Boy Scouts from Troop 501 hit the streets of Durango on Sunday, answering the fire department’s call to help shovel out buried hydrants throughout downtown.
“They asked us if we’d be interested in helping because some of these hydrants are so buried the fire department can’t adequately get to it to fight a fire,” said Rob Kolter, a troop leader.
Within the past few weeks, Durango has been hit with a series of snowstorms, burying cars, houses, sidewalks and everything else in its path. But fire hydrants lost beneath the snowdrifts are one of the most concerning issues for firefighters.
“It’s really important to us that we do have access to the fire hydrants,” Hal Doughty, chief of the Durango Fire Protection District, previously told The Durango Herald.
Within the 325-square mile district, there are about 2,500 fire hydrants, of which about 1,500 are located in city limits.
Kolter and his 15-year old son, Alex, and foster son, Zeke Swilley, 14, drove around downtown Durango on Sunday afternoon trying to locate any and all fire hydrants, some proving more difficult than others.
“Some are so buried you can’t see them,” said Alex.
Alex joined Troop 501 four years ago, and is quickly approaching attaining an Eagle Scout badge, which is earned through racking up community service hours.
Zeke, has been with Troop 501 for two years, taking part in a number of community-service projects, including firework pickup and chopping wood for widows.
About six scouts and three adult troop leaders hit various parts of town for a few hours Sunday.
In addition to Troop 501’s help, the fire department has asked residents to also clear hydrants around their homes. Residents are asked to shovel a 5-foot to 6-foot area in all directions around the hydrant.
“There are some areas where people have done this for years and years, and they’re just kind of used to it,” Doughty said in a previous interview. “Some of the newer folks in our community who haven’t been here for a big snow year may not realize that is a concern.”
The fire department also offered coffee gift cards to residents who shovel out a hydrant and post a picture of it to Twitter using the hash tag: #DurangoSnowHydrant.
As of Sunday evening, only one resident near Montview and Forest Avenue seems to have taken the fire department up on its offer.
