Dry Riser

A dry riser is a system of pipe work and valves that runs up through a building. The system allows fire fighters to easily access water from each individual floor of the building. It consists of a vertical pipe with a water inlet on ground level located on an external wall and outlets known as landing valves, which are usually located in a dry riser cabinet on each floor. Dry risers are an essential part of any building design where the height of the building exceeds 18 metres from the fire brigade access level to the top floor.

The fire fighters fill the dry riser pipe with pressurised water by connecting the fire engine hose to the inlet on the ground floor. They can then connect hoses directly to the lifesaving water supply on the floor nearest to the fire using the outlet valves connected to the dry riser. Connecting the hoses in this way is a much quicker system for the fire fighters. The hoses they use to connect on each floor are shorter and therefore lighter and there is no requirement to run long heavier hoses up through the whole of the building. Using Dry Risers saves time and ultimately saves lives.