Have you heard of the Adopt-a-Hydrant program recently launched in Boston? Check it out.
The above snapshot shows a map of the southeast corner of Boston Common, indicating fire hydrants that are available for residents to claim and volunteer to shovel out when it snows. There are 13,000 fire hydrants in the city and, considering the Boston Fire Department responded to 5,653 fires last year, it is urgent hydrants can be used when emergency vehicles arrive on the scene.
Calling phone numbers and sending emails is old school.
Let’s be social about it. Let’s be interactive online.
“Informed and engaged residents are key to the City’s ability to respond to any emergency – big or small,” said Don McGough, the City’s Director of Emergency Management. “Adopt-A-Hydrant offers a new format for engaging residents in the wake of some of our toughest storms.”
I’m in love. Jennifer Pahlka and her Code for America team are walking the amazing walk connecting communities with web innovation. I met her last year in Boston when they introduced a different program, and this hydrant adoption program is on equal par.
I am starving for something like this to happen in Newburyport. I recognize there are not enough city employees technically savvy, so I’ll be looking to the members of the North Shore Web Geeks and TeBuMi to help me turn dreams into realities.
I want Newburyport to take a North Shore lead on innovating through the web, such as when thousands of residents signed the petition to bring Google Fiber here.
Ideas? Thoughts?
