You shovel your driveway, clear the snow off your car, but what about that fire hydrant on your property?

Town law requires all homeowners to keep fire hydrants on their properties clear of ice and snow, yet not everyone has complied or has been aware of the law.

Bob Fahey from Yorktown Heights has been making it a priority to clean the snow off the fire hydrant located on his property. He has lived at his house for the past 18 years and every time it snows, he is out there shoveling it out.

"It's as important as shoveling your driveway," Fahey said. 

Today, it took him almost an hour to clear the snow off the fire hydrant because the snow was heavier than normal. 

"When you need [the fire hydrant], it's a matter of minutes," he said. 

As a kid, Fahey said he and his brothers would help the elderly people in their neighborhood by shoveling the sidewalks and stairs at their homes. His father, William, used to be a fire chief in Yonkers. 

"It was engrained in us that we had to do it," he said. 

Yorktown Heights Fire Chief Martin McGannon wants people to know that it is their responsibility, under town code, to keep a two-foot-wide path around the fire hydrant free from snow and ice. Residents have 48 hours to do so, after which they are given notifications. 

"If there is a fire, time is the essence," McGannon said. "It's extremely important for life and preservation of property." 

There are more than 2,000 fire hydrants in the town of Yorktown. If a homeowner can't physically clear the fire hydrant within 48 hours of a snowstorm, they must notify the water district department. Town employees will be sent to help. 

Water department employees are responsible to clear the snow off fire hydrants on town property and on non-residential streets.

Town code enforcement officer Joe Hughes said just last night he issued five to six notification on Broad Street. He said he, the fire inspector and the police department are responsible for making those notifications to homeowners. 

Lake Mohegan Fire Chief Brian Wolert said cleaning the fire hydrants is a public service.

"It helps you, your neighbors and us," he said. 

The other night, he said, they responded to an alarm call in Cortlandt and at first they couldn't find the fire hydrant. It took them approximately 20 minutes to find it and dig it out.

"Thank God we didn't need it," Wolert said. 

In a service, where every second counts, if firefighters are delayed finding a fire hydrant or if they have to clean it, it could become a problem. Trucks can carry 500 gallons of waters, but Wolert said that would not be enough.

So the message officials want to relay to the public is to clear fire hydrants adjacent to their properties because it is their responsibility.

Here is the law exactly as stated:

Any snow and/or obstructions shall be removed around the fire hydrant. FIRE HYDRANTS MUST BE KEPT CLEAR OF SNOW Town code § 216-7 Obstruction of Fire Hydrants reads as follows: If you need assistance clearing the snow from a hydrant on your property, call the Water Dept. at 245-6111 between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. It shall be unlawful for any person or company in any manor to obstruct the use or maintenance of any fire hydrant within the Town, or to place any material or utility of any type in front thereof or within 10 feet of either side thereof. It shall be the duty of the owner and occupant, jointly, of every parcel of real estate adjoining a fire hydrant to keep a two-foot-wide path around the fire hydrant free from snow and ice. Snow and ice shall be removed within 48 hours of a snowstorm. It shall be the duty of the owner and occupant, jointly, to notify the water district if the fire hydrant cannot be cleared within 48 hours of a snowstorm.