Adopt-a-Hydrant Program

Why Adopt-A-Hydrant?

Within the City of Niagara Falls’ municipal water distribution network, there are approximately 3,080 fire hydrants that the City’s Water & Wastewater staff maintain to ensure their functionality.

Significant winter storms often hide fire hydrants under the snow, forcing firefighters to locate and shovel out hydrants before hooking up their hoses, losing precious time that could have been spent containing a fire and saving lives.

The City of Niagara Falls’ Adopt-A-Hydrant program encourages volunteers to keep fire hydrants clear, especially after winter storms, to help firefighters quickly find and use the hydrant in an emergency.

What is involved?

The City is looking for residents to Adopt-A-Hydrant, keeping it accessible year-round.

During winter months, please clear a one-meter (three-foot) radius around the hydrant, as well as a one-meter wide path from the hydrant to the curb. See the diagram below for an example.

In the summer, keep trees/hedges cut back and keep the hydrant free of grass, weeds, and debris.

How do I signup?

Sign up and adopt a hydrant.

1. Once you click on the Sign-up link, you can zoom into a hydrant, or in the top right corner, you can enter an address.
2. Once you’ve located the hydrant you want to adopt, click on it. If it is green, it means it has not been adopted yet.
3. A pop-up will open with a link that says: ‘Click here to adopt this hydrant’. Click that link and a survey window opens.
4. In the survey, enter your info and click submit.
5. At this point, the hydrant is assumed to be adopted. It will turn red on the map (after you refresh it in the browser).

Participation in the Adopt-A-Hydrant program is informal and nonbinding. If at any time you decide you can't volunteer your time and services, please contact [email protected] to update your adoption status.

Are there any safety precautions?

Please only shovel your hydrant if the conditions are safe to do so. When removing snow, ensure you are completely visible and aware of vehicle traffic. Do not stand in the street and be careful not to slip and fall out onto the street. Also, please do not shovel snow onto the street. You should never put your health or safety at risk when maintaining your hydrant.