, PERHAPS AS A TOOL TO FIND A MEANS OF EGRESS IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE TRAPPED, YOU COULD BREAK WINDOWS WITH THIS. YOU COULD USE THE PRYING END TO PRY IF YOU HAD TO. I DON’T RECALL WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THE ROUND OPENING ON THAT KIND OF FLANGE END WAS - I DON’T REMEMBER THAT. BUT I DO REMEMBER THAT THERE WAS A SORT OF A MINDSET AMONG SOME OF THE SENIOR MEMBERS THAT IF YOU LET YOUR HYDRANT KEY BECOME ALL RUSTED AND LOOK A LITTLE BIT DISHEVELED THAT THAT WAS SORT OF LIKE THE MARK OF A POOR FIREFIGHTER, SOMEONE THAT DIDN’T LOOK AFTER THEIR GEAR PROPERLY, AND SO WE USED TO – AT TIMES WE WOULD BREAK OUT SOME STEEL WOOL OR THE PNEUMATIC POLISHER AND ACTUALLY POLISH THESE TO A NICE BRIGHT, SILVERY - LIKE A CHROME SHEEN, ALMOST. SO WHEN THEY ISSUED THEM THEY LOOKED TERRIBLE - THEY WERE UNFINISHED AND IT WAS YOUR JOB TO SORT OF GET IT POLISHED UP AND GET IT INTO SERVICE, SO TO SPEAK.” LAZENBY CONTINUED, SAYING THAT BY 2000 “THESE ARE NO LONGER ISSUED TO INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS … WE’VE EVOLVED IN SOME WAYS IN THAT THE HYDRANT KEY NOW TYPICALLY IS … MOUNTED ON THE BACK OF THE TRUCK … THE WHOLE INDUSTRY IS STARTING TO CHANGE IN THAT WE’RE BECOMING MUCH MORE SAFETY-ORIENTED WHEN IT COMES TO THESE TYPES OF THINGS … THIS BECAME REDUNDANT, AND YOU KNOW, IT WAS A LITTLE BIT SMALL FOR THE JOB THAT IT WAS ASKED TO DO AS WELL. OBVIOUSLY, THE BIGGER YOUR TOOL, THE BETTER PRYING AND STRENGTH AND WEIGHT YOU GET. THIS, YOU RELIED A LOT ON THE PERSONAL STRENGTH OF THE PERSON TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS EFFECTIVELY … WHEREAS WITH THE BIGGER ONES NOW, THEY’RE HEAVIER, THEY’RE A LITTLE BIT LONGER, YOU CAN JUST GET BETTER LEVERAGE NATURALLY.” PETIT AGREED, ADDING THAT HE BELIEVED THE WRENCH “WAS MADE IN LETHBRIDGE. MAYBE LETHBRIDGE IRON WORKS.” DZUREN EXPLAINED THAT THE WRENCH “WAS CARRIED IN A LEATHER HOLSTER TYPE OF THING THAT HUNG AT YOUR SIDE AND IT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS YOU PUT ON RIGHT AWAY, AS SOON AS YOU PUT ON YOUR TURN OUT GEAR … THAT WOULD BE THERE BECAUSE YOU WOULD NEED THAT TO TURN ON YOUR FIRE HYDRANT IF YOU NEEDED THE HYDRANT FOR WATER … AND IT ALSO HAD, THERE WAS A LITTLE, TINY, THE TOP OF THE KEY THERE WAS A LITTLE ROUND THING THAT WAS THERE TO TIGHTEN THE CUP LINKS ON HOSES, IF YOU HAD TO TIGHTEN A HOSE THAT WAS LEAKING.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE LETHBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

Catalogue Number

P20150010011

Acquisition Date

2015-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail