How DC ensures first responders can reach emergencies through snowstorms
The work to ensure D.C. first responders are able to reach emergencies even during the worst of winter weather started with pretreatment Saturday morning, as part of a process that doesn’t stop.
Police and fire stations are among the locations that D.C.’s Department of General Services prioritizes. The agency is responsible for 500 facilities across the city.
Even as the storm arrives, staff will be stationed nearby to continuously plow entrances and parking lots. Snow will be cleared and ice will be applied “throughout the duration of the storm,” said Delano Hunter, the agency’s director.
“We know there are those inevitable calls, medical emergencies, slips, trips and falls, car accidents, and we don’t want any delay, right?” Hunter said. “If you call 911, you want your first responder there as quick as possible.”
The agency, Hunter said, has tripled its vendor capacity, “because, as they say, many hands make light work.”
Meanwhile, D.C. Fire and EMS is expecting to have about 100 extra people working, and they’re planning to work in 36-hour shifts instead of the usual 24.
While D.C.’s Department of General Services pretreats and clears the roads near fire stations, Deputy Fire Chief Brian Rudy said “most places where we go is already cleared. If not, with the snow chains, we’re able to get into the places where we need to go.”
The agency has a heavy-duty apparatus, Rudy said, if a piece of equipment gets stuck.
“If you experience an emergency, call 911, and we’ll be there,” Rudy said.