Hazards of hidden hydrants: Fire officials have safety tips after winter storms

CTV’s Hannah Schmidt finds out what homeowners should be aware of when it comes of clearing fire hydrants of snow.

The Waterloo Fire Department is offering up some safety tips after two major snowstorms hit the region last week.

Officials believe one of the hidden hazards that come with winter weather is fire hydrants being buried by snow as it could delay their response. While crews have been digging some out, they are asking homeowners to chip in too.

Rhona Tai-Rak is one Waterloo Region resident who knows her way around a shovel.

“Especially with the snow, it’s really important to us to keep our neighbors safe in case there’s a fire that we clear that hydrant,” she told CTV News.

She’s been taking it upon herself to dig out fire hydrants in her neighborhood for 25 years.

“We have a lot of responsibility for our property and one of them is making sure that the fire hydrant is clear,” she said. “[My neighbours] all make it a point not to blow snow onto the hydrants. People are really conscious of it in our neighborhood. But when we have seen some hydrants being buried, it’s like ‘uh-oh.’”

It’s something she takes pride in. But are homeowners actually obligated to dig hydrants out?

“As a resident of the City of Waterloo, we all have a hand in public safety and any efforts that you can make to help that is going to reduce our response time,” said Jake Herring, deputy chief of operations with the Waterloo Fire Department.

Fire officials say while there isn’t a blanket legal requirement to clear hydrants, property owners are encouraged to maintain clear access, if they’re able.

“Assist us in our efforts to keep fire hydrants clear,” Herring said. ‘We like to keep them clear; we like about, 1 metre or 3 feet around the hydrant."

With more than 2,600 fire hydrants in the City of Waterloo alone, it’s a big task to dig out each and every one after a winter storm.

“On Saturday, the crew... cleared 40 hydrants just in this neighborhood,” Herring said

It’s a process that takes time, but emergencies can happen anytime and without warning.

“It can take upwards four to five minutes for a crew responding to your house to clear the hydrant if it’s buried to get that water source. And that’s time that can be spent on rescue and suppression efforts.”

Officials say, if you’re able, grab a shovel, clear the snow and ensure that hydrant on your street is accessible at all times.

“It could be your house that we are responding to. So it’s in the public’s interest to keep the hydrants clear,” Herring said.

He also encourages people to clear vents on their home to make sure snow isn’t blocking the exhaust and causing carbon monoxide to build up which could be deadly.

Cambridge bylaw

While most municipalities don’t have a legal requirement to keep the hydrant clear, there is at least one local city that does.

The City of Cambridge has a bylaw stating: “no person shall deposit snow and ice in such a manner that it will … obstruct access to any fire hydrant.”

Another section of the bylaw says, “On a boulevard abutting his/her property no person shall install, construct, or permit anything that … obscures or obstructs access to fire hydrants, post office boxes, transformers or other installations belonging to the City, Region, or any utility provider.”