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Dorchester man proves importance of shoveling out hydrants

Randle Roache and the hydrant he shoveled out

Randle Roache and the hydrant. Photo by BPD.

Boston firefighters were able to quickly battle a fire on Abbot Street yesterday thanks to a local resident who had shoveled out the hydrant across the street after the latest snow.

Boston Police, who arrived at 23 Abbot St. along with firefighters, praised Randle Roache

The building was quickly evacuated; the fire put out, and - most importantly - there were no reports of any serious injury among the 17 residents displaced by the fire. One of our officers was so impressed by Mr. Roache's kind and considerate act that he politely approached and asked him if he could take a picture of him standing next to the shoveled-out hydrant. As you can see by the photo, Mr. Roache was more than happy to oblige. As the officer was leaving, he again thanked Mr. Roach for doing the right thing. To which, Mr. Roache responded: "I always keep it clean."

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Comments

Get that man a $5 gift card to JP Licks stat!

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I think he's earned his Sox tickets as well. You rock Randle!!!

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I saw this guy on the news this morning, and thought I might like to find my hydrants to see how accessible they are. The fire chief who got interviewed in the piece claimed there is an interactive map of hydrants for people to adopt.

This may not be the one he's speaking of, but it worked for me:

ArcGIS Hydrants

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Given all the spacesaver drama lately.

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Good work Mr. Roache!

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Good for you, Sir! Well done, and well said!

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I adopted my hydrant here a few years ago. I'm happy to report that many more hydrants are shoveled out in my neighborhood than are officially adopted. But it's nice to see where they are.
http://www.adoptahydrant.org/

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It's really up to residents to shovel out their own hydrants. We shouldn't need to praise folks when they do manage to shovel out hydrants. We had to call up the National Guard to dig out our hydrants? If your house burns down because your block's hydrant wasn't dug out, and you could've dug it out yourself, then you bear a great deal of responsibility.

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Thank you,
I don't mean to piss on the parade, but I really don't see what all the fuss is about. I mean, shouldn't people be shoveling out hydrants and mailboxes without being asked, or rewarded? Isn't this supposed to be happening?

Everybody has to get a cookie now a days.

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The press release is a reminder 1. to shovel out the hydrant and 2. that if you don't and there's a fire, it could be bad.

Roache is now the poster boy for "shovel out your hydrant."

And this is one post that has nothing to do with space saving or the T, yet has to do with winter, so I will take the good news.

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In front of apartments, it's "contracted shovel guys doing the bare minimum before moving on to the next place" "skipping the hydrant cuz hey it's not our investment or home on the line."

It's easy to assume people acting in their self-interest in owner-occupied single family homes would shovel their hydrant. When five apartment buildings with 30 units each owned by three separate management companies share a hydrant and contract with different maintenance services, you get a different result.

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The hydrant closest to my house is on the sidewalk belong to the apartment complex next door and is completely ignored by the company that clears the snow, and then people who live there shoveling out their cars finish the job of burying completely out of sight.

I shoveled it after the first storm, and then the second storm it was completely buried all over again. The next person to dig it out found it by poking the snow bank with a broom handle. Going back out tomorrow to find it again before we get the rain and that snow mountain becomes a solid block of ice. It baffles me people throw snow on the hydrant. Really?? Do you want your building to burn up in a fire, because that is exactly what's going to happen. Toss in a little wind, and the whole block will go with it.

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It's just meant as an illustrative reminder of why it's necessary for everyone to pitch in, exactly as they are supposed to do.

When we're at a point in which we're real close to congratulating people for not murdering drivers who "take their spot," I feel like this is a good moment to feel nice, spread the positivity and remind everyone that when they do the little bit that corresponds to them as neighbors, we all benefit.

Maybe don't be such a sourpuss.

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And the hydrant is on the sidewalk.

Yes, the area where the hydrant is might be encrusted with 5 feet of slushy snow, but the alternative is worse.

That said, kudos to Mr. Roache! You're a mensch!

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At least, that's what the young ones that I stoked up to shovel the hydrant out after the first storm were saying, after the retired fire chief went out to help them.

Not that it isn't true.

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Really a hero. Wake up people he did what every person should do. Far from a hero just an avrage American doing what should be done

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