Fire departments seek help shoveling out town's hydrants (Printed Dec. 7, 2007)
By James V. Horrigan
Staff Writer
Many think shoveling snow is no fun, but the season’s first major snowfall earlier this week brought with it a reminder that shoveling out the nearest fire hydrant should be a regular part of snow removal.
It’s called Adopt-a-Hydrant.
There are more than 700 fire hydrants in Scarborough and using every available firefighter to spend the day after a storm shoveling them out is costly, time consuming and potentially dangerous, said Lt. Chad Charland, Scarborough Fire Department fire prevention coordinator.
“We just basically ask the homeowners and residents and business owners in Scarborough to adopt the fire hydrant that’s in front of their business or home, to shovel a little path out so that it’s a little bit easier for the firefighters when we pull up in the middle of the night,” Charland said.
Hydrants buried in snow are of no use to anyone, he said. The Adopt-a-Hydrant page on the fire department Web site notes that it already takes a firefighter about 45 seconds to connect a hose to a hydrant. The extra time required to dig out a hydrant covered with snow could mean the difference in saving a home or a life.
Charland said a three-foot radius around the hydrant should be kept clear at all times, noting that debris, shrubbery and tree limbs can present an obstruction throughout the year as well.
Hydrants that are not adopted by neighboring residents or businesses have to be cleared by on duty firefighters, Charland said. Earlier this week every available piece of equipment was used in snow removal, which he acknowledged might have brought inconvenience to some.
“It’s kind of a traffic hazard for people because we put those trucks in the middle of the road,” Charland said. “But we do it to try and protect ourselves so we don’t get hit while we’re shoveling,” he said.
One way to avoid traffic tie-ups and not risk bringing injury to a firefighter is to adopt a hydrant. Charland said that as a volunteer program there’s no need to notify the town that you’ve adopted a particular hydrant.
“When we see that it’s already shoveled out, we’ll know,” he said.
Staff Writer
Many think shoveling snow is no fun, but the season’s first major snowfall earlier this week brought with it a reminder that shoveling out the nearest fire hydrant should be a regular part of snow removal.
It’s called Adopt-a-Hydrant.
There are more than 700 fire hydrants in Scarborough and using every available firefighter to spend the day after a storm shoveling them out is costly, time consuming and potentially dangerous, said Lt. Chad Charland, Scarborough Fire Department fire prevention coordinator.
“We just basically ask the homeowners and residents and business owners in Scarborough to adopt the fire hydrant that’s in front of their business or home, to shovel a little path out so that it’s a little bit easier for the firefighters when we pull up in the middle of the night,” Charland said.
Hydrants buried in snow are of no use to anyone, he said. The Adopt-a-Hydrant page on the fire department Web site notes that it already takes a firefighter about 45 seconds to connect a hose to a hydrant. The extra time required to dig out a hydrant covered with snow could mean the difference in saving a home or a life.
Charland said a three-foot radius around the hydrant should be kept clear at all times, noting that debris, shrubbery and tree limbs can present an obstruction throughout the year as well.
Hydrants that are not adopted by neighboring residents or businesses have to be cleared by on duty firefighters, Charland said. Earlier this week every available piece of equipment was used in snow removal, which he acknowledged might have brought inconvenience to some.
“It’s kind of a traffic hazard for people because we put those trucks in the middle of the road,” Charland said. “But we do it to try and protect ourselves so we don’t get hit while we’re shoveling,” he said.
One way to avoid traffic tie-ups and not risk bringing injury to a firefighter is to adopt a hydrant. Charland said that as a volunteer program there’s no need to notify the town that you’ve adopted a particular hydrant.
“When we see that it’s already shoveled out, we’ll know,” he said.
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