You're home one winter evening and you smell something burning.

You check the rooms and find that a fire has started from a malfunctioning electrical outlet.You call the fire department and get everyone out safely.As volunteer crews arrive, you breathe a sigh of relief, but your emotions quickly take a turn as you realize there will be yet another delay.As you stand there, watching on the sidewalk across the street, the volunteers who responded to save your home are working feverishly to clear snow that has been compacted and frozen around the fire hydrant from winter storms throughout the season.Crews are hacking away at the snow and ice, trying to create a clear a path to the hydrant to allow for hose connections, and as they do, your house goes from a small electrical fire to a fully engulfed structure fire, and you watch helplessly as years of blood, sweat, tears and memories begin to go up in smoke.A scenario like this can be avoided though, volunteer firefighters say.Area fire departments ask residents to be the first defense in the case of a fire by adopting a fire hydrant near their residence when meteorologists call for snow like in the forecast for this weekend, and clear a 3-foot area around hydrants after every snowstorm."By taking a few minutes to shovel around and in front of the hydrant, it saves valuable time for the fire department to connect a hose to it to fight a fire that could be at your home or your neighbors'," said John McArdle, fire chief of Nesquehoning Hose Company No. 1 and president of both the Carbon County Firemen's Association and the Carbon County Fire Chiefs Association."Be mindful to shovel all the way into the street to create a pathway for the fire department connection to the hydrant."McArdle said in addition to shoveling around the hydrant, don't forget to clear off the snow in the front where the steamer cap is located.He said snowplows plow to the curb, which means that there will be extra work to maintain a clear path to the hydrant, but the extra time on a resident's part could mean the difference between a total loss of a home and saving it.