The City of Bowling Green is asking residents to "Adopt a Hydrant" near their home in the snowy
weather.
The act can help firefighters called to put out a structure fire.
"It’s very important if there’s a structure fire," said Fire Chief Stephen Meredith Tuesday.
Without an easily-available hydrant "we’d be limited to whatever water we’d carry in the
trucks."
In a news release, residents are asked to keep hydrants near their homes clear of snow; an area of
approximately three feet should be cleared.
"In an emergency, every second counts," the release noted.
Meredith also said that while they have not had any fire runs this week, the fire division will take
precautions to protect firefighters from the cold.
"If the guys do go out on a structure fire, we’ll make sure we keep an eye on them and rotate them
so they can get warmed up," he said.
A medic unit would be sent along with the fire truck for the purpose.
Meredith said that freezing water can be an issue in such runs if the water is not kept flowing.
"We keep the nozzle open slightly" to keep the water from freezing, he said, noting that the
water in the hydrants usually is at a temperature of around 50 degrees Farenheit.