Frozen pipes can affect more than just residential homes. New York firefighters need to make sure water is flowing so they can do their jobs (Canva/FDNY via Instagram)

One of the most frustrating side-effects of cold New York winters is frozen pipes. While people like me only have to worry about being able to wash dishes or take a shower, emergency responders have a lot more riding on running water.

This week, pipes froze all across the state, including my home in Newburgh, NY. It immediately made me wonder about the fire hydrant that sat just in front of my property... was that frozen too?

While methods of dealing with frozen pipes vary, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) recently shared some insight regarding how their crews treated blocked hydrants after temperatures drop below freezing (below).

In other, colder states, methods to avoid freezing hydrants is taken a step further. A commenter shared that in Alaska, "dry hydrants" are in place specifically to avoid situations like the ones shown in the above video. Here's how they work:

Instead of having water immediately available at the hydrant tap, "dry" hydrants keep water further underground below the frost line. Also called "dry barrel hydrants", the hydrants are activated when needed, and then drained when turned off, assuring that water will always flow.

Frozen hydrants are just another wrinkle added to a job that can require split-second reactions. While it looks like dry hydrants are on New York's radar, it seems like more traditional, wet hydrants are still more common.