Concern over snow buried fire hydrants

SIGOURNEY – Winter is here and with it comes the ice and snow that bring several safety hazards, including burying fire hydrants. Sigourney Fire and Rescue Chief Bill Halleran addressed the Sigourney City Council at their December 6th meeting concerning fire hydrants that become inaccessible after streets are plowed and sidewalks and driveways are cleared after snowfalls. 

    The Chief’s concern focused on the scenario of an occupied house fire in the middle of the night and firemen having to locate and dig out the nearest fire hydrant to be able to hook the hoses to, wasting precious time. It has not been a problem so far but Chief Halleran does not want it to become one.

    The resulting discussion focused on how the hydrants get buried. Was it the city crews piling on the snow? Or were county or state snow clearing crews the culprits? Was it simply due to drifting? Were homeowners throwing snow on the hydrants? Were private snow clearing crews for area businesses pushing snow onto the hydrants? In response, Chief Halleran said, “Actually, all of the above.”  In many cases it is unclear how the hydrants get buried in snow.

    Further discussion involved whose responsibility it is for keeping the fire hydrants clear. It is not the fire department’s responsibility. Others suggested it was the nearest homeowner’s responsibility but that was disputed for several reasons such as if the homeowner is elderly, ill or on vacation. 

    Sigourney fits some of the hydrants with tall red reflector posts that identify where a hydrant is located. While the reflectors identify where a buried hydrant is, it still would need to be dug out of the piled snow to be able to hook up the hose. At an active fire scene, that extra time can result in further damage, or even loss of life.  

    “We have 140 fire hydrants across the city” explained Don Northup, Director of Public Works 1. “They belong to the City. Taxpayers bought them. I think they are our responsibility,” concluded Mr. Northup.  He went on to explain that there are only a handful of hydrants that occasionally get buried and are inaccessible throughout the city. “[The City] will go around to clear the nozzle of any snow-covered fire hydrant but we won’t clear a path,” stated Mr. Northup. Chief Halleran replied “Thank you. Spell check

That’s all I want.”

    Homeowners are encouraged to be aware of the location of their nearest fire hydrant. If able, try to keep the hydrant accessible to the fire department in case of an emergency, or share the clearing responsibilities with neighbors.