ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — After getting the biggest snowfall of the season yet, clean-up was the focus for many folks around Rochester Tuesday afternoon.
Susan Galletti lives in the Park Avenue area and has been shoveling out her driveway all day.
“You know, I could have bought a snowplow and we could have gotten a snowblower but it’s just the thrill of being out here in the cold, just working, getting exercise, I wouldn’t trade it in,” Galletti said.
Kathi Gullace also lives in the same area and said she wasn’t thrilled about having to dig her car out from under the snow but was thankful to find the end of her driveway already plowed thanks to the help of a good Samaritan.
“Super grateful because the stuff at the end of the driveway is so heavy and that was really nice of him, he didn’t have to do that but he did and I appreciate him a lot,” Gullace said, “That’s the nice one thing about this area is that people do come together and help each other out when it’s this bad especially older people because they can’t get out and do their own driveway or their sidewalks. It’s very nice around here.”
Stories of neighbors helping neighbors across the region have been littered across social media. That includes Jake Scoma who made it his personal mission to clear all the fire hydrants in his area.
“I want to help keep the neighborhood safe, protected in case anything bad happens,” Scoma said, “I know a lot of people here in this neighborhood, grew up here for a while so super nice, super sweet people and I’d do anything to help them out.”
Lieutenant Jeff Simpson with the Rochester Fire Department said clearing these hydrants is essential to their work as firefighters in case of an emergency.
“Anytime that someone helps us out by shoveling that hydrant out, saves us seconds, sometimes minutes if we have dig through it especially if its buried and its gone and all you can see is the yellow station sticking out,” Simpson said, “Minutes save lives, seconds save lives.”
The Rochester Fire Department asks that fire hydrants be cleared of snow three feet around all sides, and out to the roadway for easy access. Lieutenant Simpson said clearing the fire hydrants on your property is not mandatory but is increasingly helpful for the fire department in case of an emergency.
RFD has an “Adopt-A-Hydrant” program that you can sign up for on the city’s website.
If you’re new to the Rochester region and this is one of your first big snowfalls, be sure to keep a snow brush in your car…and maybe some other things.
“Shovel, deicer, another good thing is to keep a big bag of cat litter in your trunk because if you’re on ice, if you throw cat litter down, it helps get it right out,” Galletti said.
The City of Rochester provides an interactive map that shows where the plows are heading and how long residents can expect for their neighborhood to get service. You can find a link to that map here.