Adopt a Fire Hydrant to Help Firefighters

DULUTH, Minn. — With all the snow Duluth has seen in the past couple of days, fire officials are reminding people of the importance of clearing the snow around fire hydrants.

As Duluth gets so much snow annually, city road maintenance crews plow and often push the snow to the sides, which covers fire hydrants.

When responding to emergencies, fire crews need quick access to these hydrants, and are asking residents to adopt their local hydrant so they can help keep it clear when storms hit.

“When hydrants become buried, it takes time for fire fighters to locate and then dig that hydrant out if we have to use that hydrant, and those precious moments become very valuable particularly if were trying to put a fire out or if were trying to effect a rescue on an emergency scene,” Jon Otis, Deputy Chief Of Life Safety said.

Officials say clearing about 3 feet around the hydrant is enough room to work, and clearing sidewalks also helps make their job easier when responding to emergencies.