Adopt-a-Hydrant

In New England you can be sure of two things, championship football and snow. Over the last few days in particular we have dealt with the later of the two in abundance. In order to keep daily life functioning that snow has to be plowed back and removed from our streets, sidewalks, and parking lots. For most people the stage between snowstorm and resuming daily life might be an afterthought. However, it is actually an elaborate process of collaboration between city and state workers as well as private contractors. Before the first flakes start to fall to long after they stop numerous men and women are working to maintain the public's safety by opening up our transportation infrastructure.

Maintaining the public's safety is a major focus of the job for these workers and snow removal takes top priority due to it being an inconvenience to daily life... Unless you ski or snowboard of course.

With all the time, effort, and resources that go towards maintaining roads an important asset to public safety will often be forgotten until its too late. That asset is hydrants.

The goal of plow truck drivers is to widen the roads and knockdown snow that builds up at intersections so people can see before making a turn. One thing they do not worry about it covering hydrants with snow. With many public employees involved in snow removal operations already it becomes impossible to devote additional resources towards clearing snow away from the thousands of hydrants a city may have. That is where the Adopt-a-Hydrant app comes in.

Started in 2011 in Boston by Code for America fellow Erik Michaels-Ober, the initial app he developed gives citizens the ability to "adopt" a hydrant, and pledge to keep it accessible to firefighters during snowstorms. The app attempts to be interactive and "game-like" by giving users the ability to name their hydrant as well as "steal" a hydrant from another user who fails to maintain their hydrant on time. Adopt-a-Hydrant is a map-based web app and allows for individuals, businesses, and governments to customize for any infrastructure from catch basins or tsunami sirens.

Adopt-a-Hydrant Boston

Green hydrants indicate being "adopted"

Adopt-a-Hydrant Worcester incorporates catch basins as well

The app took off among many cities and towns in New England and beyond. Snow abundant areas saw this as a great way to interact with citizens as well as accomplish an important task. Even Worcester uses some semblance of the technology although I will say the number of people that "adopt" a hydrant is far smaller than the number of hydrants the city actually has. The program might not be as well used here as it is in other cities like Boston, but the hope is that public awareness for this community involvement continues.