• Flag markers enable emergency responders to locate snow-covered hydrants.fire hydrant image by Richard McGuirk from Fotolia.com
  
  Municipalities and community associations place flags on fire hydrants usually in the winter when snow is possible. The flags enable firemen to easily locate hydrants if they become buried in snow. Fire-hydrant flag markers allow firemen to respond to fire emergencies faster without having to search for hydrants. Most municipalities and communities have rules in place on the use of fire-hydrant flag markers.
  
  

Flag Installation

• Rules generally exist for the installation of fire hydrant markers. For example, Orangetown, New York, requires each fire hydrant to have a pole, stick or marker placed near its top that is four feet high. Municipal leaders maintain that this positioning permits emergency responders to identify hydrants even when they are covered by ice or snow. Park City, Utah, mandates that fire hydrants on private streets must be marked with poles or signs that are at least six feet tall.
  
  

Marker Location

• In certain cases, municipalities allow markers on hydrants year round. The markers provide another visual identifier that allows emergency responders to find hydrants should they become temporarily blocked. The City of Santa Maria, California, marks fire hydrants with blue dots. The mark's location must be four inches from the center line of the roadway on the hydrant side, according to Santa Maria Fire Department Standards.
  
  

Tampering

• Most municipalities and communities, through their homeowner's associations, ask residents not to remove flags on fire hydrants. For example, the Village of Carol Stream, Illinois, advises residents not to tamper with flag markers placed on hydrants by local authorities. In addition, it asks for residents help in removing ice and snow covering fire hydrants on or near their properties after a storm has passed. The City of Minnetrista, Minnesota, requires a six-foot clear space around fire hydrants at all times of year, and relies on aid from private citizens in helping to maintain such clearance. Park City, Utah, municipal code makes it unlawful for a person to remove or damage hydrant markers on private and public roads unless removed in the spring for storage. A person found guilty of an unauthorized flag removal is subject to a Class "C" misdemeanor and possible fine.
  
  

Placement Time

• State and local fire departments that use flags to mark fire hydrants in advance of bad weather typically set defined dates for flag placement. Park City municipal code requires flag markers to be placed on fire hydrants from November 15 through May 1 of the following year.