NE Firefighters Start Hydrant Parties for Kids

Area kids will have a new way to beat the heat over the next few weeks thanks to the Columbus Fire Department.

Pat and Dan Miller were just looking for a creative way to help kids stay cool this summer when they came across the idea of hydrant parties, hearing how they were popular in fellow Nebraska communities like North Bend and Omaha. Like the name suggests, fire and recreation departments across the country have unleashed the hydrants and let kids have a ball with the water during the hot summer months.

“It’s hot, it’s summer and the kids don’t have a lot to do. So I thought this would give them something to do, a new way to cool off while it’s hot outside,” said Pat Miller, assistant fire chief and a longtime veteran of the local department. “We’re always looking for something to do with the kids.”

The hydrant parties will happen around town from 5:30-7 p.m. the next four Tuesdays, starting tonight at Centennial Elementary School, 500 Centennial St. That will be followed by sessions at Emerson Elementary (July 23), Lost Creek Elementary (July 30) and just outside Dollar Tree, 138 24th St. (Aug. 6)

To make it happen, Pat Miller created a contraption out of PVC pipe that connects to a hydrant and will spray out the water thanks to the 140 holes he drilled into it on both sides. It effectively makes a massive sprinkler for kids to jump through on both sides.

“I like to do stuff for kids,” he said. “The main thing is the kids need something to do. I thought this would be a good idea.”

It won’t be just about the hydrant, though. Pat Miller said volunteers have collected and will have ice pops on hand for each kid who attends (each child gets one until supplies run out). A CFD truck will also be on-site for kids to check out up close and water balloons will be dispersed among the youth.