Just a reminder: If you’re doing your own snow removal, don’t forget to clear around the fire hydrant if one happens to be located on your property. In most municipalities, it’s the law. And it’s common sense everywhere.
House fires occur more frequently in the wintertime – primarily because of the hazards associated with heating a home. And fire departments face lots of additional problems in the wintertime. Sometimes, just getting to the site of a fire can be a challenge.
Imagine a fire raging through your home, or a neighbor’s. The fire department arrives, and needs to hook-up to the hydrant. And it’s covered in snow. Imagine the firefighters’ frustration. And imagine all the extra damage that your home, or a neighbor’s, will incur as the firemen are forced to waste precious time digging out the hydrant.
Sure, it will probably take the frantic firefighters less than a minute to dig out your hydrant. But did you know that the average home fire doubles in size in just 17 seconds?
Double Trouble
It’s bad enough that fire hydrants are often neglected by homeowners performing snow removal chores. But adding fuel to the fire is the fact that snow removal activities often cause hydrants to be rendered even more inaccessible.
That’s because snow plowed off a street or driveway or removed from a sidewalk is often tossed right into the curbside zone usually occupied by hydrants. After a particularly heavy snowfall, it’s not unusual for hydrants to be completely buried in an avalanche of deposits from snow removal activities.
And a hydrant that’s hidden from sight is a very bad thing!
We Won’t Neglect Your Hydrants
If you’ve purchased snow removal services from TLC, you can be sure that we won’t neglect any hydrants that may be located on your property. (Be sure to point out your hydrant to us if it happens to be buried out of sight.)
We’ll even do this: If you have a close neighbor with a hydrant that would be used for a fire on your property, and that hydrant isn’t kept clear, let us know when we arrive to clear your snow. We’ll take a moment to clear the snow from around your neighbor’s hydrant. We want you to stay safe!
But whether you’re removing the snow, or we’re doing it, here’s the recommendation: keep a snow-free circular zone around your hydrant of at least 18 inches to 3 feet. The fire department will appreciate the help.
And if the worst should occur, the firefighters won’t be reduced to snow-shovelers as the fire roars unabated through your home. That would be a tragedy compounded by foolish neglect.