Touted as the “land of opportunity,” there have been some amazing inventions that have come from America, and these inventions haven’t stopped yet. In fact, a retired New York firefighter saw the need to create a fire hydrant that is safer, smarter and sturdier to enhance the safety of people.

Relying on his time served protecting New York City (NYC), retired firefighter George Sigelakis noticed that out of 100,000 hydrants across the city, many are in disrepair, vulnerable to misuse and exposed to extreme weather, leaving them decayed, leaking or corroded. Because the typical fire hydrant is made of steel, iron and rubber parts, it won’t hold up against water. Besides that, some NYC residents are tampering with the hydrants during the summer months to beat the heat as well as wash their vehicles, leaving hydrants caught in an endless maintenance cycle.

Sigelakis speaks of the hydrant as being a “lifeline to a firefighter,” because without water, it’s impossible for firefighters to do much to fight a fire, so he sat out to reinvent the hydrant. Conceptualization started in his basement and soon the Sigelock Spartan became a reality.

Characteristics of the Siegelock Spartan include:

• Virtually indestructible;
• Made of stainless steel and ductile iron;
• Covered in non-corrosive powder coating;
• Has internal drainage system;
• Can be opened in seconds but only with a special wrench; and
• Manufactured in Pennsylvania with a 50-year warranty.

So far, Spartan has been slow to be adopted, mainly because municipalities have stockpiled replacement parts for years, so they have a lot of money invested. Currently, 150 Spartans have been deployed across a dozen states including Florida and Massachusetts. New York installation has been restricted to Long Island.

Joseph Kelly, senior operations officer, Sigelock Spartan, believes that as “the Spartan continues to prove itself,” sales will improve. Besides, the safety of people and assets are at stake, and if this hydrant is state-of-the-art, it should be used.