Boy clears fire hydrant covered in snow, helps firefighters save lives the next day

FORT DODGE, Iowa (KCCI) - A 9-year-old boy in Iowa is being rewarded for taking action that helped the fire department save lives.

City and state crews have been clearing snow from Fort Dodge’s sidewalks and roads since last weekend’s winter weather.

With such heavy snowfall, the city put out a call for families and their kids to clear another essential part of city infrastructure: fire hydrants. And that’s where Colton Holmes came to the rescue.

“I want to help people out. And be a hero,” Colton said.

Amidst his time in the snow, Colton answered the city’s call, clearing out the fire hydrant near his house to make it easier for firefighters to access, a nice gesture that turned into a life-saving action just a day later.

“Given the situation, the heavy snowfall recently, time was of the essence,” Lt. Devon Schuster, Fort Dodge paramedic, said.

The Fort Dodge Fire Department used the fire hydrant to help them put out a structure fire that ended up displacing several people and pets.

“Fire actually doubles in size every minute. So, the fact that we didn’t have to dig out a fire hydrant saved us an immense amount of time,” Schuster said.

As a reward for his bravery, the fire department gave Colton a patch and a challenge coin to remember to be a leader, in addition to a ride to school in a fire truck.

The fire department said no serious injuries were reported in the fire and those displaced are getting help from the United Way.