[Scan-DC] October 28th Snow Preparedness Dry Run Exercise

[Alan Henney]

----- Original Message ----- 
To: alan at henney.com 
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 9:40 AM
Subject: Prince George's County Prepares for Snow




***MEDIA ADVISORY***

ASSIGNMENT EDITOR:  RIDE-ALONGS AVAILABLE

 

For Immediate Release:

October 25, 2011

 

For More Information:

Susan D. Hubbard

Public Information Officer

Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation

 

Prince George’s County’s Schedules October 28th Snow Preparedness Dry Run Exercise 

 

LARGO, MD – Friday morning, October 28, 2011, residents might be awakened by the sounds of snowplows (minus the snow) traveling through their neighborhoods and they may think Prince George’s County has been hit with an early winter storm! However, folks will be happy to learn that the County’s Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T) is really only conducting its Annual Countywide Snow and Ice Control Dry Run, which begins at 4:00 AM, Friday morning, October 28th. .

 

During the Annual Dry Run, safety inspections of snow and emergency vehicles and related equipment are conducted; operational procedures are evaluated; communication systems are checked for reliability; and the 400+ men and women of DPW&T run through their assignments to ensure safe road travel for citizens and residents during inclement weather.

 

All DPW&T employees –engineers, administrative staff, project coordinators and bus drivers - join the department’s Office of Highway maintenance crews for alternative duty assignments ranging from snowplow drivers and safety inspectors to supply monitors and customer service representatives, as well as everything else in between.  Additional crews from other County agencies (Department of Environmental Services and Maryland National Capitol Park and Planning Commission) also partner with DPW&T in this Annual Dry Run, as well as throughout the winter season to assist in clearing County roadways.  In addition, members of DPW&T’s innovative Community Partners’ Program participate through mock telephone calls that help staff verify community contacts and other pertinent information.  During a regular snow event, calls to the partners help staff verify and gauge response times during winter weather conditions.  

 

The Dry Run provides an opportunity for inclement weather emergency procedures to be tested to the last detail before the winter season strikes!  Any pre-season Snow and Ice Control Program adjustments are made as a result of this exercise to ensure the County’s readiness to safeguard citizens and residents travelling on more than 5,000 lane miles of County-maintained roadways.

 

Command staff operations for inclement weather and other emergency related events are conducted from DPW&T’s state-of-the-art Traffic Response and Information Partnership (TRIP) Center, located at 8414 D’Arcy Road, Forestville.  The TRIP Center serves as the coordination hub for all DPW&T snow and emergency related information with public safety agencies, as well as state and regional transportation management centers.  Snow and ice control operations are dispatched from five district substations located in the northern, central and southern areas of Prince George’s County. 

 

During the October 28th Dry Run, members of the media are invited to participate in a ride-along with drivers and/or join staff at the Command Center.  Drivers will follow their assigned routes to familiarize themselves with the routes, time their runs, and look for any hazardous road conditions that can be fixed before the first snowfall.

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