The Adopt-A-Hydrant solution delivers a set of capabilities that help you engage volunteers to keep hydrants clear of obstructions like snow and vegetation and functioning properly, manage volunteers and service requests, and monitor the adoption program.
In this topic, you’ll learn how to use the solution by assuming the role of a user and performing the workflows below.
Complete the volunteer application
Fire agencies and water utilities cultivate a volunteer workforce to help maximize the capacity of operations staff and to engage their community. Community members interested in joining the Adopt-A-Hydrant program first need to complete a volunteer application and receive approval before they can adopt and care for hydrants.
You will first assume the role of a community resident who is interested in volunteering in your city’s Adopt-A-Hydrant program.
- In a browser, go to the Adopt-A-Hydrant site.
- Scroll to the Become a Volunteer section.
When community residents do not have a community account or are not signed in to the Adopt-A-Hydrant site, the site displays buttons to Create an account or Sign In with an existing account. If a community resident is logged into the site, the Adopt-A-Hydrant site displays an Apply button, which can be used to access the Fire Hydrant Volunteer Application form. In the following steps, a community resident has created an account and is signed in to the Adopt-A-Hydrant site.
- Click the Apply button.
- Complete the Fire Hydrant Volunteer Application form to express interest in becoming a volunteer.
The application will be reviewed by a volunteer coordinator. After the application has been approved, the volunteer can adopt and report the status of hydrants.
- Close the browser tab used for the Fire Hydrant Volunteer Application and return to the Adopt-A-Hydrant site.
Manage volunteers and hydrants
You will now assume the role of a volunteer coordinator responsible for managing the Adopt-A-Hydrant program. Your responsibilities include approving or denying volunteer applicants and updating adoption status on hydrants.
In this workflow, you will approve a pending volunteer application and update an adoption request.
- Sign in to your ArcGIS organization and browse to the Adopt-A-Hydrant site.
Signed-in users from your organization will see a Manage Program page. This page displays metrics that help you understand your organization's key metrics for your Adopt-A-Hydrant program and allows you to manage key activities related to your program.
- Click the Manage Program page.
- Scroll to the Manage Program Activities section and click the Volunteers button in the left panel of the Adopt-A-Hydrant Manager to review volunteers.
- Click the Status column filter.
- Click the Status is drop-down arrow and choose Sort in descending order to view pending volunteer applications.
- Click one of the volunteer applications to view its details.
- On the Details tab, click the Edit button
. - Click the Status drop-down arrow and choose Approved.
- Click Save.
The Fire Hydrant Volunteer Notebook can be used to schedule a process that grants approved volunteers access to the Care for a hydrant section of Adopt-A-Hydrant site, enabling volunteers to adopt new hydrants and report care on adopted hydrants.
- Optionally, click to expand the left panel of the Adopt-A-Hydrant Manager and click Fire Hydrants.
The Fire Hydrants tab can be used to update the adoption status of hydrants, modify the public visibility of a hydrant, and edit other hydrant adoption information.
- Select a hydrant by either clicking a hydrant on the map or selecting a record from the hydrant table.
- On the Details tab, click the Edit button .
- Click the Publicly Visible drop-down arrow and choose No.
- Click Save.
The selected hydrant will no longer be visible to the public and therefore volunteers will be unable to adopt and care for the hydrant, and the general public and volunteers will also be unable to request service for this hydrant.
Adopt and care for hydrants
You will now assume the role of a community volunteer who wants to adopt and report care of a hydrant. In the following steps, the user has already been approved as a volunteer by a volunteer coordinator.
In this workflow, you will use the Adopt-A-Hydrant site to adopt a hydrant near your home and report its condition.
- Verify that you are signed in to the Adopt-A-Hydrant site with your community identity and scroll to the Care for a Hydrant section.
The Care for a Hydrant section is displayed when a volunteer's Fire Hydrant Volunteer Application has been approved by the volunteer coordinator.
- Use the map search bar to find hydrant near a specific address or click to select an available green hydrant on the map.
- In the selected hydrant's pop-up, click the Adopt button.
The Hydrant Adoption form opens in a new tab.
- Enter a nickname for the hydrant in the Nickname text box and click the Submit button.
You now have an adopted hydrant and can report care activities.
- Close the browser tab containing the Hydrant Adoption form and return to the Adopt-A-Hydrant site.
- Your adopted hydrants will display as blue pins on the map in the Care for a Hydrant section of the Adopt-A-Hydrant site. If not already selected, click an adopted hydrant on the map.
- To report that the hydrant is clear of obstruction, click the Cleared button in the hydrant pop-up.
The Hydrant Activities form opens in a new browser tab.
- Type the date the hydrant was cleared, optionally attach a photo, and click the Submit button.
You now have reported that the hydrant is clear of any obstruction.
- Close the browser tab containing the Hydrant Activities form and return to the Adopt-A-Hydrant site.
- To release an adopted hydrant, select an adopted hydrant on the map and click the Release button.
The Hydrant Adoption form opens in a new tab.
- Click Submit to release the hydrant and make it available for other volunteers to adopt.
- Close the browser tab containing the Hydrant Adoption form and return to the Adopt-A-Hydrant site.
Monitor program performance
You will continue your role as a volunteer coordinator, this time looking to monitor the Adopt-A-Hydrant program. In this workflow, you will use the Adopt-A-Hydrant Dashboard to review key metrics and trends.
- Verify you are signed in to your organization and browse to the Adopt-A-Hydrant site.
- Click the Manage Program page.
- Scroll to the Monitor Performance section.
The Adopt-A-Hydrant Dashboard displays key metrics about adoptions, number of clearings, and program activity over time.
- Use the Volunteers filter at the top of the Adopt-A-Hydrant Dashboard to view clearings by individual volunteers.
Note:
Dashboard charts and indicators for clearings and adopted hydrants are filtered and updated based on the selected volunteer. - Optionally, click an adopted hydrant on the map to view key details.
The adopted hydrant map pop-up displays when the hydrant was last cleared and other adoption information such as adoptee username, adopted date, and hydrant nickname.
Email hydrant volunteers
Continuing your role as a volunteer coordinator, you will contact your network of volunteers and ask that they inspect their adopted hydrants ahead of a large storm. In this workflow, you will use the Adopt-A-Hydrant site to draft and send an email to all approved volunteers in your program.
- Verify you are signed in to your organization and browse to the Adopt-A-Hydrant site.
- If necessary, click the Edit button
to open the site editor. - Hover over Adopt-A-Hydrant at the top of the site editor and click Teams.
- In the list of results, click Approved Hydrant Volunteers.
- Click the message button
to message all approved volunteers or select volunteers individually and click Message. - Type a subject and add text to the message's body.
Note:
To include a URL that doesn't have a arcgis.com or esri.com domain, contact your hub's administrator to register the domain for the URL you want to use. If the domain isn't registered, the email will not send. - Click Send Message.
Messages are sent from arcgis.com to the email address associated with the attendee's user profile.