Finally, a Fire Hydrant for the 21st Century

Sigelock Systems LLC was founded for the sole purpose of manufacturing the most secure and most cost-effective fire hydrants in the world.

George Sigelakis, a retired 15-year veteran New York City firefighter, had a vision and passion to create the best fire hydrant possible to keep firefighters and communities safer. The result is the Spartan model hydrant: the first new design of a fire hydrant in more than a century.

“George Sigelakis’ on-the-job experience as a firefighter made him keenly aware of the risks of an aging water infrastructure and specifically the leak-prone and poorly functioning fire hydrants that still employ antiquated designs and technology from more than 100 years ago,” said Joseph Kelly, senior operations consultant at Sigelock Systems. “George was determined to build a better fire hydrant. He formed a small entrepreneurial team of investors and partners, and after almost a decade of design, development, testing and refinement, Sigelock Systems LLC is now the sole manufacturer of the world’s first significantly new fire hydrant in over a century—the Sigelock Spartan—the new standard in fire safety.”

After a decade of research and development, the first Spartan 300 fire hydrant was installed in Franklin, Pennsylvania in 2009. Since that time, the Spartan 300 has been installed in more than 20 U.S. states, 14 different cities in Canada, numerous U.S. military bases and is the preferred hydrant of choice by the largest private water company in the world.

“A truly revolutionary and groundbreaking technology that provides superior value to communities that want a more cost-effective solution to improve fire safety, water security and water savings, the Spartan hydrant models are not just incrementally better than traditional competitor hydrants, they are modern in design, materials and performance,” Kelly said. “They have been developed to solve today’s real-world problems.”

The Spartan 300 fire hydrant features and benefits for water departments include:

• Reduced water loss from leaks at the lower valve.
• Reduced water loss from vandalism and theft.
• Reduced yearly general maintenance and labor costs.
• Reduced costs for stocking expensive replacement parts.
• Reduced costs for painting.

Features and benefits for fire departments include:

• Security that prevents unauthorized personnel from operating and potentially damaging the working parts of the hydrant.
• Ease of operation allows firefighters to get water on the fire much faster.
• Faster drainage and improved valve seals leave no residual water in the hydrant to eliminate frozen hydrants in the winter.
• Reliability, peace of mind knowing when firefighters pull up to a Spartan it will function properly every time.

Integral, patented security features protect water infrastructure against threats from vandalism, malicious tampering and terrorist threats, and the skyrocketing cost of chronic leaks and widespread theft. The Spartan is designed to be ready and functioning when a hydrant is needed most—during a fire.

“By establishing new standards of fire hydrant performance with patented design and technology that competitors cannot match, the Spartan is targeted to become the preferred specification of thoughtful waterworks engineers,” Kelly said. “The Spartan presents a true first-mover advantage for Sigelock Systems; a significant opportunity to secure market leadership by forever changing industry expectations for what a fire hydrant should be.”

Along with helping to save water, save costs and save lives, Sigelock Systems prides itself on innovation and customer service. The company maintains its focus on sustainability initiatives with an emphasis on green technology to minimize water loss and it recently started increasing outreach through platforms like LinkedIn to share updates and industry news.

According to Kelly, the business’ greatest opportunity is expansion. “We have the potential to further our footprint beyond the 20 U.S. states and 14 Canadian cities where we have current installations,” Kelly said. “We also see opportunities to become the preferred choice for U.S. military bases and major private water companies.”

For more information, visit sigelock.com.