When ice, snow, heavy rain or wind hits, Public Works has the people, the equipment and the technology to keep you - and us - safe.
We are trained and ready. We have an emergency command center set up. Our staff are on call, day or night. Many of our people have been through numerous storms and know the drill.
We are well equipped. We have two rapid response vehicles that can quickly be deployed to plow, deice or sand. We have deicing/anti icing equipment, for situations when deicing is the right treatment. And we have up to seven dump trucks that can be fitted with plows, sanding boxes or deicers – whatever the situation calls for.
We continue to add technology to assist in emergency responses. Our MMS (Maintenance Management System) helps us log calls and dispatch equipment. We have automatic vehicle locations, which can tell where equipment is working, and even how much material we’re putting down (helps in gauging clean-up requirements. And we use digital surface temperature readers, because it’s not air temperature, it’s whether the pavement is freezing.
Here’s how the community can help us:
Don’t take chances out on the road. Stay home if you can. If you do drive, go slow. Leave plenty of following distance. Avoid hills if you can. Be extra cautious on bridge and overpasses and under bridges and in other shaded areas.
Be careful driving around Public Works crews and equipment – at the end of the day we all want to go home to our families, safe and sound.
Remember to take care of your sidewalks – it’s your responsibility to keep them passable.
If we declare an ice-snow emergency, remember to keep priority routes clear – don’t park or abandon vehicles on these routes.