TOLEDO (WTOL) - Potential winter weather may inconvenience your plans this weekend, but it also affects our first responders planning today on how to best keep you safe in the upcoming days.
Toledo Police and Toledo Fire and Rescue say winter weather is a game of patience and preparation.
"Our preparation is daily. When we hear of bad weather coming in, there are contingency plans that are in place, but we're pretty much prepared for it. If we needed to call extra firefighters in, there's a plan for that. We could put them in extra equipment,” Pvt. Sterling Rahe of Toledo Fire and Rescue said.
From driving rigs weighing upwards of 90,000 lbs on slippery roads, to freezing water hoses, to buried fire hydrants, first responders say winter weather is all about taking precautions when responding to your emergency.
"We’ve developed a lot of things on how to stay ahead and things get passed on just like we run water through the hose at all times so we keep them from freezing up, and soon as we’re ready to break our scenes down, we get everybody together, turn everything off and drain it,” Capt. Michael Posadny of Fire Station 5 said.
Besides requiring preparation, winter weather requires patience. Emergency response times will be slower as firefighters say they drive the heavy rescue trucks at least 10 miles under the speed limit when roads are slippery.
In the last weekend alone, Toledo Fire and Rescue responded to around 30 weather-related incidents.
"I think one of the biggest issues was that was probably the most snow that we’ve got all year. People weren’t ready for it, mentally. They progressed on through their day, drove like they normally would if it was dry conditions, and we got into a little bit of trouble with that. So the biggest thing is to slow down,” Rahe said.
First responders aren’t planning to implement any contingency plans for possible winter weather this weekend just yet. They’re asking for your patience and help.
Slow down on roads whether you think they’re slippery or not. They also ask that you keep your sidewalks clear of snow and don’t bury any fire hydrants nearby. These tips will help reduce accidents and allow our first responders to do their jobs more efficiently.
