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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Snorkels typically help ocean divers, or powder skiers, breathe.
But the snorkels that the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department could use are designed to help give firefighters some breathing room.
Firefighters at Station No. 2 got a look at a “Hydrant Snorkel” on Friday.
The aluminum tubes are attached to a hydrant and extend upward, allowing firefighters access to a hydrant even when there is several feet of snow on the ground.
The tubes can be left on hydrants all winter long and admittedly “aren't rocket science,” said inventor and Hoodland Fire District firefighter John Freeman.
But they could save South Shore firefighters hours of shoveling following a snowstorm and keep the department in-line with a National Fire Protection Association standard that hydrants be accessible within four minutes of an engine's arrival.
“You're going to be hooked up within the four minute standard with this, just like it was summer,” Freeman said.
A hydrant can take up to 20 minutes to shovel out following a storm, said South Lake Tahoe Fire Captain Fred Vermillion.
And with almost 940 hydrants scattered throughout the city, allowing firefighters to focus on something besides shoveling snow would save a significant number of man hours, Vermillion said.
The savings in man hours does come with an receipt attached. The snorkels cost between $1,100 and $1,800 each depending on their specifications.
Given the cities budget issues, the fire department will only pursue the purchase of snorkels if outside funding is available, said Fire Chief Lorenzo Gigliotti.
He was hopeful funding could be obtained through the Fireman's Fund or the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If the department is successful in finding funding, the snorkels could start to go up as soon as this winter, Gigliotti said.
Not all of the hydrants would need snorkels Vermillion added, but they could first be distributed to high snow areas near Heavenly or places like Tahoe Keys Boulevard, where the hydrants are often buried by snow removal operations, Vermillion said.
But the snorkels that the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department could use are designed to help give firefighters some breathing room.
Firefighters at Station No. 2 got a look at a “Hydrant Snorkel” on Friday.
The aluminum tubes are attached to a hydrant and extend upward, allowing firefighters access to a hydrant even when there is several feet of snow on the ground.
The tubes can be left on hydrants all winter long and admittedly “aren't rocket science,” said inventor and Hoodland Fire District firefighter John Freeman.
But they could save South Shore firefighters hours of shoveling following a snowstorm and keep the department in-line with a National Fire Protection Association standard that hydrants be accessible within four minutes of an engine's arrival.
“You're going to be hooked up within the four minute standard with this, just like it was summer,” Freeman said.
A hydrant can take up to 20 minutes to shovel out following a storm, said South Lake Tahoe Fire Captain Fred Vermillion.
And with almost 940 hydrants scattered throughout the city, allowing firefighters to focus on something besides shoveling snow would save a significant number of man hours, Vermillion said.
The savings in man hours does come with an receipt attached. The snorkels cost between $1,100 and $1,800 each depending on their specifications.
Given the cities budget issues, the fire department will only pursue the purchase of snorkels if outside funding is available, said Fire Chief Lorenzo Gigliotti.
He was hopeful funding could be obtained through the Fireman's Fund or the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If the department is successful in finding funding, the snorkels could start to go up as soon as this winter, Gigliotti said.
Not all of the hydrants would need snorkels Vermillion added, but they could first be distributed to high snow areas near Heavenly or places like Tahoe Keys Boulevard, where the hydrants are often buried by snow removal operations, Vermillion said.
