Message from Caroline County Fire-Rescue
BLOCKED FIRE HYDRANTS AND HOUSE NUMBERS - HELP FIREFIGHTERS BY CLEARING THE SNOW
The Caroline County Fire- Rescue Department asks the community for assistance in clearing snow away from house numbers and hydrants in their neighborhoods.
We realize that residents are busy at work "digging out" from the storm, clearing driveways and sidewalks to simply gain access to vehicles and doorways. While doing so, we ask that you take time to clear snow off of your house number to ensure visibility as well as away from nearby fire hydrants.
The large amount of snow accumulation, combined with the after-effects of plowing roads and parking lots has left many local fire hydrants partially or completely buried in snow. This of course creates a challenge for responding firefighters. Critical moments can be lost if time is needed to clear and expose hydrants for water accessibility to responding apparatus.
"We ask that while residents safely venture out, they make sure their house number can be seen without any obstructions from the snow. Also, please assess the hydrants in their community, and shovel an area of at least three feet from all sides." said Caroline County Fire and Rescue Chief David Layman. "This is a
great opportunity to get the kids involved in a valuable community service".
In addition to blocked fire hydrants, the lingering snow presents additional hazards, including prolonged icy roads due to thaw and freeze cycles, as well as the potential for structure collapse due to the added
weight to roofs.