Structure fires occur at the highest rates during the winter months. These house fires are usually caused by heating appliances like space heaters and wood stoves, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. When the fire department responds to put out a house fire, adequate resources are dispatched to ensure that there is enough water to make an initial fire attack, but firefighters are quickly in need of a continuous water supply from a fire hydrant to extinguish some fires. Finding and connecting to a fire hydrant is one of the firefighters' first priorities. GPS mapping technology on fire engines has improved our ability to find hydrant locations more quickly, but getting to them when they are buried under heavy snow can be a challenge.

In the event of a fire in your neighborhood, firefighters may spend valuable time searching for and digging out a hydrant when they could be doing other important tasks. This is where you can help. Some citizens have informally "adopted a hydrant" in their neighborhood and taken responsibility to clear snow 3 feet in all directions from the hydrant, as well as keeping it visible from the street. This is a great way to give back to your community and neighborhood.