What do you know about the fire hydrants on your street? What do you know about the fire hydrants on your street? Virginia Beach has both private and public hydrants. “The private fire hydrants are red barrels with blue caps and bonnets. The public fire hydrants are red with white caps and bonnets,” explained Virginia Beach Assistant Fire Marshal Deidra Peterson. Peterson said the decision to have both public and private hydrants came about in the 1980s by the Public Utilities Director. The Virginia Beach Fire Department and the City of Virginia Beach Public Utilities maintain public hydrants. Private hydrants are maintained by private companies.