HELP DIG OUT FIRE HYDRANTS—AVOID DELAYED RESPONSES TO FIRE…
The recent snow storms have covered up many fire hydrants. YOU CAN HELP the fire departments avoid delayed responses by digging out your closest fire hydrants. The fire departments also goes around with the apparatus as best as they can after storms and dig out as many hydrants as possible. However,according to Hartsdale Fire Chief Ed Rush:
“ there are a couple of issues with this. First, not many people actually dig out their hydrant, and many of them are not in front of someone’s home, for example all of the hydrants along West Hartsdale Ave. by Maria Regina etc. Second, it is a very time consuming function and takes us quite a while to get to all of the hydrants in between alarms, training etc. Third, we have a difficult time finding some of the hydrants to dig out when they get completely buried. We sometimes have to resort to metal detectors and poking through the snow with long poles. I understand the issue with the plows especially on the dead ends and T intersections, and opening the roads is a necessity. One partial solution to this problem would be to install the markers. They are not the perfect solution but they certainly would help.”
The Town Board will discuss unshoveled hydrants with the Fire Chiefs this Tuesday morning at our work session at 9:45 AM.
MANY MUNICIPALITIES IN WESTCHESTER FACING SALT SHORTAGE
I contacted fellow Town Supervisors in Westchester earlier today to determine the status of their salt supply. Most communities are experiencing salt shortages due to the back to back snow storms. This is an update from the Commissioner of Public Works. Hopefully, the snow season is ending and sadly the pothole season is beginning. The snows…rains…changing weather conditions…plowing will result in lots of potholes throughout the Hudson Valley. We will work hard trying to repave potholes as we are notified.
Paul Feiner
Good Morning Paul,
Many municipalities are facing limited salt at this time. The Westchester County Association of Municipal Public Works Officials (WCAMPWA)has been very active with the NYS OGS as this problem was quite severe in years past. This year, while again many municipalities faced delivery problems, the supplier has been more responsive then prior years. Timely delivery of ordered salt is still a problem, but at least for Greenburgh, is not as critical as past years. The supplier is still behind in fulfilling orders, but we have managed thus far.
Our supply was critically low during the last storm, but we did receive some ordered salt and deliveries are continuing today.
Victor G. Carosi, P.E.
SHELTON (CT) FIRE CHIEF SAYS UNSHOVELED HYDRANT LED TO DELAYED RESPONSE 03/05/2015
Shelton
firefighters had a difficult time with a house fire on Thursday morning because the closest hydrant wasn not shoveled so crews had to clear it, reports wfsb.com.
The fire was in the basement area near a clothes dryer. Firefighters were able to keep the fire contained to the basement. There was smoke damage in the upper level.
Fire officials are advising Connecticut residents to clear snow away from fire hydrants near their homes.
"There were a couple of hydrants, fire crews had to spend a moment or two digging out the closest hydrant," said Shelton Fire Chief Fran Jones. "It just adds to the time."
On Thursday, John Gerardi was chopping away to slowly dig out the snow covered fire hydrant that sits across the street from his home.
"My neighbor usually does it. When he doesn't I'll go and grab a shovel, just try to get everything open," Gerardi said. "If we get a fire, we're hit, they're not going to know where it is."
Jones said he is asking residents to clear out hydrants in front of their homes and clear a path not only to the road, but also shovel about three feet around the hydrants other three sides.
Read more of the story here
http://bit.ly/1B7WCXf
