Plainview's Snowbound Hydrants Can Be Dangerous

The Plainview Fire Department is urging residents to help keep fire hydrants clear of snow following the big blizzard that hit Plainview last weekend.

Plainview's more than 100 volunteer members do not routinely perform hydrant shoveling following big storms an rely on local residents to clear a path to the devices.

Firefighters said that, ideally, hydrants need to be cleared to ground and with a path about three-feet wide in front. (See attached photos)  The reason for the clearance is to allow firefighters to operate a hydrant wrench. The device opens the couplings that attach to fire hoses and then is used to open the hydrant's valve, the nut on top of the device. 

Seconds count in a fire and blocked hydrants can cause serious delays in getting water on a fire, firefighters say.

Residents can make a big difference by shoveling out fire hydrants on their streets, firefighters say.

There are hundreds of silver and red fire hydrants  spread across a 9 square-mile district encompassing Plainview, Old Bethpage and parts of Woodbury. The most recent snowfall dropped 20.5 inches on Plainview. Plowing operations by the Town of Oyster Bay pushed mounds of snow onto sidewalks, further burying fire hydrants.