Our Mission

Mapping South Africa's fire safety infrastructure, one hydrant at a time.

FindMyHydrant’s story starts with a simple belief. Life-saving information should be free, open, and accessible to everyone, especially in the communities that need it most.

217+ Members Signed Up

Join the community and help map hydrants near you.

689+ Hydrants Mapped

Is your street on the map yet? Grab your phone and add the hydrants near you.

41+ Enclosures Mapped

Mapped so first responders find the right gate first time - not the wrong one, wasting precious minutes.

41+ Firefighter Verified

Each one physically checked by a firefighter or first responder, so it's ready when it matters.

0+ Issue Reports Filed

No issues yet - spotted a damaged hydrant? Let us know.

Our Story

It started with one neighbourhood fire.

In 2025, a fire broke out in our neighbourhood. First responders arrived as quickly as they could, but lost critical minutes searching for a working hydrant. The nearest one hadn’t been marked or maintained. Those minutes cost more than time.

Jackie and I watched it happen first-hand – a mother and daughter standing on the street, seeing how unprepared everyone was. So we did something about it. We walked around our community, mapped every hydrant street-by-street, shared it in our community group, and took it to the fire department. Within days, they came out and spot-checked every single one.

Then we asked: what about the communities next to ours? That question became FindMyHydrant – the map that should have existed all along.

Our goal: to raise awareness, provide insight, and help people know what to look for. To know that this platform helped someone.

Our Values

What drives everything we do.

Safety Belongs to Everyone

No one should have to pay to be safe, fight for it, or be lucky enough to live near a visible hydrant.

Awareness is Protection

Knowing where your hydrant is before a fire starts is the difference between minutes lost and lives saved.

Community Looks After Community

Every hydrant on this map was added by someone who decided their neighbour's safety mattered as much as their own.

Give Freely. Receive Gratefully.

We don't run ads. We don't sell data. Contributions mean more when they come from choice.

One Life is Enough.

If this platform helps one firefighter find one hydrant one minute faster - that's the whole point. Everything else is a bonus.

Meet the Team

A small, passionate team on a big mission.

Connecting South African communities to life-saving information. If you’d like to give more of your time – checking hydrants in your area, helping with outreach, or assisting with data quality – we’d love to hear from you.

Co-Founder & Community Lead

Jackie

After witnessing first-hand how unmarked hydrants cost precious time during a neighbourhood emergency, Jackie turned frustration into action and never looked back. When duty calls, she will fight a whole army to make a difference. FindMyHydrant is proof of that.

Community Advocacy · Partnerships

Co-Founder & Tech Lead

Shannon

Shannon didn’t just build the map – she built it with purpose. Passionate about civic technology and paying it forward, she designed and developed FindMyHydrant from the ground up. Some people talk about making a difference, she codes it.

Platform Development · UX Design

Firefighter & Field Advisor

Josh

Josh is proof that you’re never too young to make an impact. As a trainee firefighter, he brings what no app can replace – on-the-ground experience that shapes how FindMyHydrant works in practice. When every second counts, his insight is what keeps us grounded.

Field Expertise · Data Verification

Your area needs you!