Fire Hydrant Clearing
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Clearance of snow around fire hydrants is the responsibility of the residents in the Town of Sudbury. Neither the Town nor the Water District has the resources to shovel out the more than 950 hydrants located throughout the Town, and in order to keep them clear of snow, residents are asked to be vigilant and continue to clear snow near their local hydrants.
If residents are unsure of the location of their hydrant, they can locate them using the Town’s GIS site: https://www.mapsonline.net/sudburyma/
- Enter your address under the “Find” tab
- Go to the “Layers” tab and check the “Water System” box (it is the 3rd set of options; a red fire hydrant is shown underneath)
- All of the exact locations of fire hydrants will appear
Click here to download “How to Find a Hydrant” instructions
We recognize that the unprecedented amount of snowfall this month has resulted in a number of fire hydrants being completely buried under packed-in snow, making it difficult for someone with a shovel or even a snow blower to tackle the snow removal. In those cases where the hydrants are completely buried under mounds of snow, such as in cul-de-sacs and intersections, the Sudbury Water District will attempt to clear them out with a backhoe. To notify the Sudbury Water District of a snowed-in fire hydrant, please call 978-443-6602 and they will note the call and the location and get the backhoe to the area as quickly as they can. Please be patient as this process moves forward.
In the meantime, it is important to note that in Sudbury, each of the two Fire Engines carries 1,000 gallons of water on them, and the ladder truck holds 500 gallons. This is part of the planning for fire response in Sudbury, so the Sudbury Fire Department can make their initial attack of a house fire with the water they bring to the scene. Having a working hydrant nearby is still important, but residents should not worry that the Fire Department may arrive at a scene and not have the water they need to begin fighting a house fire.