Keep Fire Hydrants Accessible

El Dorado Irrigation District is asking for the community’s help by “adopting” a fire hydrant close to your home or business and keeping it free of weeds and shrubbery — or clear of snow in winter if you live above the snow line.
When responding to a fire it is important that fire department personnel gain access to a water supply via a fire hydrant as quickly as possible. That way, the fire can be extinguished and prevent loss of property and/or life.

In the event of a fire in your neighborhood, firefighters may spend valuable time searching for and accessing a hydrant when they could be doing other important tasks.

This is where the public can help.

Some people in our community have informally “adopted a hydrant” in their neighborhood and take responsibility to clear a path approximately three feet around the hydrant as well as clear a path from the street or roadway up to the fire hydrant so that the hydrant is visible and accessible.

Structure fires occur at the highest rates during the winter months. These house fires are usually caused by heating appliances like space heaters and wood stoves, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. When fire department personnel respond to put out a house fire, the fire engines carry enough water to make an initial fire attack, but they soon need a continuous water supply from a fire hydrant to extinguish some fires.

Finding and connecting to a fire hydrant is one of the firefighters’ first priorities. New GPS mapping technology on fire engines has improved firefighters’ ability to find hydrant locations more quickly, but getting to them when they are shrouded in shrubs and other vegetation can be a challenge.

If you notice that a fire hydrant has been damaged, missing caps, leaking water, or if it is blocked please notify EID by calling (530) 622-4513 or email billing@eid.org. Please also contact them if you suspect possible water theft or unauthorized use of fire hydrants.

We encourage the public to find the fire hydrant near them and clear it from vegetation and snow. This will improve the chances that the fire department can knock down a fire as quickly as possible. To locate fire hydrants near you, go to the following EID web page: eid.org/i-want-to/locate-a-firehydrant.