COLORADO SPRINGS — A major snowstorm is approaching and Colorado residents living on the Front Range, have been told to stay home if you can, but there are jobs that have to happen no matter the weather. "We're in the business of being in business 24/7 and it doesn't matter if it's rain, sleet, snow, blizzard," said Captain Mike Smaldino with the Colorado Springs Fire Department. Police and fire crews not only have to get to work; their job requires getting out on the roads.
Some of the large fire rigs weigh in the range of 50,000 pounds. Smaldino said, "The weight does help, but that can also hurt us in some of these cases.”
When roads are covered with snow and ice first responders have already put in place measure to make sure they can go where they are needed. "Once the snow starts flying we'll get all of our rigs chained up that's how we'll respond the rest of the weekend,” Smaldino. Chains require driving at slower speeds which extends response time. It is better, however, to get to the location of an emergency rather than stuck trying to get there.
The fleet also includes four-wheel drive apparatus. There are also times when plow crews offer an assist by clearing roads ahead emergency vehicles. Emergencies do not wait for snow to melt.
