The long-overdue snow arrived in Jackson over the past week and came in dividends. With it came certain risks, like avalanches and roof-slides – both of which can be injurious at the very least. However, Teton County Fire Marshal Kathy Clay says accumulations on roofs can have another serious effect if not addressed promptly.
“It can get so high it can block up the vents that vent out toxic gasses from your house. So, watch those vents on your roof as the snow piles up. If your roof slides, you want to make sure it’s not taking those pipes down or damaging the pipes as it slides – but you also want to be very mindful and aware of where any gas regulators might be below that roof slide line, so that there isn’t any damage on the regulators that control the gas coming into your house.”
That kind of damage, she says could result in gas leaking into and building up inside your house creating a risk for explosion. Clay also urges residents to assure their closest fire hydrant is unburied and readily accessible.
“If you don’t have a hydrant that’s visible, we’re going to have to search for the hydrant. Our engines only have 750 gallons of water on board. That’s enough to start a fire-attack, but it certainly is not enough to keep on for a long, extended fire attack. We need to have access to hydrants.”
Clay says in some neighborhoods, residents are very conscientious about keeping local hydrants cleared, but not so much in other neighborhoods
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