This Goes In The: What the….? File
February 1st, 2008 Categories: Around the City of Alexandria, The Road Less Taken
I was over shopping at Target today in Potomac Yards and did a double take when I noticed all the fire hydrants in the parking lot have an antenna attached to them.
I know there has to be some good explanation for it- but I couldn’t find it.
Living in the DC area where I do– just a short distance from the Pentagon you get used to seeing things you can’t explain. You hope that it all has something to do with Homeland Security and not big brother.  I’m still convinced that the Air Force Memorial is there to protect the Pentagon.
But this one has me stumped. I think it may be for police radios.
I wonder how many other people notice the antenna on the local fire hydrant.
The are for snow…if you get a ton of it, it alerts fire safety personnel as well as snow plows that a fire hydrant is there.
Mary - thanks for the mail; postcards; calendars and blog. Nice to hear from you. Your telecom background is showing — those antenna are not for communications; they are to alert the snowplowers that there’s a hydrant.
Be well…
Anne! So good to hear from you. Hope things are going well. My telecom background is pretty hard to shake.
Thanks to Anne and Sue who solved the mystery for me.
Enjoyed your site… and I sure am glad I didn’t try to answer your question about the antenna.
Susie
Mary, I like your theory about the Air Force Memorial. I’m glad that Sue and Anne stopped by to solve the mystery of the fire hydrant antennas.
Mary, we get so much snow up here in Canada, I think we most definitely need those antennae though I haven’t seen them in the Oakville area as yet. Glad to read how blogging has enhanced your real estate career, and your life, and you are an inspiration to little ole me!
Hilary Shantz, Oakville
Just before I actually started reading the blog post I stared at the pictures to try and catch what was adrift… I couldn’t find it! I wouldn’t have noticed that darn little antenna had it not been for the explanation in the post.
I suppose that answers your question on how many people noticed it…I know I didn’t.
In Vegas, we’re attaching solar panels to them. Not much need for snow markers. (just kidding about the solar panels), but then, why not?
Mary- the “antennae” are markers. They’re intended to make the hydrants visible to people in large vehicles — SUVs, perhaps — who tend to back over things.