- Feature
- 09/05/2020 @ 3:49 PM
New Yorkers have been uncapping fire hydrants since the “Great Heat Wave of 1896,” which resulted in 1300 deaths in a 10 day span from heat exhaustion. 124 years later, this tradition of uncapping fire hydrants is still going strong . I’ve been documenting it with my camera over these past couple of weeks.
Its not entirely legal, but it's generally tolerated, especially on these piping hot Brooklyn summer days. People in the neighborhood have tools that they’ve concocted to open the hydrants.
I’ve lived in Brooklyn for 8 years now, and to me, the first official day of a New York summer is when I see the first fire hydrant uncapped. Whether its a car just slowing down to get a free car wash, a dog getting a fresh sip of water, or people playing in the hydrants as if it were a waterpark attraction; one thing for sure is that it brings so much joy to the neighborhood.
Something I learned: If you reach out to the fire department, a local fireman will install or lend you a spray cap (for free) to reduce your local hydrant’s flow and waste less water. While a spray cap may feel more like a sprinkler on a suburban lawn than a specular street-level waterpark, it does help find a happy medium with your eco-friendly neighbors.
All these photos were taken on my @sonyalpha A7RIII. This project was a little risky to shoot since my camera would get pretty wet to get some of these shots.
You can find more from Jeremy Cohen on his website and his Instagram.