Why Maine Fire Departments Are Asking for Your Help After Snowstorms

If you live in New England, you already know the drill after we get hit by a snowstorm, you shovel the driveway, clear your walkways and dig out your car. This little fun check list is something that is engrained in us by now as adults in Maine. 

But alas, we may need to add one more little thing to our list if we’re not already doing it, according to News Center Maine. 

Fire Departments across the state of Maine are asking us to clear nearby fire hydrants. Why? Well, fires don’t wait for plows. 

Public Information Officer for the Portland Fire Department, Sean Donaghue told News Center Maine,

“We just try to run this informal campaign to ask for help to do this as a collaborative community effort." 

So when firefighters come running to help and have to clean it off before getting to the hydrant they are losing precious life-saving time.

Why Clearing Your Local Fire Hydrant Could Save Lives This Winter

They need fast access to that water to help save your home and your family.  Donahue went on to say as per the article,

“Our flow of accessing the hydrant, getting water to be able to fight a fire, we need to do that as quick as we possibly can. Clearing a hydrant ahead of time is what allows us to do that.”

So because this is so important, they've asked residents to “adopt” a fire hydrant and take care of it by clearing snow after storms.

Honestly, I never even knew where the nearest hydrants were until I looked recently and if you’d asked me before, I wouldn’t have had a clue either.

So, it’s a good reminder not just to help out, but also to know where your local hydrants are in case of an emergency. 

Firefighters say, as per the article, if you clear about three feet around the hydrant and a path from the street, that should be good enough for them to easily reach them.

Read More: Why Are Socks On Rooftops In Maine This Winter? 

We help each other here in Maine, it's a small and Maine kind of thing to do.

Next time you are out there clearing off your walkway, all bundled up and shoveling, take a quick look around and clear a hydrant. It could make a real difference for your neighbors and the firefighters who show up when things go wrong.