Feb 13, 2023 4 min read

Four local fire departments are hosting a contest all February long, and one winner from each community will receive two gift cards to local businesses.

The Canton, Chartiers, North Franklin and South Strabane fire departments launched the Central Washington County Adopt-a-Hydrant contest Feb. 1, and invite residents and businesses located near fire hydrants to participate through the end of the month.

“One of our firemen, Wesley Atwood, he’s the one that started it. I guess it’s just grown,” said Canton Township Volunteer Fire and Rescue Chief Chuck LaBella, who, after two years of successful programming, extended the invitation to area departments this year.

Locals are encouraged to clear debris, overgrowth and, when applicable, snow and ice from around a nearby emergency pipe. The fire departments recommend clearing a three-foot radius around the hydrant.

“Just to make sure they’re cleared out; when we do have a call, especially at night, they’re hard to see if there’s weeds or snow around them. You get out in the country, there’s hydrants now where there never used to be. It doesn’t take long for them to get covered up,” LaBella said.

Hydrant clearing is the name of the Adopt-a-Hydrant game, but participants are reminded to report serious issues, including leaking hydrants, directly to their local fire department. The departments ask that residents do not alter or repair hydrants.

“Our goal, primarily, is to ensure that (hydrants) are visible when we respond to fires. It’s not always just snow, it’s the overgrowth of weeds, it’s planting things around them. They need to be exposed on all sides of the hydrant,” said South Strabane Fire Department Chief Jordan Cramer. “I can speak to my past experience elsewhere: I know I’ve been on fatal fires where hydrants have been unable to be seen. It truly could be life or death for somebody, not even just a resident, but a firefighter.”

Fire departments nationwide have launched their own Adopt-a-Hydrant programs, and the criteria for participation varies based on location. This year marks the first time Canton, Charleroi, North Franklin and South Strabane have banded together to raise awareness for keeping fire hydrants clear.

“I think it’s a very good community outreach thing,” said North Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Company Chief David Bane. “To make people understand the importance of cleaning and keeping the hydrant clear, it’s for their safety. If a hydrant’s blocked by weeds or snow, we have to battle through that stuff. In a fire, seconds and minutes make a difference.”

The local Adopt-a-Hydrant program serves as a bridge between residents and their firefighters and brings area departments closer, too.

“It’s one of those help us help you type things,” said Chartiers Houston Volunteer Fire Company Chief Fred Simpson. “We had a structure fire in Chartiers Township probably three years ago where the hydrant was obstructed by overgrown shrubs. The problem of obstructed fire hydrants – we deal with all year long. If having this type of a contest brings the issue to a new, heightened awareness level in the public’s eyes, perhaps they’ll worry not about just clearing snow away from the hydrant, but keeping tall grasses, overgrown bushes and shrubs away from the hydrants as well.”

The four fire chiefs agreed they would be delighted if the Central Washington County Adopt-a-Hydrant program expanded to include other area departments.

Residents and businesses in Canton, Chartiers, North Franklin and South Strabane who would like to help their communities should clear a fire hydrant, snap a photo of before and after, and send the images, along with their name, address and telephone number, to their fire department via Facebook Messenger.

To submit to the Canton Township Volunteer Fire & Rescue contest, visit https://www.facebook.com/CantonVFC52; Chartiers Township, https://www.facebook.com/CTVFD25/; North Franklin Township, https://www.facebook.com/people/North-Franklin-Township-Volunteer-Fire-Company/100065053301104/, and South Strabane, https://www.facebook.com/SSFD44/.