What Does It Mean When WI Fire Hydrant Is Covered With Plastic?

If you're ever in Wisconsin and you see a fire hydrant covered in plastic, this is what it means.

Fire Hydrant Covered With Plastic In Wisconsin

I was scrolling through social media the other day like I normally do. Something strange caught my eye. It was a picture of a fire hydrant. It looked brand new but it was covered with plastic. The curiosity caught up with me so I needed to find out more.

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After thinking about it for a few minutes, I remember many years ago being up in Wisconsin during the winter. I saw the same exact thing. A fire hydrant covered in plastic. Never found out what that was all about so this time I will.

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My first thought was that this fire hydrant must be broken or out of commission. I couldn't come out with another halfway believable answer to my question. With the picture I just saw on social media, I was thinking it could be a brand-new one that hasn't been turned on yet.

Either way, I was guessing that the fire hydrant in those situations wasn't working so that's the way they let the local fire department know not to use those particular ones. I was completely wrong.

Apparently in Wisconsin, if a fire hydrant is covered with plastic it doesn't mean anything. They are just trying to protect it from the elements. With all the terrible winter weather in Wisconsin including snow, slush, sleet, ice, and more the government has to use a lot of salt on the roads so they're drivable.

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Just imagine the damage road salt does to your vehicle. Well, it does a number on fire hydrants too. A new one costs $6,500 so the plastic is used to protect the hydrant from weather and salt damage. Hopefully, it prolongs the life of each one. So next time you see a fire hydrant in Wisconsin covered with plastic, you know what it's all about.