Despite the unseasonably warm weather in Crookston recently, we are unfortunately heading into the heart of winter. The Crookston Fire Department is activating its Adopt-A-Hydrant program again this year to help keep fire hydrants clear should the fire department be called to a fire in your neighborhood.
There are more than 400 fire hydrants throughout the City of Crookston, many more than can be cleared by firefighters and city staff following a snowfall, according to Firefighter Shane Heldstab. That’s why Heldstab said the fire department is issuing the call for the public to help keep hydrants clear this winter. “The Fire Department’s again asking for the public to consider if they’d adopt local neighborhood fire hydrants they have around,” said Heldstab. “It’s kind of a general cry out to see if we can get the residents in Crookston to help with the upkeep of those hydrants. And with this program, it allows residents to claim the responsibility of shoveling out those hydrants after a snowfall.”
A hydrant buried in snow can cause significant delays at a fire scene as firefighters spend several minutes trying to clear the snow and ice from the hydrant. That can lead to significant property damage or worse, which is why Heldstab said its imperative hydrants remain clear. “Buried hydrants can cause extremely dangerous delays for firefighters,” said Heldstab. “Having the fire department or city personnel going to check the hundreds of hydrants we have can be timely, burdensome, and costly. If we get to a scene and we have to dig one out, that’s minutes we have to waste essentially trying to hook up to a water supply. Those hydrants are right there and supposed to be ready for the water we use to fight fires. It’s imperative that we have access to those fire hydrants so we can get hooked up for water, and that’s why we’re asking citizens to get signed up for the Adopt-A-Hydrant program.”
Residents can qualify to receive prizes throughout the winter by registering and keeping a hydrant or hydrants in their neighborhood clear, said Heldstab. “Follow the link – ckn.mn/hydrant – that will bring you to the City of Crookston hydrant map,” said Heldstab. “You can scroll through there and find a hydrant near you that you want to adopt. We ask that you look up the information on that and then call the fire hall at 281-4584. Let us know the location of that hydrant, and if you choose to adopt that hydrant, we encourage you to give it a name. Something appropriate but funny will be taken into account this year, along with the thoroughness of those being cleared away during or after snowfalls because this year we are going to be having prizes. They’ll randomly be given throughout the season, but we will be out checking and verifying that the hydrants are being cleared for the people who have adopted them. The only way that you can win these prizes is if you do call down to the fire hall and sign up to adopt a hydrant.”
Heldstab said a clear hydrant provides room for firefighters to work and provides a path for them to access the hydrant. “What we’re asking for when we talk about the cleanliness of hydrant is three feet around a hydrant,” said Heldstab. “And in some cases, if you can clear a path from the sidewalk to the hydrant or from the curb to the hydrant. That way, when we pull up, we have a path to the hydrant, and it just eases our access.”
