~Hydrant Clean Up Detail~
From 9:00 am till 11:00 pm Mattydale volunteers staffed and Engine 91 (using squad-4) during that time, one of the biggest things the crew focused on was shoveling hydrants within the district since it snowed the night prior.
We would just like to give a reminder, if you have a hydrant in or around your property, we encourage you please just take a few extra minutes and shovel at least 3 feet around the hydrant and even if you can a path to the road. Having hydrants already shoveled and cleaned can make all the difference when dealing with a house on fire.
A fire doubles every 30 seconds, and fire departments depend on fire hydrants to stop the growth of the fire. Without them being cleaned and easy access, it will take much longer to Connect our supply hose from the fire hydrant to the fire engine, because the firefighter who is doing the hydrant connection has to stop and clean off the hydrant which could take many minutes delaying the firefighters' operations on extinguishing the fire. Yes, fire trucks carry water on the already on the fire truck, but it’s not enough to get the job done.
You, taking a few extra minutes to shovel 3 feet around a fire hydrant, could save someone’s hose, personal belonging, memories, or even save a life.
Help us help you.