The Bismarck Fire Department is encouraging residents to 'adopt' fire hydrants for the winter.

North Dakota winters bring lots of snow that often bury fire hydrants throughout the city which requires extra time for firefighters to dig the fire hydrants out after they respond to a call. The time spent trying to dig them out could be used trying to fight the blazing fire.

The Bismarck Fire Department has developed an 'Adopt-A-Hydrant' program which calls upon residents to take responsibility for their own fire hydrant and clear out space around the hydrant after it snows.

The area around the fire hydrant should be cleared out to ground level, below the cap so that firefighters are able to attach hoses, should there be a fire in your neighborhood. Business owners are also being asked to make sure fire hydrants near their businesses are kept clear as well.

There are currently over 4,000 fire hydrants throughout Bismarck.

An Interactive Hydrant map here shows fire hydrants near you if you would like to adopt a hydrant.

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