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Walker Fire Dept. reminding homeowners to clear fire hydrants of snow and ice

Minutes may be the difference between life and death.

WALKER, Mich. — If you see a fire hydrant buried in snow in front of your home, help clear it for your neighborhood firefighters. Minutes may be the difference between life and death.

Under a pile of snow, a fire hydrant can be invisible.

"If we have to spend two or three minutes digging out a fire hydrant and be able to get our water supply, that's two to three minutes that fire can continue to grow on us," said Kevin Degroot, a Fire Marshall with Walker Fire Department.

A fire can double in size between every 30 seconds to a minute, depending on what's burning. We timed how long it takes Walker firefighters to clear a hydrant and it took them 53 seconds. However, Degroot said they used two people and the snow was very light. 

"We won't typically drop two people at a fire hydrant," he said. "It's just one person that grabs the equipment they need and they drive away so obviously depending on snow conditions and only one person the time is extended and that's just time we can't get back."

Homeowners of the property the hydrant sits on are asked to clear the snow and ice. The city has around 1,800 hydrants and firefighting crews will also go and dig them out as needed.

"I think people just don't think about them," Degroot said. "The hydrants sit out there and we see them all the time and we just don't give it any thought because we never had to use one, as a resident. Our houses don't catch on fire all of the time. But if it's your house, you want us to be able to grab our water supply quickly to do our job." 

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