LYNN — Sisters Hannah and Madison Desilets shoveled out a fire hydrant on their street last week because they wanted to keep their neighborhood safe. Their efforts were rewarded on Tuesday when they were recognized by the City Council and the city’s fire chief.
Hannah, Madison and Thomas Nolan Jr., all students in the Lynn public schools, were each presented with citations from the city and certificates from Fire Chief Stephen Archer on Tuesday during a brief ceremony at the Lynn Fire Station on Western Avenue.
The three kids were the winners of City Councilor at large Brian Field’s “No School Challenge” during last Wednesday’s snow day — Field challenged students to get out and shovel out fire hydrants. They also all received a $25 iTunes gift card for their efforts.
“I wanted to keep my neighborhood safe,” said 9-year-old Madison, a student at Lynn Woods Elementary School. “I think it’s important because if there’s a fire, you always want to be safe.”
Hannah, 11, a Pickering Middle School student, gave the same reason for wanting to get involved in the contest — the sisters shoveled out a hydrant on Lebel Road, where they live with their parents, Danielle and Rick Desilets, who were on hand for the recognition.
Danielle said she was glad her daughters were helping out their community. She said it’s important for people to help out and make sure everything is safe.
“I think with their grandfather being a Lynn firefighter, they know the importance of the job and helping out with those little shoveling things,” Rick said.
Another connection to the Lynn Fire Department for the Desilets girls is they live in former Lynn Fire Chief Joseph Scanlon’s house, according to Field.
Thomas, 10, a student at Lincoln-Thomson Elementary School, said he felt really good about being recognized by the city and Fire Department. He shoveled out a hydrant on his street, Moffett Road. His mother, Melissa Nolan, was with him as he was presented with his certificates.
“They needed help and I did it,” Thomas said of why he got involved.
Field said he got the idea for the contest from fellow Councilor Rick Starbard, who has created contests for the residents of Ward 2, which he represents. Starbard’s fire hydrants shoveling challenge was for adults — the winner of Starbard’s recent contest was Hannah and Madison’s aunt, Michelle Zayac.
In the past, Starbard, who like Field, was sworn in as a new City Council member in January, has done other contests, such as shoveling out storm drains. Field said he saw the success and fun created in Starbard’s ward and decided to create a similar city-wide contest for students.
Field said the three kids took up the challenge on their day off from school to show the adults in the neighborhood that they weren’t too small to help out and make a difference. If there’s ever a fire, he said the last thing firefighters want to do is find the hydrant in the snowbank.
“It’s a very big deal,” Archer said. “We try to get out and shovel every single hydrant after storms and there are so many hydrants in the city that inevitably, sometimes we miss a hydrant and if the hydrant we miss happens to be one we need in the case of a fire, it slows things down tremendously. So, having people in the community go out and shovel our hydrants, it helps us out a whole bunch. It helps out the whole community and you guys are setting an example.”
