No Ordinary 'Plug’
This vibrant fire hydrant in Albertville, Ala., marked by a commemorative plaque, is the 2 millionth hydrant produced by the Mueller Co.’s local plant.
Dogs love them. Homeowners depend on them. Firefighters bless them.
Albertville, Ala., is the "fire hydrant capital of the world," thanks to the Mueller Co., which has been producing the cheery little contraptions since the early 1900s.
Mueller is the largest manufacturer of hydrants in the world, producing 550 a day. Millions of them now dot the suburban landscape in the United States and Canada. But don’t mistake a Mueller hydrant for any ordinary plug, says Peggy Fleckenstein, manager of personnel and industrial relations.
"Ours are too pretty to call 'plugs,’ " she says. "That’s what we call our competitors’."
The Mueller design harkens back to the 1930s, and is topped with a dome modeled after the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The hydrants come in a rainbow of colors, with red and yellow the most common. Some communities order them in shades to honor hometown sports teams – green and gold in Green Bay, Wis., for example.
The most unusual color John Green has ever seen was lavender. "We sent those to Florida to use with wastewater," says Green, Mueller’s materials customer service manager. "It did look a little strange."
The company’s millionth hydrant – in polished chrome – sits in front of the Albertville Chamber of Commerce. Its second millionth is in front of the Mueller plant. |
