Oklahoma City begins prepping for winter
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - It may not feel like it today, but snow and icy roads will be in Oklahoma before we know it. Oklahoma City street crews are already getting prepared.
"We take snow and ice very seriously,” said Mike Love, Jr., the OKC Public Works Emergency Operations Manager. “Oklahoma is a weird place to work when it comes to emergency operations… We can get freezing rain that turns into falling branches and power lines. Then it can snow more."
This week crews are going through their annual training.
"A lot of in-class work, how to use and what to do with the equipment in the field, what we expect from them and then they're going out and doing hands on route running,” said Love Jr.
They do this before the winter weather hits so if equipment isn’t working, there’s time to replace it.
This year the department updated its brine system.
"It's a liquid operation,” said Love. Jr. “It helps us when it comes to snow and ice contact, so precipitation will hit it. It gives it a chance to not bond."
KFOR went for a ride in a snow plow with equipment operator Richard Cole.
“We're practicing getting drivers familiar with running and operating the plow safely,” said Cole.
He’s been doing this for 25 years. On Wednesday, he had a message for drivers.
"Drive safe, be aware of us being out there when we're around them and don't try to cut in front of us,” said Cole.