ICYMI: Cub Scout Pack 276 Shovels Snow from Fire Hydrants

Editor’s note: This was posted to Simsbury Patch by Kitty Vangunten earlier this week. We’re republishing it here in case you missed it:

By Kitty Vangunten (Open Post)

After noticing that many fire hydrants in his neighborhood were still buried in snow, Cubmaster Ken Warner, Cub Scout Pack 276, organized the 7- to 11-year-old members for a Saturday hydrant shoveling party.

During the week hydrants were surveyed and maps distributed to the three teams who went out. They chose West Simsbury as that is where most of the Pack members live.

Hydrants took more than 30 minutes to dig out when they were covered in snow. The markers on top of some of the hydrants were barely visible; the top of a hydrant marker can be more than 5’ from the ground. Warner said drivers passing by were supportive of their efforts. They used vehicles and cones to protect the boys as they worked.

“It’s great that this local group of Cub Scouts have recognized the problem of snow covered fire hydrants and the additional time it would take the firefighters to access the water in the event of a fire. My hope is that this initiative is recognized by others and residents will begin to take care of their neighborhood hydrants themselves,” stated James Baldis, Chief of the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company.

Warner lives in an area where there was a serious house fire three years ago during a bad winter storm and realized the need for hydrants to be free of snow and ice. He also felt the project was important as a community service project — one that helps the safety of the neighborhood.

This year the 35-member Pack built snowmen in front of Tootin’ Hills Elementary School, the school most of the Pack attends. They also clean up the school yard twice a year and work around First Church of Christ, their sponsor, but “nothing was as intense as this,” Warner said about shoveling out the buried hydrants.