Karen Grant, 77, is being hailed as this season's first 'Hydrant Hero.'
Grant was recognized on Wednesday by PUC Services Inc. and Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services as part of a multi-week safety campaign encouraging Sault residents to clear snow from around fire hydrants on their property.
She grew up in the same central-area home she still lives in and says her father, Leslie McPhee, always drilled into her the importance of keeping the hydrant clear. She was about five years old when she started helping her dad shovel the snow from around the hydrant in front of the family home.
"It was just something you did, every snowfall, and he was very particular," said Grant of her father.
Grant's maternal grandfather Jack Paar was a Sault Ste. Marie firefighter until his career came to an end in a historic 1942 incident.
"He was badly injured in the accident that killed Sister Mary Clare," Grant said. "He was at the back of the fire truck.
"Mentally he was still a fireman and he drilled into us about fire safety."
Grant said that advice has come in handy as the hydrant in front of her home has been used a number of times over the years for fires on her street.
"The house up the street was hit with lightning, so it's this one that they used," she said.
“In an emergency, snow-covered fire hydrants can cause firefighters to lose up to four minutes of precious time,” said Fire Chief Peter Johnson. “These are valuable minutes that are needed by firefighters to get the fire under control.”
There are about 2,500 fire hydrants located across Sault Ste. Marie and many of them are not immediately accessible if they need to be used because they have not been cleared of snow, said Aaron Gravelle, public education officer with the Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services.
"Any time we go to a fire when the hydrant's cleared out, that's a win for us," Gravelle said.
PUC owns and maintains the fire hydrants in the city, but it is asking people to contribute to the effort by clearing the hydrants in front of their homes.
"We have 2,500 fire hydrants in the city. We're not able to clear that within 24 hours of a snowstorm. It does take time and it would take a lot longer if there wasn't Hydrant Heroes," said Jairus Patterson, manager of corporate communications for PUC.
The Hydrant Hero program was introduced in the winter of 2022/23, but did not run last year. It is a joint partnership between PUC and the Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services intended to recognize residents who clear the hydrants on their property.
By sharing a photo of a hydrant with 1.5 metres (5 feet) of clearance to social media and sharing with @PUC or @SaultFire, residents could win a weekly prize pack and all winners will be put into a draw for a grand prize.
"It's a program that we've had in the past and we're excited to bring it back this year," Patterson said.
"Safety remains PUC's top priority," said Robert Brewer, president and CEO of PUC Services Inc.
"By keeping hydrants clear, families are ensuring firefighters have quick and unobstructed access to hydrants during emergencies when every second counts."
The earlier program was focused toward school-age children, but this year people of all ages can be recognized as a Hydrant Hero.
Even more concerning than uncleared hydrants, said Patterson, are those with additional snow on top from people who clear their driveways.
"A lot of people like to use their snow blower and they blow their snow off their driveway and it's going right onto the fire hydrant," said Patterson.
"We just asked people to take that extra second to clear it first. Don't blow the snow on it."
Grant was recognized with a Hydrant Hero toque, a Tim Hortons gift card and a coffee mug for her efforts.
Patterson said the campaign will continue all winter, as long as their is still snow on the ground.
"It's hard to put a date on it because even last year in April we got hit with a foot of snow," he said.