23/09/2026
With the upcoming bushfire season Fire and Rescue NSW Station 207 Albion Park firefighters are urging residents and businesses to find the water hydrant on the footpath and street closest to their home or place of work and check its condition.
In a fire emergency, knowing the location of and having unobstructed access to a water supply is critical to saving lives and property. Precious minutes can be lost in an emergency if firefighters are hindered by hidden or obstructed hydrants, particularly at night.
There have been numerous incidents throughout the state where firefighters have been unable to access the nearest hydrant in an emergency due to it being poorly marked, obstructed by parked cars, mud or debris, over-grown vegetation; or, garden beds built over the hydrant. Poorly maintained or unusable hydrants result in critical time being lost while firefighters clear the hydrant or search for and access another hydrant further from the fire.
During our recent inspections, most hydrants are easily located, we clean them, apply a new spray of yellow paint and place yellow markings placed on the road. However, sometimes the hydrant is covered.
On this street in Albion Park there were two hydrants next to each other. One was visible and the other was covered in grass. We had to dig up the grass and locate the second hydrant. We want to remind residents, you are not allowed to cover these and make sure your grass does not cover the hydrant. We also want to remind residents, you are not allowed to cover hydrant covers with other types of paint especially if the hydrant is located in your driveway. The hydrant needs to remain yellow.
To check if you have a hydrant outside your house, look for the Primary Indicator Plates. Hydrant indicator plates are fixed at a height of 2.1 m on power or light poles, directly facing the hydrant. Primary indicator plates are marked with Red Letters on a white background or Black Letters on a purple background indicating the hydrant is supplied with recycled water. The letters such as P means the hydrant is in the Pathway and R means its located in the Roadway. The plate also has a top number which gives the distance (in metres) from the plate to the hydrant and if there is a black line the hydrant is on the other side of the road.
The letters SV means its a Stop valve for isolating the water main. This also should not be covered, to allow Sydney Water access to the valve in an emergency.
If you have any concerns regarding the condition or visibility of your nearest hydrant including the Hydrant indicator plates, please contact Sydney Water on 13 20 90 or the fire station.
For more information visit https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/fire-safety/home-fire-safety/topics/hydrants
Fire and Rescue NSW Illawarra Command MS1
Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell AFSM