While they're bright red, fire hydrants rarely get much attention.
But for Sadie Morey, they held her attention, and now her passion for them has garnered her a fan base on social media as she reviews Vancouver's hydrants.
Hat-free hydrants pump up the inspiration
The interest in hydrants wasn't a long-burning passion; Morey co-owns a Gastown hair salon and has "nothing to do with fire or plumbing."
"I didn't notice fire hydrants until I did," she says.
While she spends a lot of time looking at the tops of people, it was the tops of the hydrants that first caught her eye.
"Last February, I started noticing that a lot of the fire hydrants in my business partner's neighbourhood didn't seem to have hats," she tells V.I.A. "I was really upset about the lack of hat and I started rambling about it all the time."
That led her down a rabbit hole, and she learned the anatomy of fire hydrants — including that they all have "hats" — and her own interest grew from there. However, while Morey became more fascinated, those receiving fire hydrant photos and thoughts were less enthralled.
So she turned to social media and started sharing video reviews on TikTok in the summer of 2024.
"I definitely didn't think people would be genuinely watching these," Morey says. "I just make them because it makes me laugh."
But the internet is big, so people found her, and a following grew. One fan mentioned that she wanted to share Morey's videos with friends on Instagram, so Morey started an Instagram account, which now has over 3,100 followers who get several reviews a week.
Thoughts on Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»fire hydrants
The process for reviewing hydrants is fairly simple.
"The rating system is very arbitrary," Morey explains. "I don't plan these things. I just turn on my camera and start speaking, and I don't even know what I'm going to say."
She has a rating system from zero to 10, and there have been fire hydrants across the spectrum.
"The 0/10s have been very controversial," she says.
However, the reviews go beyond ratings, and Morey improvises quick descriptions of each in the little videos. One she compares to Ryan Stiles (briefly of Vancouver), another is a "shining, blushing bride of a hydrant," while a third is "the Titanic."
"You're shaped like a toe, your paint job is flaking, you're so dirty, you have so much stem," she says of a hydrant that scored a one. "It's tragic really, you're like the Hunchback of Notre Dame you know. It's people like me who are keeping you oppressed, you know."
"I'm sorry about that, dude."
She's even reviewed hydrants near fire stations.
"You know, it is misleading that you are number one, because you suck," she says out front of West Vancouver's Station 1.
While her reviews have ranged from Abbotsford to Bellingham, her favourite is in South Vancouver.
"I think it's Granville and 41st, there is a fire hydrant by a gas station that's so beautiful. It's my favourite one I've ever seen," she says.
"It has a perfect hat and a beautiful shiny chain."
Things that cause low ratings include a long stem and an unkempt appearance.
Pumping out more content
A community has grown up around Morey's project (like grass around a fire hydrant), and she intends on keeping at it. She'll talk to fans online and to people at the hair salon.
"It's kind of hilarious how serious people are taking it," she says. "It's super funny, it's giving me a real big laugh. I'm loving getting to talk to so many people."
The hair salon has even been gifted a fire hydrant (though it's not her favourite style), which will be installed as part of current renovations.
Some firefighters have reached out or commented on her reviews, but no departments have reached out so far. Morey reached out in her own way recently.
"I went to a fire department dressed as a fire hydrant," she explains. "I think the man who opened the door was so afraid I was going to [mess] with him."
"I've never posted [the video of] it because it was so uncomfortable. That guy did not know anything about who I am. I think he thought I was up to no good, and I can't blame him. I was dressed as a fire hydrant," she adds.
More trips around the region are planned (people sometimes send requests), and she's considering creating some sort of map to keep the reviews in order. One day, she hopes to visit the in New York City (if it still exists).
Kamloops and Kitchener 🥵 oh baby!!!
