GLENWOOD SPRINGS — For many on the Western Slope this winter, morning rituals look something like this: shovel the front steps; shovel the sidewalk; shovel the driveway; shovel the nearby fire hydrant.

OK, so that last step might not be on your list. But perhaps it should be, according to the Glenwood Springs Fire Department and other city entities.

As it turns out, when plows fling snow to the sides of streets, they are often burying fire hydrants in their wake. Due to this year’s monumental snowfall, even hydrants on small, unplowed roads can be buried.

The fire department often doesn’t have time to uncover the lost spigots. The responsibility is then kicked down to the water department. Sure, they have maps, detailing each hydrant’s location, but with only four employees covering more than 500 hydrants, they could use a bit of help.

“It’s a constant thing in the winter — this winter,” laughed Buddy Burns, superintendent for Glenwood Springs’ water and wastewater utilities. He hasn’t seen anything like this in years.

“Sometimes they get buried so deep, you wouldn’t even know there’s a hydrant there,” he said.

Roy Cerise, utility maintenance coordinator, organizes the hydrant effort every season. While it’s usually a low-key thing, this year, he and three other employees have been dealing with it constantly. He estimates that between the driving, the parking, the shoveling, each of them spends between 10 and 15 hours a week on hydrant duty.

“Right now we’re behind,” he said. “Some of them are completely hidden.”

After locating a hydrant, the men carve out a 3-foot radius of snow from around the hydrant. Cerise recommended these dimensions to those wanting to clear their hydrants themselves. This small effort, he said, can save valuable minutes for firefighters fighting a blaze.

Snow “just clogs things up,” attested GSFD Deputy Fire Marshall Ron Biggers. “It adds minutes to everything.”

Pile onto that the fact that a fire can double in size every 40-60 seconds, and you’ve got yourself a situation where every second counts, he said. Plus, while many might not know this, clearing a fire hydrant on or near your property is law around these parts. Though buried deep, it is actually in the local fire code.

Burns, however, carries his sense of responsibility one step further. Even miles from his house, when he sees a hydrant in need, he jumps out of this car and gives it at least a good dusting. And while he can’t expect everyone to be such good Samaritans, he knows every bit of assistance matters. If each person took responsibility for their own hydrant, he went on, it would make a world of difference.

“That would help us a bunch,” he said. “It’s like, where are those little red things? We can’t even see them.”

Contact Stina Sieg: 384-9111
ssieg@postindependent.com






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