According to a report by Megan Hatch of WYSR, if you have a fire hydrant on your property, the Firefighters Association of the State of New York has an important message for you. Clear the snow around it.

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If you're a Binghamton lifer, this probably isn't news to you. You've been heaping piles of snow off your fire hydrant for decades just in case firefighters need to find and access it quickly. And you probably know about a thousand other snow rules that have never once crossed my mind.

But in case you didn't already know it, clearing the snow from a fire hydrant on your property could help save lives. In the event of an emergency, firefighters may have a limited amount of time to help and trying to find a fire hydrant under feet of snow and then digging it out so it can actually be used is not a good use for that time. If you do have a fire hydrant on your property, you should clear snow from a three foot area around it.

The Firefighters Association of the State of New York is also reminding people that in addition to clearing snow off a fire hydrant on your property, you should be clearing it from ventilation pipes and shafts. If ventilation pipes and shafts aren't cleared out, it could cause carbon monoxide to build up in your home and since carbon monoxide is odorless, tasteless, and colorless, you wouldn't even notice the buildup of the toxic gas.

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