Chief: Save a Life, Dig Out That Hydrant

Dear Fellow Neighbors:

As Chief of the Nesconset Fire Department, I need to alert you to a potentially dangerous condition right outside your front door: fire hydrants covered or buried in the snow.

I cannot stress enough the importance of access to these hydrants in the event of fire at your home or the home of a neighbor. Many people mistakenly believe when the Fire Department responds to a "working fire", we bring all the water we need with us in our trucks. That is not true. We must have access to the hydrants on your block quickly. Time wasted on scene searching for hydrants, then digging them out, can mean the difference between minor or significant property damage, or life and death itself. 

Keeping this in mind, I urge you and your neighbors to locate fire hydrants on your block or in your area and remove as much snow as possible. Thus allowing firefighters to locate and access theses hydrants in the event of an emergency call. I know the excessive snowfall has us all exhausted, but the importance of this cannot be overstated.  

There are approximately 600 fire hydrants in our community; our volunteers will never get this done without your support.

Should there be special circumstances preventing you from completing this urgent request, mark the hydrant with a large stick such as a broom handle, and please contact the Fire Department at (631) 265-1228.

Thank you for your continued support.

Thomas Downs

Nesconset Fire Department Chief