The snow in Siouxland is here to stay, but local fire crews said people can help first responders by cleaning off fire hydrants.
Lieutenant Deputy Fire Marshal John Nelsen of Sioux City Fire Rescue said while Sioux City did not see much snow last year, the recent storm has been quite intense and the snow accumulating around fire hydrants can be quite problematic for crews during an emergency.
Lt. Nelsen said the city has a program called Adopt a Hydrant that helps bring attention to the issue.
“Residents in the community kind of take ownership of that hydrant; make sure it’s cleaned out. Just added protection for them because we can get to the fire faster. The faster we have water supply,” said Lt. Nelsen.
He added that a fire hydrant should have three feet of clearance around it and that fires double every 30 seconds, so time is critical.