ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — St. Louis Park Fire Chief Steve Koering says it almost every year, but it's worth a reminder:
Clear those fire hydrants.
"It's a seconds business," Koering said. "Every time we're delayed, it just allows the fire or the emergency to escalate or expand. If it takes another three to four to five minutes to dig a hydrant out before a water supply can be established, that just allows that fire to extend and life safety to be a concern."
On Monday, Koering showed KARE 11 a particularly glaring example of a buried fire hydrant near a quiet residential intersection.
After noticing the hydrant hidden by at least a foot of snow, three firefighters grabbed shovels and cleared the path. In a real fire, however, only one firefighter would be available to complete the task.
"We're usually trying to clear three feet around that hydrant, all the way down to the ground, to access 360 degrees," Koering said. "The street should be open."
During an active house fire on Sunday evening in the Powderhorn neighborhood, Minneapolis Battalion Chief 2 Staffan Swanson put out a similar plea.
"If I could say anything to the residents of the city of Minneapolis, I would say, if you have a hydrant on your block that is covered, please get out and shovel it," Swanson said. "We are doing our level best to get out and do what we can, but we're not going to be able to get to every hydrant."
Or, in the words of State Fire Marshal Jim Smith: "Give them a hand and reveal the red. You could be standing there watching your house burn down during those precious minutes firefighters may spend digging out a hydrant."
The State Fire Marshal also offered some additional reminders:
- When you're digging out, don't forget about your neighborhood fire hydrant.
- Firefighters can't help you in an emergency if they can't find the hydrant. Help them help you.
- Reveal the red: Shovel a 3-foot path around your hydrant and shovel a path to the street. Don't let your hydrant get buried in the snow.
- Fire doubles in size every 60 seconds so it's critical that firefighters have immediate access to water when they arrive.
- You don't want to watch your house burn down as firefighters waste precious time digging out a hydrant.
- It can take several minutes for firefighters to dig out a hydrant encased in snow.
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