Fire Marshall Talks Snow Safety

keepclear-2
keepclear-2

Michigan Fire Marshal Kevin Sehlmeyer is asking all state residents to keep their fire hydrants clear of snow so they can be seen and reached by firefighters. Sehlmeyer tells WSJM News the large amount of snow we had over the weekend has made fire hydrant access a concern.

“What we find is that snow banks start to get pushed back by the plows with all of the snow that we’ve had all across Michigan over the weekend,” Sehlmeyer said. “The snow piles actually get enough that you can’t see the fire hydrants any longer.”

Sehlmeyer tells us it’s a good rule of thumb to keep three feet around the fire hydrant clear. He tells us snow surrounding a hydrant can greatly slow down a fire crew when every second counts. He also reminds everyone to make sure any exhaust pipes from their heating system are free of snow in order to prevent a carbon monoxide incident.