Not all fire hydrants are red — here's what each different color means

Red, yellow, violet— fire hydrants come in many different colors. But it's not for decoration. These colors have an important meaning that could just save your life one day. Following is a transcript of the video.

What do fire hydrant colors mean? Certain colors are meant for different types of fires. Each color represents a different GPM or Gallons Per Minute. Higher GPMs are meant for larger fires.

Here are the 4 most popular colors, and the biggest fires they can extinguish. To calculate the GPM necessary for the size of a fire, you can take the volume of the fire and divide it by 100. So, if you have a two-story house that is 20 feet tall, 50 feet long, and 50 feet wide, then you're going to need ([20*50*50]/100=500) 500 GPM.

Red: 500 GPM or less, for a 2-story house that's 50 ft by 50 ft and 20 ft tall.
Orange: 500-1,000 GPM, for a 4-story house that's 50 ft by 50 ft and 40 ft tall.
Green: 1000-1500 GPM, for a 4-story house that's 61 by 61 and 40 ft tall.
Blue: 1500 GPM or more, for a 4-story house that's 70 by 70 feet and 40 ft tall.

Some colors don't always refer to GPM. Yellow indicates that the water comes from a public supply system. Violet means the water comes from a lake or pond. While most areas follow this color scheme, some choose to make up their own system. Either way, fire hydrants may stick out like a sore thumb but those bright colors are chosen with your safety in mind.

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