One of approximately 80 fire hydrants in Fountain Hill borough, this hydrant is located near the Fountain Hill Fire Department on Cherokee Street. The all-volunteer department is encouraging residents to “adopt” their hydrants by keeping them clear of snow and ice this winter.
The Fountain Hill Fire Department is looking for help from residents this winter with increasing access to the borough’s fire hydrants in the event of accumulating snow, which the area didn’t receive Monday–in spite of predictions–but easily could have.
The fire department recently launched an “adopt-a-hydrant” program in which it is asking residents with fire hydrants adjacent to their properties to clear a three-foot radius of snow around each hydrant, in order to help maintain access to them. The borough’s firefighters are volunteers, and that extra effort on snow days can make a big difference when there’s a fire that needs to be extinguished as quickly as possible.
Keeping fire hydrants clear of snow also benefits residents, because in the event of a fire ready access to water could mean the difference between saving a home and losing it to the flames.
The borough has around 80 fire hydrants, and officials say a little assistance from residents with “keeping them clear” this winter will go a long way.
The fire department is doing its part to help keep the hydrants handy by raising money for new marker flags to place on them.
The flags extend several feet above the hydrants and help firefighters quickly locate them in the case of an emergency, even if they’re buried by snow.
To that end, the Fountain Hill Fire Department is selling Christmas trees as a fundraiser at the borough pool near Dodson Street and Stanley Avenue.
The sale will continue through Sunday, Dec. 22. Residents can purchase a tree from 4 to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays, and from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekends.
For more information about both programs, visit the Borough of Fountain Hill’s website.
An informational graphic shows how much snow and ice should be removed from around a fire hydrant.
