WHITEHOUSE, Ohio — As snow remains on the ground, firefighters continue to urge homeowners to clear fire hydrants after a big snowstorm.
And after one of the biggest storms in our area's history, the Whitehouse Fire Department decided to have some fun and get creative in asking people to do that with the "Dig Out Your Hydrant Challenge."
Whitehouse Fire Chief Joshua Hartbarger says he has a dedicated team that goes above and beyond every day. One of his firefighters, Neil Raymond, took to Facebook on Saturday to create the challenge.
Hartbarger stressed that firefighters will still be able to use covered hydrants but it can waste precious time.
"A lot of the hoses that we use, they do need quite a bit of room to hook up to the hydrants," said Hartbarger, "so it takes us a little bit of time if we need to dig out the hydrants to hook the hose up."
Hartbarger stressed any fire official will tell you that every second matters. And this small favor to firefighters could potentially save lives.
"Nowadays with all the premade components we have, that fire definitely burns quicker," added Hartbarger. "So even those precious, five, 10, 30 seconds is enough to make a difference sometimes."
Hartbarger says the post is up on his official Facebook page and he's encouraging everyone in Whitehouse to take it on.
"Everybody that can comment on his original post or my post on my Facebook page will enter everyone into a drawing for some type of unique surprise," said Hartbarger.
Some people have already posted pictures of their shoveled-out hydrants. And Hartbarger says it's heartwarming to see the community unite over a simple request.
"The situation we've just been faced with for the last year with covid, it's been a challenging time for everybody," said Hartbarger, "so to see and do these things and see how the community interacts the way that it does is awesome."
It's an extra few minutes of work that can make a big difference, mixed in with a little fun.