Be A 'Pal'

For the last 11 years, Joel Spiegel has dutifully kept the fire hydrant on his block clear of snow and grass. 

Now a freshman at , Spiegel joined the Pluggie’s Pals program through the when he was 4 years old. “I remember that I attended the fire department’s open house and that they were looking for volunteers for the program,” he said.

The members of the Pluggie’s Pals program ensure the fire hydrants on their street are cleared of snow, bushes, and grass. “There is no training for the program,” said Fire Inspector Skip Hart, who oversees the program. “We just stress that everyone exercises proper safety precautions."

While the program is geared to children, anyone can become a “Pal” if they can pick up a shovel and clear the snow. Participants in the program receive a certificate.

“The volunteers clear a three-foot radius around the hydrant so that it’s accessible to the firefighters. In a fire, every second counts, and trying to find the hydrant can take up precious time,” Hart said.

Hart noted that when a child becomes a Pluggie’s Pal, it typically turns into a family event, with everyone working to keep the fire hydrant clear. “If two kids on the same street want to be involved with the program, I let both of them volunteer,” Hart said. “They can work it out between themselves. There’s no competition, and no conflicts.”

Hart said that many of the volunteers “fade away” after a few months. “We get a few kids volunteer because they want to be firefighters,” he said. “A few have been with the program for two or three years."

There were approximately 1,700 “Pals” at the end of 2010. According to the Village of Buffalo Grove's , there are approximately 2,400 fire hydrants in Buffalo Grove.

The Pluggie’s Pals program has been in existence for about 15 years. “Other towns also have a Pluggie’s Pals program,” Hart said, adding “We (the Buffalo Grove Fire Department) do not plagiarize. It’s not an affiliated program.”

Spiegel said that it usually takes him about five minutes to clear the hydrant. “It was a little harder this last winter, and I think it took me maybe 10 minutes to clear it,” he said. He said that the snow plows can pack the snow on the street side of the hydrant.

In the spring and summer, Spiegel uses a weed-eater to clear the grass around the hydrant.

“When he was little, he had to be helped,” Eileen Spiegel said. “He was given a sand shovel and helped clear the hydrant.

“Every year, we tell him that this is his job, and we remind him to do it,” she said. “The program teaches responsibility, and I think the kids feel like they’re part of the community. It’s a great, grown-up responsibility.”

“I think that being a Pluggie’s Pal is an important job,” Joel Spiegel said. “If the fire hydrant is covered up, people could die in a fire, or lose money from a fire on their property.

“I think I’ll stop participating in the program when I go to college,” he said. “I’ll stay with it until then, because why not? I’ve never considered quitting.”

To join the Pluggie’s Pals program, contact the Buffalo Grove Fire Department at 847-537-0995.